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Pandemic Offers Surprising Opportunity for Farmers

Linda Mujuru Vimbai Chinembiri

December 08, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Zimbabwe, Mutoko

The coronavirus pandemic,and related lockdowns and travel restrictions caused farmers across Zimbabwe to lose substantial income as crops spoiled. But the crisis led to a shift in strategy, with many farmers participating in bartering networks that have opened new markets closer to home. Having to travel shorter distances creates greater income stability, as reliable transportation was an issue well before the pandemic. Farmers also shifted the types of crops they sell with an eye towards adding value. Dried produce and herbs increase profits by up to 30% and allow farmers to supply crops out of season.

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This Kauai Nonprofit Is Trying To Change How People Buy Their Food

Allan Parachini

December 04, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Moloaa, Hawaii

Food hub projects are gaining momentum in Hawaii as a means to connect farmers with customers. The projects go against the narrative that produce should be sold to big-box supermarkets, and instead focuses on "allowing farmers to concentrate on farming and creating a seamless ordering system so consumers can order food online for delivery or availability at central pickup points."

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A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

Chad Small

December 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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As cases rise, college students take COVID-19 prevention into their own hands

Mathew Reagan Hannah Getahun Maddie Beck

December 04, 2020 |

CalMatters |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

From zoom workshops that teach people about the misconceptions of COVID 19, to Google docs, to Instagram profiles that shame people who are partying during the pandemic, university students are holding their communities accountable. Across the country a myriad of student-led efforts have sprung up in response to careless behavior by college students. “I just thought it would be a good idea to sort of hold each other accountable and then be safe.”

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A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

Bridget Huber

December 03, 2020 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Bavaria

Environmental advocates got 1.75 million signatures to change Bavarian farming laws to protect biodiversity. The Save the Bees Campaign calls for using subsidies to nearly triple the amount of organic farming, creating a network of wildlife corridors, and other actions to protect bird and insect life. Initial results show that, since the law took effect, the share of organic farmland increased and thousands of more acres of forest have been protected. Farmers have also adjusted their view of productivity, including protecting nature as a way to be productive. Similar efforts are happening across Europe.

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How To Feed The World Without Destroying It

Debbie Weingarten

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the U.S. food supply chain, yet for indigenous led-operations there has been little interruption thanks to practices that rely on shorter supply chains that "work with local ecosystems, not against them." In Virginia, one farmer is using the lessons from this traditional knowledge to create a small-scale farming collective.

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In Italy, deserted railway buildings are patching up the social fabric and supporting migrants

Sofia Cherici

November 30, 2020 |

The Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Italy

More than 400 social service centers occupy spaces abandoned by the Italian Railway Network. The sites are managed by social stakeholders but, unlike other national assistance centers, they do not require citizenship to receive benefits, allowing people who are often left out of government programs to receive food, basic medical care, and other services like laundry and a shower. Social service groups are granted the locations for up to five years, and nearly 25,000 people receive benefits across the network each year, the majority of whom are migrants, refugees, and citizens of other countries.

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When food becomes scarce – high-tech farms of the future

Hartmut Idzko

November 28, 2020 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Video |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Japan

Vertical farms in Japan grow greens stacked in a building without soil and increase productivity and profitability compared to traditional farming. This format could expand food production as the global demand for food grows and allow for quality growing conditions despite climate change.

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This sacred bean saved an indigenous clan from climate calamity

Agostino Petroni

November 25, 2020 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Manaure

A community gardening project growing the guajiro bean has allowed Wayuu farmers in the Colombian desert to achieve food security despite the effects of climate change and external pressures. While scaling this agricultural success to other Indigenous clans can be difficult, using a low-tech irrigation system and red earthworm compost has allowed one settlement to feed its community and make their soil fertile again.

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Coronavirus means free school meals across the U.S. What if that stayed?

Levi Pulkkinen

November 24, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Yakima, Washington

A no-cost meal program allows high-poverty schools to offer all enrolled students free lunch, which consequently addresses child nutrition problems and meal debt. The program, however, has pivoted and expanded during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that schools can still act as a food distribution hub.

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