Across the Middle East urbanization, climate change, and resource scarcity threaten food security, these 16 food and agriculture initiatives redefine how the region grows, eats, and disposes of its food.
Farmers
One Generation to the Next: Hamilton Brothers Farm and Family Ranching
For this month’s Farmer Friday, we talk with Richard Hamilton from Hamilton Brothers Farm about multigenerational farming, sustainable ranching, and partnering with Niman Ranch.
WRI Proposes New Sustainable Menu to Feed the World by 2050
New WRI report sheds light on the current and future solutions we can apply to build food security to 10 billion people by 2050 without compromising ecosystems or the climate.
Report: Reaching Every Corner of the World with Sustainable Solutions
Access and perception can keep many smallholder farmers in developing countries from swapping out pesticides for sustainable solutions.
The Entrepreneurs Changing the Image of Coffee Production in Vietnam
In the Central Highlands of Vietnam, a cooperative of coffee farmers is working to produce high-quality beans through sustainable production practices.
Kenyan Produce Company Connects 13,000 Farmers to Vendors
One Kenyan produce company, Twiga Foods, is working to improve the lives of small-scale farmers and vendors through innovative technology and education.
Half the World’s Pigs Are Facing the Largest Animal Disease Outbreak in History
“Slaughter data suggest that up to 100 million hogs could be removed from China, potentially reducing production by 20 percent.”
Making Drones Work for Small Farmers
Drones for agriculture are increasingly popular, but technology needs tailoring to small farmers’ needs and diverse crops if UAVs are to take off across the developing world.
Opinion | Agroecology as Innovation
While financial interests in the current input-intensive systems are responding to growing calls for agroecology with attacks on its efficacy, it is surprising that they are so ill-informed about the scientific innovations agroecology offers to small-scale farmers who are being so poorly served by “green revolution” approaches.
Five Ways You’re Responsible for Change in the Food System: Food Tank in L.A.
For these leaders in L.A., the trigger for change in the food system is not startups, corporations, or policies—it is a newly conscious and passionate general public refusing to accept the status quo.
New Index Helps Countries Boost Food Systems Sustainability
Countries have generally high agrobiodiversity but need to step up to foster sustainability in food and agriculture, a new index from Bioversity International shows.
Opinion | How U.S. Agricultural Subsidies Degrade Land and Soil
Agricultural lands are less productive than five years ago, even though global food production has increased. Agricultural subsidies promote practices that degrade soil health by damaging the nutrient rich microbiomes that help crops grow.
Severe Weather in the U.S. Is Impacting Global Food Security
Climate change brings heavy rainfall and flooding to key farm states in the Midwestern U.S. causing price spikes globally and a reminder that in a globalized food system the impacts are felt far beyond the farm.
Selecting the Language and Stories to Transform Food
Food Tank’s San Francisco Food For Thought challenged the Bay Area to think more critically about the language and stories we choose to call for change in the food system. The results? More diversity, specificity, and empowerment.
Harmonizing Seed Rules in West and Central Africa
CORAF and partners have coordinated uniform seed rules, which spurs seed import and export among neighboring African states.
Urban Farm Grows Good Food and Good Mental Health
Aja Yasir fights to produce good food and good mental health on her regenerative urban farm in a food desert in Gary, Indiana. The city doesn’t like the use of woodchips on her lawn and is threatening to end Yasir’s family’s multigenerational farming history.
FoodShot Prize Invests in the Future of Food and Soil
The FoodShot Prize gives support to the most innovative ideas for feeding 10 billion people by 2050 healthfully, sustainably, and equitably; this years’ winners focus on enhancing agronomy.
The Trick to Better Chickens: Honoring Their Ancestry, Says Wadiak
CEO of Cooks Venture Matt Wadiak talks about what even cautious eaters don’t know about how their chickens are raised and the potential for happier, more nutrient-dense chickens through better raising practices.
Opinion | Bringing Food Cold Chains to More People in India
Only 4 percent of India’s perishable crops move through cold-chains, a big reason why food losses and malnourishment are still pervasive in the world’s second most populous country.
The 29 Books on Food Tank’s Summer Reading List
While summer is normally the season for getting away from it all, instead we challenge our readers to dive deeper into the areas of the food system in which they desire change with these 29 books.
