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Why This New Jersey Forager Thinks Weeds Are the Future of Food

Brianna Baker

May 19, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Meadows + More is a farm in New Jersey that specializes in edible wild plants and its owner, Tama Matsuoka Wong, seeks to educate people about the important role wild plants could play in future food systems if disasters and climate change were to eradicate plant species. She tends over 200 varieties of wild plants that she sells to top chefs and restaurants and to home cooks. While the community of wild plant enthusiasts is small, her business has received renewed interest during the COVID-19 pandemic as people looked for alternatives to grocery stores.

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Agrobiodiversity initiatives open women's horizons in Kerala

Mahima Jain

April 15, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Palakkad, Kerala

The Kudumbashree Mission aims to encourage agrobiodiversity projects in India and empower women farmers. These projects revive traditional and sustainable farming practices called “panchakrishi.” So far, there are 192 hamlets and over 840 hectares under this type of farming, producing pulses, tubers, paddy, millets, and vegetables. While climate change has caused a lower crop yield for some farmers, pancharkrishi has helped women diversify their crops and maintain nutritional security.

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Farming Insects to Save Lemurs

Andy Isaacson

March 19, 2020 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Madagascar

In Madagascar, insect researchers, regional conservationists, and humanitarian organizations have teamed up to promote the farming of crickets as a way to help preserve forests, save animals, and fight malnutrition. Although the pilot project is still fairly new, it has been well-received my communities and studies have already shown that consuming cricket powder has substantial benefits for children who are underweight.

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How women in Iowa are leading farmland conservation efforts

Mark Bittman Melanie Saltzman

March 07, 2020 |

PBS NewsHour |

Broadcast TV Programs |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Iowa

A group of women called The Women, Food and Agriculture Network was founded in 1998 in Iowa to educate female landowners about land conservation and implementing sustainable practices on their farms. The group has held more than 250 meetings since 2009, reaching more than 3,800 women landowners—and their surveys find that after a one-day session, 50-70% of the women go on to take an action to improve conservation on their property. Longterm, this group empowers women to play a bigger role in the future of agriculture in the state.

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Return of indigenous crops helps reduce farm distress and restore ecosystems

Basudev Mahapatra

February 10, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Odisha

By returning to indigenous varieties of crops, farmers can increase ecological diversity and reliance to climate change. In India, hundreds of farmers in the state of Odisha have been returning to indigenous crops, like millet, vegetables, and tubers. In contrast to the high yield varieties of seeds provided by the government, heritage crops prove more resilient to changes in climate, water shortages, and local pests. Using heritage crops also reduces the need for pesticides, helping to restore ecological balance in the region.

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Most of America's Farm Owners Are White. This Program Is Rooting for More Diversity

Monica Humphries

December 31, 2019 |

NationSwell |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Cultivating a more diverse generation of farmers requires training and mentorship. In New York, GrowNYC’s FARMroots program trains new farmers of diverse backgrounds. The FARMroots Beginning Farmer Program offers courses on everything from finances to driving tractors. The program also pairs the new farmers with an experienced mentor. Hailing from a range of backgrounds, the new farmers bring new crops, new ideas, and new skills to their communities.

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Are Food Forests The Future of Agriculture?

Claire Caulfield

December 30, 2019 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Podcast |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

As concerns about food security grow in Hawaii amidst a backdrop of climate change, Pacific Islanders are leaning into agroforestry as a means to address the problem. Resilient to extreme weather, agroforests allow for multiple plants to be farmed together and can "grow double or triple the amount of plants in the same area of land as mono-culture."

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Shouldering the Burden

Sena Christian

December 17, 2019 |

Comstock's Magazine |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Guinda, California

Drastic solutions to climate change tend not to pan out (like trying to get everyone to stop eating meat), but careful adaptation is making real progress. In California, many smaller-scale farms are trying out new methods of adapting to the new realities of climate change, including not tilling the land so that nutrients build up and the soil strengthens. This article covers a range of approaches that farmers take to protect their livelihood and conserve their resources.

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An apple revival near Four Corners is restoring hundreds of historic fruits — and the local ag economy

Nancy Lofholm

November 28, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

The Four Corners region in southwest Colorado has become home to nearly 500 varietals of apples, revitalizing the industry as a whole, thanks to the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project. The practice of researching and replicating apple varietals has spread to other areas of the state and has helped in promoting the concept of farm to table for both communities and businesses such as in the cider industry.

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This Turkish chef is fighting climate change with the help of Syrian refugees

Jennifer Hattam

November 22, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Mardin

The Turkish organization, Living Soil, Local Seed, is working with Turkish women and Syrian refugees to help rebuild and diversify the local agricultural system that was once thriving. Using local knowledge and surveys, the organization has gathered different varieties of native crops which it then uses to work with local farmers and employ women in order to create more complex ecological systems. In 2019, the program yielded over 400 tons of wheat and has proven to be more financially beneficial to farmers.

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