Can a City Feed Itself?

Farmers in West Bengal, India, are swapping rice for bananas to save on expenses and labor and adapt to increasingly erratic monsoons and rainfall impacting yields. The farmers use solar panels and drip irrigation setups funded by the state government to reduce emissions and minimize water loss, as bananas require a lot of water.

Seaweed is emerging as a solution to Maine's shifting climate and economy, providing alternative industries for ocean farmers and also supporting land farmers' climate initiatives. While still in piloting stages, studies have shown up to 50 percent reductions in methane on New England cow farms that incorporate seaweed into feed.

Communities in the Sundarbans have adopted shrimp farming as a sustainable livelihood strategy; the approach has proven successful, with environmental benefits and many farmers earning a good income.

Mobile homeowners are buying the land their homes are on to form resident-owned cooperatives so they can upgrade infrastructure faster. This allows them to combat and adapt to climate change by installing things like solar panels and drainage systems.

The startup Puna Bio collects microbes that live on the high-altitude La Puna plateau and turns them into a product that farmers can apply to soybeans to increase yields and improve soil health. Since they adapted to survive in such a harsh climate, the microbes can survive depleted soil and extreme weather to pass along key nutrients and antioxidants to crops.

Automated indoor farming harnesses technology like artificial intelligence, robotics, and climate-controlled systems to limit the negative environmental impacts of growing food while maximizing nutrients and yields.

In the Netherlands’ Seed Valley some of the largest seed companies in the world are increasing agricultural output to feed the growing world population using less land. They use plant breeding, which involves combining the DNA of different crop varieties, and seed enhancement, which involve germinating the seeds early to shorten the dormant period in which they are most vulnerable. Seed enhancement can also include coating seeds with solutions that combat dangers like disease and wind gusts.

Disabled farmers in Kashmir are adapting agricultural practices through locally-fabricated tool modifications, adjusted work timing, and traditional soil/seed management techniques that reduce physical labor by 15-50% and enable them to continue farming despite increasing climate stress.

Farmers are transitioning to precision agriculture to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The practice uses technology like artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, and soil probes to collect and analyze data so farmers know how to manage specific parts of their fields.

Getting to public transportation can be difficult for commuters. Microtransit is easing that burden and reducing emissions by replacing individual car trips. Partnerships between cities and companies ensure shared, on-demand scooters, bikes, or vehicles are available to help people reach public transportation.