Fertiliser: Women embrace sustainable alternative for food security, soil preservation

Bayero University Center for Dryland Agriculture’s Tissue Culture Lab empowers local farmers with advanced research and technology to adapt to climate change and increase food security and nutrition. So far, 22 communities have benefited from the Lab’s expertise, leading to increased food production and fewer health problems caused by inadequate diets.

Several organizations, researchers, and area farmers alike are working to get local farmers back on track after catastrophic flooding in the summer of 2022 destroyed many farmers’ crops, tools, and homes by focusing on shifting toward more climate-resilient farming practices and providing resources like compost deliveries to help replenish soil.

Farmers in North Carolina are turning to tropical crops like taro to diversify farming and become more resilient to climate change. But, to sell taro consumers have to know how to cook it, so the Utopian Seed Project provides information for farmers and chefs on how to do just that.

The West Contra Costa Unified School District saw loosened regulations during the pandemic as an opportunity to tie up with local organic farms and producers and ensure hundred percent organic meals to students from low-income families. This is part of a growing effort in the state that recognizes school lunch as a way to not just provide the healthiest food to students but also to support a more sustainable food system that helps address climate change.

Quinn Organic Research Center sits at the hub of innovations slowly transforming farming culture away from industrial agriculture toward organic and regenerative strategies. Countering the decades-old "get big or get out" thinking about farming in Montana, the Quinn operation conducts small-scale experiments to develop new markets based on tactics that decrease soil erosion, improve biodiversity, and capture carbon. These climate-change-ready operations have seen many setbacks. But they've also been embraced by more locals and helped Big Sandy enjoy a subtle but real rejuvenation.

Empowering women to practice sustainable agriculture promotes resilience and enables communities to protect biodiversity. The Kusor Upland Farmer’s Association, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development, gives farmers an alternative to wildlife poaching and slash-and-burn agriculture by promoting sustainable, organic farming. The KUFA participates in workshops and farming demonstrations to teach women how to grow root vegetables such as yams for additional income as an alternative to more ecologically damaging practices.

With the average age of the American farmer at 57.5 and the number of farmers over 65 outnumbering farmers under 35 by a factor of 6 to 1, many are worried about a severe shortage of ecologically-minded young farmers to take over from the older generation. To address this gap, states and institutions are launching initiatives like debt-free agricultural college, tax incentives, and loan programs.

AGRUPAR, a program funded by the Quito local government, supports 4000 urban farming plots across the city. One of its goals is to make healthy, organically-grown produce more accessible to marginalized groups, including Venezuelan refugees and women. For 17 years, the group has provided education, support, and resources to make urban farming a reality.

An impoverished corner of Hawaii may not sound like the foundation of a successful agriculture endeavor, but local youth have proved otherwise. MA'O translating into youth food garden aims to show college-aged youth a way onto a different path by teaching them sustainable and organic farm practices alongside lessons in how to be leaders in all areas of life.

Sack farming—growing crops in soil-filled recycled bags within household compounds—has enabled farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria, to overcome climate challenges by producing vegetables and tubers that significantly reduce household food expenses, generate supplementary income from excess harvests, and provide up to 80% crop success rates.