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Tanzanian Farmers Crack the Code for Fighting Land Grab

Kizito Makoye

November 13, 2018 |

OZY |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

Indigenous people in Tanzania are using “legal expertise, political pressure and smart solutions like land mapping to win back plots — and then secure them — from corporations they accuse of using loopholes to grab territory.” While indigenous people live in most of the world’s land, they legally own less than ten percent of it. By mapping their territory and publically registering land, it is much harder for corporations to take control.

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Agroforestry saves soil and boosts livelihoods in Tajikistan

Daniyar Serikov

November 13, 2018 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Tajikistan, Faizobod

To restore degraded lands in Tajikistan, farmers are turning to agroforestry, a traditional cropping method that more closely mimics natural systems. An estimated 45 gigatons of carbon is sequestered by agroforestry systems globally. Add that to the benefits of reforestation, erosion control, and the return of wildlife habitat.

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'We can fix all this': Could this be the solution to Australia's drought crisis?

Winsome Denyer

October 29, 2018 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, New South Wales

Natural Sequence Farming is the process of restoring a landscape's original hydration processes by "reading the landscape and tapping into the land's natural system of self-rehydration," – and it's helping Mulloon Creek Natural Farms in New South Wales revive dry farmland. Although some, including the government, haven't entirely accepted the practice, the pilot project has shown a "63% increase in production on the hydrated land."

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The California Indigenous Peoples Using Fire for Agroforestry

Jane Braxton Little

October 16, 2018 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

The Karuk and Yoruk tribes use prescribed burning to keep land healthy and encourage the growth of traditional foods and medicines. New resources and partnerships are helping to bring back small-scale fires and revive important cultural practices.

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Why aren't we mining landfills for valuable materials like metals and soil?

Ucilia Wang

October 16, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cantonment, Florida

Across the country, projects that mine landfills for reusable metals and soils are underway. Can such mining prove profitable enough to spur similar efforts on a grand scale? So far, some projects have seen profits while others have not. But as society increasingly values pollution and greenhouse gas reduction, incentives for refuse mining can only grow.

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Farms Race

Nina Sparling

October 15, 2018 |

Logic Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

True to hacker form, an MIT team wants "open-source agriculture," a technology that takes food production back from big corporations and makes it widely accessible. To this end, the OpenAg community, comprised of coders, horticulturalists, engineers, plant scientists, and teachers, is developing food computers. But the technology is still being developed, and the economics don't yet pencil out for profitability.

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Switching to LPG for habitat recovery and wildlife conservation

Rishika Pardikar

September 25, 2018 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Karnataka

In rural communities, firewood extraction hurts both human health and wildlife habitat. In India, a group of conservationists are helping villages switch from wood-burning to liquified petroleum gas. While logistics around refills are still being ironed out, the program has already produced noticeable results.

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Aging cocoa trees provide opportunity for agricultural reform in Ghana

Nellie Peyton

August 30, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ghana

In Ghana, cocoa trees are aging and producing lower yields, worrying the farmers who rely on the crop to make a living; the decreased yield is also presenting opportunity for agricultural reform to produce a more sustainable vision for agriculture in the region. Across western Ghana, organizations are working together to create customary land agreements and helping land tenants to encourage long term investment in replanting cocoa trees.

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Giving new life to vacant buildings can boost struggling towns

Eillie Anzilotti

August 15, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Newburgh, New York

In New York, an intentional form of housing development is keeping affordability in mind. Neighbors for Neighborhoods provides funding for locals to redevelop blighted property from land banks and rent it out as affordable housing. The parameters ensure local impact: there is a limit to how many properties an individual can rent out, and the properties must be rented to people making below 80% the median income in the region. The program has $4 million in funding so far.

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A simple solution to help cities fight overheating: more trees

Adele Peters

July 20, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

Trees are an effective bulwark against summer heat, providing shade and cooling the air as water evaporates from leaves. A collaborative project mapped heat and other considerations in Dallas and picked the neighborhood of Oak Cliff to plant more than 1,000 trees. The ultimate goal is to revegetate the entire city.

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