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These Solar Farms Have A Secret Hiding Under Them: Mushrooms

Adele Peters

September 22, 2017 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Japan, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture

As populations urbanize and the disparity between city and country grows, farmers in Japan are facing increasing economic challenges and a shortage of new farmers to work the land. But a new scheme may help farms to be more profitable by creatively doubling the productivity of their land. New projects allow farmers to grow produce or graze livestock beneath large swaths of solar panels, generating income from both energy sold to the grid as well as more traditional agricultural means.

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This Tiny Country Feeds the World

Frank Viviano Luca Locatelli

September 15, 2017 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Wageningen

By using new technology and shared knowledge, the Dutch have become global leaders in agricultural innovation and solutions to fight famine. Work being done at Wageningen University & Research has allowed farmers in the Netherlands to grow crops year-round and in all kinds of weather, while eliminating the use of chemical pesticides and reducing the dependence on water by as much as 90 percent at some farms. Exporting these techniques to other countries has its challenges, but international graduate students are working to implement these programs in their home regions to help people experiencing hunger.

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Malawian Farmers Adapt in the Face of Climate Change

Deogracias Benjamin Kalima

August 31, 2017 |

Earth Island |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Malawi, Lunzu

Malawian farmers have been hit hard by climate change over the last two farming seasons, and have thus seen a drop in agricultural production. To combat these losses, agriculture experts have begun implementing climate-smart farming practices that allow them to "sustainably increase productivity, enhance resilience (adaptation), reduce greenhouse gas emissions where possible, and help with achievement of national food security and development goals" according to the Food and Agricultural Organization.

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These Tree-Planting Drones Are About To Start An Entire Forest From The Sky

Adele Peters

August 10, 2017 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Myanmar, Pathein, Ayeyarwady

Villages along the Irrawaddy River delta in Myanmar have spent years replanting mangroves in at attempt to restore their ecosystem and guard against the negative effects of climate change, but it is a labor intensive and time-consuming process. Now, with the help of specially-designed tree planting drones from startup BioCarbon Engineering, as many as 10,000 trees can be planted in a single day, using technology that not only distributes seeds in special pods, but is able to calculate optimal soil conditions, locations, and species of tree most likely to survive in any given area.

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Building Better Cities

Russell Beard Juliana Schatz

March 05, 2017 |

Al Jazeera |

Broadcast TV News |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Colombia, Cali, Valle del Cauca

By 2050 the percentage of the world's population living in cities will increase to two-thirds with significant environmental strains. In Colombia, a company called Conceptos Plasticos collects recyclable plastic material, melts it down and moulds it into bricks used to build houses for the local community. Singapore too, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable urban solutions including vertical farms and living buildings.

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Seeds of Commerce: Saving Native Plants in the Heart of Appalachia

Nancy Averett

March 02, 2017 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

As climate change continues to threaten the survival of native plants species and the health of the eco-systems they support, the North Carolina Arboretum’s Germplasm Repository is taking a clever new approach to the preservation of native plant seeds: pushing to capitalize on their commercial value. Plant physiologists like Joe-Ann McCoy know that the best method for saving many species may also create jobs and boost local economies, when businesses start leveraging the medicinal uses of native plants for products like herbal supplements.

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Farming a warmer planet

Zack Colman

February 12, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Morocco, Ait Hssaine

Morocco is one of countless regions around the planet facing the challenges of climate change - as rivers dry up and temperatures increase, the livelihoods of millions stand at risk. But the country may serve as an example for how others can mitigate the damages. The government, entrepreneurial individuals, and local communities are making important changes in the face of global warming, from working to reforest arid regions to adapting which crops are planted so as to use less water and maintain "climate-smart" agricultural productivity.

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The Most Important Modern Farmer Might Be The Urban Cowboy

Heather Corcoran

February 10, 2017 |

GOOD Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Although urban cities have a variety of options for food, not all food is affordable or healthy. New York City has developed urban agriculture projects, from rooftop gardens to “warehouse hydroponic systems.” The South Bronx’s BLK ProjeK’s Libertad Urban Farm serves the local, low-income community and empowers its women leaders with self-sufficient sustainable food.

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The fate of rural food and farms

Brian Calvert

November 15, 2016 |

High Country News |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Santa Fe, New Mexico

A number of problems continue to challenge rural agriculture in the western United States. These include connecting people who grow the food with the people that need to eat the food, food waste worsening greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing numbers of new farmers that take up the practice of agriculture. Different initiatives, such as those presented by Reunity Resources and the National Young Farmers Coalition, encourage collaboration to make sustainable food sources for the poor and for the future of farming.

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How Hybrid Seeds Could Help The Mountain Gorillas Of Congo

Amy Yee

September 27, 2016 |

NPR |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo

As a response to a growing population, farmers have begun encroaching into Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to expand their crop yield. This creates a problem for the endangered great apes that live there, however, as it depletes their food, water and shelter resources. One non-profit is trying to change this landscape by improving farming practices with new seed varieties.

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