From untouchable to organic: Dalit women sow change in India

To address community malnutrition, 22 mothers began a savings and credit cooperative, which has since grown to 59 members. An elected committee looks for the most nutritionally vulnerable members, who are eligible for a small interest-free loan to improve the nutrition of their families. The women pay a membership fee and when loans are repaid, the cooperative gets a small percentage of the profits, which can be paid in installments until the whole amount is repaid. The group’s savings has also helped them buy animals that provide nutritious food products and organic fertilizers for their crops.

A group of Kenyan coastal women used a blue economy grant to establish a mud crab-fattening enterprise in Jomvu Creek, generating up to $310/month in collective income and planting nearly 1 million mangrove seedlings.

Alternative farm finance organizations offer flexible, personalized financing plans for small, regenerative farms in the United States that might not otherwise have access to financing.

Local newspapers that have weathered the past decade of decline in the journalism industry have needed to innovate and pivot their strategy to stay afloat in the wake of the pandemic. With a worldwide economic slowdown and entire communities struggling to recover, local newspapers found that transparency was key in raising funds from subscribers. Diversifying revenue streams, embracing digital models, and raising money allowed these newspapers to continue providing local news and vital information regarding the pandemic.

An urban sustainable food system project at the Ohio State University enabled 10 newly established farmers to start microfarms, which produce crops year-round, at only the cost of their time and labor. The individuals formed a cooperative so they can sell to larger institutional buyers together, while the cooperative handles marketing and finding buyers. With the potential to make up to $30,000 a year, the program aims to provide economic options to city residents, including formerly incarcerated individuals. The coop needs to find extended funding, but 6 microfarms were already built with 4 more planned.

In northeastern Papua New Guinea, community leaders and the government set aside 360,000 hectares of the Managalas Plateau as a protected conservation area in 2017. The project has strong local support. But facing destructive resource extraction and land use, conservation's longevity hangs on whether the community can create markets for sustainable agriculture, as well as workable infrastructure.

In villages in Bubisa, Kenya, women have come together to form informal community banks so that they may have greater financial access and power. These groups of women together save money, and then lend and borrow money with one another, giving themselves the chance to own property and send their kids to school – without having to rely on their husbands.

In a small town south of Seattle an organization called Living Well Kent, made up of immigrants, refugees, and people of color who dominate the region, decided that the best way to promote health in their area would be to start a farmers' market. Now, immigrant farmers grow crops in previously abandoned greenhouses to supply the farmers market and support the local food bank.

In the wake of a massive 2016 cyclone, Fijian farmers are rethinking how to become more resilient to climate disasters. Through diversifying crops, seed saving, and community banking, several organizations are helping farmers make that shift.

Morocco is one of countless regions around the planet facing the challenges of climate change - as rivers dry up and temperatures increase, the livelihoods of millions stand at risk. But the country may serve as an example for how others can mitigate the damages. The government, entrepreneurial individuals, and local communities are making important changes in the face of global warming, from working to reforest arid regions to adapting which crops are planted so as to use less water and maintain "climate-smart" agricultural productivity.