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Farms Race

Nina Sparling

October 15, 2018 |

Logic Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

True to hacker form, an MIT team wants "open-source agriculture," a technology that takes food production back from big corporations and makes it widely accessible. To this end, the OpenAg community, comprised of coders, horticulturalists, engineers, plant scientists, and teachers, is developing food computers. But the technology is still being developed, and the economics don't yet pencil out for profitability.

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Whisky and vodka flow as Tasmanian farmers embrace spirit of sustainability

Fiona Breen

October 07, 2018 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, Tasmania

In Australia, farmers are looking to diversify their crops in order to gain greater financial returns. For several farmers across different regions, this has resulted in looking to whiskey and vodka production.

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The Co-op Farming Model Might Help Save America's Small Farms

Annelise Jolley

October 03, 2018 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Throughout the United States, farmer co-ops are gaining popularity as a means to share work and resources with fellow small farms with the goal of keeping rural communities alive. Although this model can look slightly different depending on the region and can create limitations, overall, many believe this approach may create a more resilient farming practice.

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Rooftop farming: why vertical gardening is blooming in Kampala

Nils Adler

September 19, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

As the population of urban areas in Uganda grows, many farmers are finding that they are running out of space to cultivate successful business in agriculture. One solution that has surfaced has been to build up instead of out.

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Arizona's malt house saves water and helps local brewers

Corey Hawk

September 19, 2018 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Camp Verde, Arizona

Swapping out water-intensive crops for barley alleviates demand on rivers like the Salt and Verde, which supply Phoenix, Arizona. A collaboration between the Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit, and farmers in the Verde Valley helped to save millions of gallons of water by encouraging the farmers to plant barley instead of corn. The farmers can sell their barley crop to a newly established malt house, Sinagua Malt. The malt house operates with the help of the Nature Conservancy, which has invested in the project.

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How to win the war against armyworm without pesticides

Duncan Mboya

September 18, 2018 |

Nation Africa |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

For years, farmers in Nairobi were at the mercy of weeds and then armyworms that both destroyed large amounts of cropland that was dedicated to growing maize. Researchers from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, however, became adamant about finding a solution and eventually found very specific types of grasses that when planted intercropped, not only kept the worm away, but also helped improve the viability of the soil.

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Farmers turn to millets as a climate-smart crop

Hiren Kumar Bose

September 17, 2018 |

India Climate Dialogue |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Dharwad, Karnataka

In the arid Karnataka region of India, millet is largely replacing rice as a staple crop. Not only does this drought-resistant grain require far less water and pesticide, but it's also highly nutritious. Perceptions are also beginning to change. What was once viewed as subpar food is starting to look like a winner in an increasingly thirsty world.

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Maize harvest to hit 46m bags, says Agriculture CS Kiunjuri

Aggrey Omboki

September 12, 2018 |

Nation Africa |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya

Kenya is seeing a bumper harvest in maize thanks to good weather this season, but also the government has been campaigning to get more farmers to grow maize and it also gave them subsidized fertilizer. It’s part of an effort to bolster food security in the African nation, which still has some 10 million people facing food insecurity. USAID is committing to intensifying assistance to the country from the United States to help it build more stability in its food supply.

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Democratizing Food

Jill Harkins

September 11, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Haile Johnston and Tatiana Garcia Granados both grew up in homes where gardening, farming, and access to fresh produce were important. When they found out how much middlemen distributors in America profit from selling produce at the expense of farmers, they started the Common Market. As a non-profit wholesale distributor, the Common Market makes fresh, local produce accessible to large institutions as well as individuals. Their work has supported over 1000 farmers.

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As the West burns, a town fields its own amateur firefighters

Carl Segerstrom

September 05, 2018 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dufur, Oregon

In the town of Dufur, Oregon, local residents have been acting as firefighters to protect their fields and homes, using farming equipment to bury dry vegetation and tanks of water to put out the flames. While this has been the norm for years – because of the length of time it takes professional firefighters to arrive – the recent increase in wildfires is calling into question the safety of this informal fire fighting and figuring out how to work together with professionals.

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