A forest garden project attempts to expand into the Sahel

In Brazil's Amazon deforestation hotspot BR-163, small farmers and entrepreneurs are working to implement sustainable farming alternatives like agroecology, beekeeping and converting cattle pastures to grow local fruits to create a “bioeconomy,” despite a lack of institutional support.

Tucson-based Mission Garden’s crops are thriving in a drought-stricken region because of the use of techniques and knowledge from the Tohono O’odham Nation to plant traditional local crops and native plants that can handle the lack of water.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the U.S. food supply chain, yet for indigenous led-operations there has been little interruption thanks to practices that rely on shorter supply chains that "work with local ecosystems, not against them." In Virginia, one farmer is using the lessons from this traditional knowledge to create a small-scale farming collective.

Heritage Growers, a 200-acre nonprofit native seed farm founded in 2021, is addressing California's critical shortage of locally adapted native seeds by producing 30,000-40,000 pounds annually of seeds. They have already helped restore thousands of acres with native plants, including the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge (2,500 acres).

Farmers around the world are implementing agroecology practices to make their farms more resilient to climate change while promoting climate justice to strengthen farming communities. Agroecology follows 13 principles that include ecological practices, like using organic fertilizers, and political and social values, like embracing land rights.

Minnesota-based Tree-Range Farms is teaching farmers to practice regenerative poultry farming. The chickens are raised in two fenced-in plots of land alongside trees and perennial plants, switching locations when the plants in one plot are grazed down. The practice improves soil health and, therefore, water and carbon sequestration.

Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley are participating in a study to find out if cover cropping is a viable method to improve yields or reduce costs in a region harried by unpredictable weather and water scarcity. In some cases, the cover crops they’ve planted between growing seasons improved soil health and prevented wind erosion.

Female farmers in India are leading the transition to natural farming. They improve soil and plant health by using indigenous seeds and not using chemicals or pesticides. The practice increases yields and decreases costs.

Planting hedgerows as boundaries between, or around, crops can help farmers manage pests, boost pollination, and improve carbon sequestration in the soil around them.

A community gardening project growing the guajiro bean has allowed Wayuu farmers in the Colombian desert to achieve food security despite the effects of climate change and external pressures. While scaling this agricultural success to other Indigenous clans can be difficult, using a low-tech irrigation system and red earthworm compost has allowed one settlement to feed its community and make their soil fertile again.