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Beekeeping empowers women, brings in honey and lush kitchen gardens

Monica Pelliccia

October 09, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India

Almost 1000 women across remote and rural areas of India are caring for beehives as a part of the Under The Mango Tree (UTMT) network. The beekeepers have been employed through a social enterprise that aims to provide an extra source of income for farmers while working towards environmental conservation efforts. Beekeeping not only provided crucial income during the coronavirus shutdown, but it also helped pollinate home gardens, increasing produce output and enabling families to avoid markets during a time of social distancing.

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Truck Convoy Brings Boon to Town Plagued by Violence

Merveille Kavira Luneghe

September 20, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kanyabayonga

Truck convoys ensure safer journeys for drivers and their goods around Kanyabayonga, an area that experiences intermittent instability and violence between armed groups. Up to 100 trucks carrying goods like charcoal, bananas, or lumber line up most days and wait for permission to continue their journey. The local economy has benefited, with restaurants and stores popping up to accommodate the influx of people. A ban on night time driving to prevent threats from armed groups has also supported the growth of a hotel industry, with 15 informal hotels now in operation.

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Rural school district creates free internet service to keep students connected

Tahera Rahman

September 18, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Lockhart, Texas

At least 40 percent, or 2,000, students from Lockhart ISD didn’t have access to reliable internet. To address the issue, the school district built seven towers. They also installed antennas on individual homes so they can receive the signals from the towers. As a result, 1,300 students got connected. “This is about equity,” Estrada said. “Every one of our Lockhart Lions needs to have access to the opportunities they deserve to grow and truly thrive.”

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Land and Community: Food Hubs: Keeping the Wheels of Local Food Moving

Susan Geier

September 18, 2020 |

Sentinel Source (The Keene Sentinel) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Hampshire

As middle men between farmers and consumers, food hubs in New Hampshire are eliminating the marketing and distribution typically done by food producers. Food hubs streamline the process of procuring local goods for customers who want various products without the hassle of multiple purchases and pickups. The aggregation of local produce strengthens infrastructure that enables farmers to increase output especially as demand for locally grown foods have increased since the onset of the pandemic.

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Three Approaches to Rural Rejuvenation

Kelly Burch

September 18, 2020 |

Sentinel Source (The Keene Sentinel) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Despite the pandemic-induced economic slowdown, three small cities have managed to thrive due to successful economic development plans that have led to “rural rejuvenation” in an effort to attract young families to live there. The city of Taos, New Mexico has used a regional strategy to increase tourism while Durango, Colorado, chose to diversify the economy by focusing on its other resources such as high education, natural gas, and healthcare. Bozeman, Montana focused on nurturing local business instead of enticing outside businesses.

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What Kenya can teach its neighbors — and the US — about improving the lives of the "unbanked"

Kelsey Piper

September 11, 2020 |

Vox |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya

Mobile banking in Kenya has increased economic mobility for families living in poverty. The mobile money system is not connected to bank accounts, making it accessible to the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who don't have bank accounts but do have cell phones. Mobile banking allows deposits and withdrawals as well as transfers, and has allowed families to save money to use when their income, often from farming, takes a hit thus creating a security net for themselves and allowing them to receive funds from friends and family. Savings allow families to meet basic needs and access medical care if necessary.

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Can Mount Vernon learn from Marion's downtown alley project?

Grant Pepper

August 23, 2020 |

Knox Pages |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Marion, Ohio

The city of Marion, Ohio, has allocated an alley for use as a community hub where diners can eat, families can frolick, and revelers can listen to live music. The space has benefitted the local economy, encouraging residents to come out and support vendors on main street. During the pandemic, it served as a place people could safely gather while enjoying fresh air and a lively atmosphere. The nearby city of Mount Vernon is taking notes from Marion's success.

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The co-ops that electrified Depression-era farms are now building rural internet

Nicolás Rivero

August 05, 2020 |

Quartz |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Co-ops that have historically brought electricity and telephone services to rural America are now providing internet service. Broadband companies don't make a profit when covering a large area with limited households per mile so co-ops have filled the need under the "Smart Grid" program funded by the USDA. Thousands of households have been connected to fiber-optic internet as a result.

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How Reedsburg Got Broadband

Kate Archer Kent

August 05, 2020 |

Wisconsin Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Along with electricity, water, and phone, the Reedsburg Utility Commission provides internet access in rural Wisconsin. The fiber network was built almost two decades ago and provides affordable internet access at high speeds. The project started for internal needs and grew to accommodate the school and then eventually the whole region. Current municipal legislation inhibits the type of private-public partnerships that allowed Reedsburg Utility to once build what is now considered an essential service.

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Homegrown

Emily Stifler Wolfe

August 05, 2020 |

Montana Free Press |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Federal funding helped local food producers expand their operations to include processing plants which enables farmers to meet the demand of Montanans who sought an alternative to the empty grocery store shelves. The lack of processing plants has caused a bottleneck in the local food supply chain, a sore point which was amplified when the pandemic disrupted international supply chains, sending shoppers to their neighborhood farms. Small operators rarely have their own processing plants and must outsource that step in order to take their products to market.

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