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Youth Are Flipping an Abandoned North Carolina Prison into a Sustainable Farm

Christina Cooke

June 15, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wagram, North Carolina

A former North Carolina prison has been reclaimed by the nonprofit Growing Change to teach sustainable farming to youth who otherwise might be doomed to their own prison terms without an effective intervention. The 9-year-old program, while small, is meant to serve as a model for reusing many other shuttered prisons as the nation’s incarceration numbers fall. Boasting positive effects on recidivism, the program’s focus is the racially diverse youth of the rural, impoverished eastern part of the state – the same people who disproportionately get imprisoned.

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Solar Power Fills Gaps in Underserviced Rural Argentina

Daniel Gutman

June 10, 2020 |

Inter Press Service News Agency |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Argentina, Entre Rios

Solar energy has provided an affordable and efficient source of energy to rural farmers in Argentina, who live too far off the electrical grid and have traditionally relied on powerful diesel-fueled water pumps. Solar panels have reduced carbon emissions, eliminated the need for expensive diesel fuel, as well as the hassle of transporting it to the countryside - often over rough roads. The initial investment in solar panels is recouped in a short amount of time and has resulted in a drastic reduction in water consumption.

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Getting to 10% forest cover: Kenya's road to recovering its lost ecosystem

David Owino

June 05, 2020 |

DIRAJ |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya

In Kenya, initiatives are being devised to help the country reach a minimum tree cover target of 10% of the total landmass by 2022. One of the more successful efforts has been an uptick of public awareness campaigns such as the "adopt a tree campaign," which educates youth about the importance of planting trees in the correct areas.

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Small farms diversity to survive COVID-19, changing the face of Detroit markets

Kate Roff

June 05, 2020 |

edibleWOW |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

During the COVID-19 pandemic, small farmers in Michigan are coming up with different business models in order to get their produce into consumers’ hands. Fisheye Farms in Detroit created a community-supported agriculture, or CSA, subscription program. However, the program is only meeting approximately one-third of its necessary finances, and they hope to find a balance with other offerings. Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor quickly turned their online store into a popular digital farmers market, increasing its customers from eight to 2,500.

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Around the world, Indigenous seed banks are helping to preserve culture, boost nutrition and protect the environment

Andrew Wight

June 02, 2020 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala

Indigenous seed banks preserve and reintroduce native agricultural varieties, which in some cases are more nutritious than other varieties. Qachuu Aloom runs a one-room seed bank that provides raw materials for its 500 active members, 80% of whom are women, to practice agroecological farming. The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank preserves more than 100 different kinds of seeds, distributing over 10,000 packets to growers in 2019. Several international organizations are working with seed banks to drive more resilient and diversified food production with native varieties as a way to address food insecurity.

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Could paying farmers to store carbon help the climate and save farms?

Maddie Oatman

June 01, 2020 |

Mother Jones |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Indigo Agriculture, an ag-tech startup, is looking to pay farmers to draw carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the ground, which could help mitigate the effects of climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Other companies that want to offset their own emissions can purchase credits on a carbon exchange. While the market hasn’t opened yet and some experts are skeptical about how much carbon the soil will absorb, Indigo Agriculture has signed up more than 5,000 farmers representing 19.8 million acres of land.

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India's first 'green' village adapts to life without tourists

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

May 28, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Khonoma, Nagaland

Despite the lockdown and loss of tourism income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the village of Kohonoma in India has been able to maintain a high level of food security for its people. Because of previous legal changes and grant money, villagers were able to change their lifestyle to support the community’s tourism industry and preserve its sustainable agriculture practices. Village leaders are hopeful that their conservation and sustainable development efforts will continue post-pandemic and will encourage other communities to do the same.

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Pakistan's solution to the locust invasion? Turn the pests into chicken feed

Rina Saeed Khan

May 28, 2020 |

Scroll.In |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Depalpur, Punjab

As locust swarms threaten crops in Pakistan, a pilot program offers farmers a way to get rid of the pests without using insecticides that harm the environment, while also earning money. Once farmers trap the locusts at night, the creatures are turned into high-protein chicken feed for animal feed mills. During the pilot project, farmers netted up to $125 for one night’s work and the community hauled an average of seven tonnes a night. While harvesting locusts works for some farming areas, it might not be as easy for farmers in desert areas who have to rely on chemical sprays offered by the government.

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As the coronavirus pandemic strains supplies, Native Americans fight food insecurity

Erik Ortiz

May 24, 2020 |

NBC News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Monument Valley, Utah

As a response to the way in which the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains, especially in remote parts of the Navajo Nation, the new “Seeds and Sheep” program is mailing seeds to families so they can grow food for themselves and their community. The nonprofit running the program, Utah Diné Bikéyah, has connected with over 300 families so far. It is part of a larger trend of Native efforts to provide agricultural education, teach people to grow culturally relevant food, and reduce food insecurity.

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COVID-19 Sparks a Rebirth of the Local Farm Movement

Stephanie Hiller

May 21, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

To help small farmers stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, some organizations in California are aiding in their transition to community supported agriculture, or CSA, models that directly connect farmers to consumers. Since converting to a CSA, one restaurant supply business went from selling 90 boxes of food to 450. This collaborative effort, along with new digital marketplaces and local grassroots networks, could become a longterm business model for farmers.

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