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As tobacco sales dry up, Kentucky farmers look to the state's ‘original crop' — hemp

Kurtis Lee

February 13, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cynthiana, Kentucky

The legalization of hemp as a cash crop is showing significant benefits for farmers across the United States. Although the process of transporting the crop is still facing challenges, producers are seeing an increase in sales and revenue and a greater demand for the product.

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In Ethiopia, climate change leads herders to retrain as farmers

Sebastien Malo

February 12, 2019 |

Reuters |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ethiopia, Demika

Many herders are adapting to climate change by adopting farming. In the wake of severe droughts in recent years, herding communities in Ethiopia have expressed increasing interest in farming as a way to secure additional income. The non-profit organization, Farm Africa, helps herders to make the transition into farming by educating and assisting them with technical matters, such as irrigation, as well as aiding with financing and finding markets.

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How Danone, Kashi and Land O'Lakes are backing sustainable farming

Maki Tazawa

February 11, 2019 |

GreenBiz |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Because the upfront costs of transitioning a farm to be certified organic can be burdensome to farmers amidst a growing demand for organic food, large companies like Kashi and Land O'Lakes are creating a number of initiatives to help ease the process. Techniques include no-interest advances for expensive initial supplies, fair trade premiums that go to local community work, and soil health initiatives for suppliers. The companies even implement a complex data tracking system to gather information on yield and profitability, which can then be used to inform future sustainable practice transitions.

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The secret to a town's perfect potatoes? Its well-preserved forest.

Jorge Rodríguez

February 11, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Concepción Chiquirichapa

Concepción Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, is known for its potatoes. The produce is especially good because of a consistent supply of high quality water from its forests, as well as the use of leaf litter as organic fertilizer. Forest protections from decades ago are showing results in sustaining high quality produce, but as the population increases and potato farming expands, the city is working to preserve the natural resources that have contributed to its success.

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Nepalese Rice Farmers Boost Yields By Sowing Fewer Plants And Cutting Water

Danielle Preiss

January 30, 2019 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Nepal

Using a somewhat counter-intuitive process, rice farmers in Nepal are seeing higher yields practicing the system of rice intensification (SRI), a method which calls for planting fewer seedlings, planting them younger and using less water. Some farmers have reported a 100% increase in crop yields, which can triple incomes with an added environmental benefit.

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What a project in Wisconsin can teach others about working with farmers to reduce phosphorus runoff

Stephanie Hemphill

January 23, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Green Bay, Wisconsin

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, farmers are experimenting with BMPs, or best management practices, to farm their land in a way that protects the environment and decrease algae in the water. Five years into the pilot program, early results show some progress - and as more farmers adopt BMPs, the bigger the impact on the waterways will be.

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The Brazilian photographer and the 20-year reforestation project of over 2.7 million trees

Fino Menezes

January 17, 2019 |

BrightVibes |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Aimorés, Minas Gerais

A Brazilian photographer and his wife set out to restore devastated land in the late 1990s by replanting the forest, which would in turn bring back the wildlife. To date the pair and their organization, Instituto Terra, have replanted more than 2 million trees, seen the return of over 500 different species of birds, mammals, amphibians, and flora, and brought back to life the 8 natural springs on the land. There only remains 10% of the land to restore, and at the same time they've also developed more than 700 educational projects that reach over 65,000 people across the nation.

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Reshaping Africa's rural food systems and cutting food losses

Peyton Fleming

January 15, 2019 |

Ensia |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi Area

Food loss in sub-Saharan Africa is a common occurrence, due to the unreliability of brokers that sell the farmers produce, but groups throughout the region are fighting against this. From cooling systems that allow produce to last longer to connecting local farmers to work together to negotiate sales, post-harvest food projects are becoming an increasingly common solution.

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Has New York Found the Secret to Linking Retiring Farmers and Eager Upstarts?

Lisa Held

January 08, 2019 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

Connecting new farmers to community partners facilitates the process of buying and selling land. In addition to linking buyers and sellers, the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network (HVFN) enrolls local organizations such as GrowNYC’s FARMroots program, the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Corporation, as well as micro lenders to make the sale of the land possible. The network increases the resources available to farmers in New York.

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Agroforestry helps Tajikistan farmers overcome resource pressures

Daniyar Serikov

January 02, 2019 |

Mongabay |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tajikistan, Isfara

Many farmers in Tajikistan are transitioning from Soviet-era monoculture to agroforestry, a method that more closely mimics natural ecosystems. While the farms are small, many payoffs--good income, diverse crops, robust wildlife, and carbon sequestration, to name several--are being realized.

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