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Agroforestry ‘home gardens' build community resilience in southern Ethiopia

Tesfa-Alem Tekle

December 04, 2018 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ethiopia, Bule

Farmers in Bule, Ethiopia, are practicing agroforestry, a diverse cropping method that mimics natural ecosystems. A survey found a stunning average of 16 crop species, including 21 species of tree, on farms. The benefits of the practice are myriad: food security, improved soil health, carbon sequestration, diversified revenue streams, and new wildlife habitat, to name several. While the incentive to grow valuable monocultures can be high, many growers stick with agroforestry regardless.

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How farmers in Punjab are using the practice of mulching to fight climate change

Ankita Anand

November 30, 2018 |

Daily O |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Sunam, Punjab

In Punjab's Sangrur district, some farmers are choosing to mulch rather than burn crop residue. The benefits of mulching are two-fold: increased soil health and reduced air pollution. But a lot of growers in the area still burn, and many are frustrated that the government offers no incentives to mulch.

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Agroforestry supports food security and conservation in Papua New Guinea

Camilo Mejia Giraldo

November 26, 2018 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea, agroforestry--an old method of farming that more closely mimics natural ecosystems--has provided the Gildipasi community with diverse crops and greater food security. And in a boom for wildlife, the practice has allowed the community to set aside 4,940 protected acres of forestland, as well as a marine protected area, over the past two decades.

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Can we meet a growing need for food without destroying our environment?

Paul McDivitt

November 01, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

As climate change continues to impact agriculture production and land viability, a new concept known as “sustainable intensification” has entered the conversation as a way to cultivate a relationship between traditional and organic farming. Taking the best from both practices, this new practice emphasizes environmentally friendly farming with higher yields of food production.

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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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Perennial versions of conventional crops offer benefits to the environment — but are they ready for prime time?

Virginia Gewin

September 06, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salinas, Kansas

With shifts in climate change and environmental sustainability a concern, historical farming practices have had to shift to accommodate the changes. One practice that is showing promise are the cultivating of perennial crops.

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Why Farmers Are Ditching Industrial Methods For This Practice

Carrie Budge

September 05, 2018 |

The Huffington Post |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya

During the Industrial Revolution, farmers began harvesting monoculture crops which produced promising profits but proved harmful to the soil and weakened the immune capabilities of native plants. Lately, however, permaculture practices have been on the rise amongst farmers to better diversify their yields and reduce reliance on chemicals.

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'It saved our business': Italy's farmers turn low into high with cannabis

Lorenzo Tondo

August 30, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Italy, Sicily

In Italy's farmland traditionally that has traditionally been known to grow wheat, farmers have recently found that growing non-pharmaceutical hemp yields greater profit. Allowing them to hire more workers and produce more results on their dry lands, many are crediting the crop for saving their business.

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How beekeeping helped a Sorsogon coconut farm

Mavic Conde

August 11, 2018 |

Rappler |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Sorsogon City

The use of local and native pollinators can greatly increase farm productivity. In the region of Sosorgon, in the Philippines, farmers who have begun using the local kiwot bees to pollinate coconut farms have noted significant increases in their yields. The Balay Buhau sa Uma Bee Farm (BBu) serves as a demo farm for the broader beeping project in the municipality of Bulusan, which aims to help farmers earn more in a sustainable fashion. This includes encouraging courses in apiculture and the use of affordable, low maintenance hives.

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With a Sniff and a Signal, These Dogs Hunt Down Threats to Bees

Tejal Rao

July 03, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jarrettsville, Maryland

Pollinators such as honeybees are critical to the ecosystem and to agriculture - responsible for pollinating about 1/3 of the nation's food crops - but they are endangered due to factors such as habitat loss and fungus that spreads more rapidly in warming temperatures. A program in Maryland is training adopted dogs to more efficiently sniff out harmful bacteria in bee hives and help preserve their populations.

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