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How Montana ag producers are building topsoil, drought resilience and profits

Emily Stifler Wolfe

July 06, 2021 |

Montana Free Press |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Faced with the effects of climate change, in Montana, some farmers are turning towards organic or regenerative practices, a form of farming that includes thing like crop rotation, and using fewer pesticides. It’s a switch from conventional farming, which usually involves mono crops, heavy use of pesticides, and genetically modifies seeds, producing thehighestt yield. A technique that has led to soil erosion. Nationally, farmers are turning towards regenerative farming which builds the topsoil, meaning it is better for the land and the environment.

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The people racing to replant Africa

Laura Joffre

July 02, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Senegal

The Gambia river which rests in Sahel, the region between the Sahara desert and the African rainforest, used to be extremely fertile, farmers could live of the land. Yet, climate change and years of deforestation have made the land uncultivable. One NGO, with help from other organizations and international funders, is trying to rebuild the land by creating, "The Great Green Wall,” an effort to build an 8,000-km mural of plants and trees along the southern border of the Sahara desert. So far, 18 million hectares of land have been restored.

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These farmers show that agriculture in the Amazon doesn't have to be destructive

Brian Barth Flávia Milhorance

June 28, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Nova Califórnia, Rondônia

Nearly a fifth of the Amazon has been cleared for cattle grazing and logging. However, a cooperative called RECA is making it economically sustainable for farmers to shift towards agroforestry. Agroforestry is the intentional planting of trees and shrubs in farms and forests among others. 11 tons of carbon per acre are sequestered through agroforestry systems. REFA farmers planted up to 40 species of trees then will process products from the species to be sold. The more than 300 families from the co-op made five times more per acre than local ranchers not practicing agroforestry.

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This South L.A. startup will turn your front lawn into a farm

Adele Peters

May 25, 2021 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

A startup in California called Crop Swap LA is converting unused front yards into community gardens that can grow crops like kale, rainbow chard, and tomatoes as a way to feed neighbors. Community members can pay for subscriptions for up to $43 a month to receive a bundle of greens and vegetables from the microfarms and homeowners get a share of the profits. Each garden needs to have the proper maintenance, which can make it difficult to scale, but these gardens can help provide access to food to those who don’t have a grocery store in their area.

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Inside Elephant Territory

Lola García-Ajofrín

May 24, 2021 |

Outriders |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Sri Lanka

New tactics are being implemented to prevent elephants from approaching farmland in Sri Lanka. Clashes between people and elephants have increased with the expansion of small farms encroaching into elephant habitats. One solution to prevent damage to crops and to protect people has been electric fences. The fences deliver a small shock - enough to deter the elephant without harming it.

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The Great Plains prairie needs fire to survive. These ranchers are bringing it back.

Brianna Randall

May 13, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maywood, Nebraska

The Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance in Nebraska is working to preserve grasslands through prescribed burns. Eighty-volunteer members have burned nearly 85,000 acres to stop the spread of cedar trees that disrupt the prairie ecosystem. These burns allow the grass to return, which has been helpful for farmers and their livestock. This work has inspired others in the state to create associations to share resources on how to restore their lands.

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Farmers Trying To Save The Ogallala Aquifer Face Tension From Peers, But Their Profits Are Improving

David Condos

May 05, 2021 |

High Plains Public Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Hays, Kansas

Once Kansas formed its first local enhanced management area — or LEMA — where a certain land area had strict irrigation limits, many farmers weren’t happy about it. But a research study found that instead of cutting their water usage by 20 percent as required by the law, many decreased it by 31 percent. While they do have slightly smaller harvests, one farmer said they were making more money inside the LEMA than before. “It seems really encouraging because it seems like the program has both increased profits and increased water savings,” said one researcher.

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This Restaurant-Led Agriculture Effort Wants To Help Farmers And Ranchers Fight Climate Change

Michael Elizabeth Sakas

May 03, 2021 |

Colorado Public Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Boulder County, Colorado

A new county initiative in Colorado aims to support regenerative agriculture projects on farms as a way to take carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil in an effort to combat climate change. Restaurants donate 1 percent of their profits to the Restore Colorado initiative in Boulder County. The McCauley Family Farm is one of the first to sign on to this initiative and plan to plant more trees on their grazing land. While it can take years to see any benefits, organizers are looking to scale the initiative to be statewide.

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After a century of dispossession, Black farmers are fighting to get back to the land

Tom Philpott

May 01, 2021 |

Mother Jones |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

In the U.S., a movement of Black farmers is trying to reclaim their legacy as agrarians. Only 1.7 percent of farms were run by Black farmers according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Black farmers are forming collectives, creating land trusts, creating conferences.

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The Farmer Trying to Save Italy's Ancient Olive Trees

Agostino Petroni

April 29, 2021 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Italy, Gagliano del Capo, Puglia

An imported strain of bacteria is threatening to destroy olive trees in Italy that produce about 12 percent of the world’s olive oil. An agronomist is working with other scientists to graft trees — taking a different kind of tree that could be resistant to the bacteria and inserting it into the trunk of an older tree. After years of trial and error, they’ve found some success. On one farm, 70 percent of the grafts used have survived. But conspiracy theories and financial difficulties have made it a challenge to have a coordinated response to the problem.

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