In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress

Much of Guatemala's lands have been degraded due to a consistently burgeoning industrial market for palm oil and cattle farming. As a company that makes makeup using a variety of plants, beauty corporation Lush has committed to investing in natural plant production by buying land that would otherwise be at threat of deforestation. The Sustainable Lush Fund then works with on-the-ground organizations and farmers to sustainably utilize the land and increase the diversity of crops all while supporting local agriculture.

A first-of-its-kind worker-led program in Vermont is helping dairy migrant workers to "hold farmers, corporations, and suppliers in the dairy industry accountable for the rights of workers in their supply-chains through a legally-binding agreement." Although not all dairy farm operations have joined in the program as participants, it has been enacted on 64 farms and helped bolster wages and housing situations for migrant farmers.

In Madagascar, insect researchers, regional conservationists, and humanitarian organizations have teamed up to promote the farming of crickets as a way to help preserve forests, save animals, and fight malnutrition. Although the pilot project is still fairly new, it has been well-received my communities and studies have already shown that consuming cricket powder has substantial benefits for children who are underweight.

The Fair Food Program, which educates and empowers farmworkers to report on-the-job sexual harassment, has all but eliminated sexual assaults at participating farms in an industry that otherwise is known for vast power imbalances between migrant labor and labor contractors. By giving employers key business incentives to participate and by cracking the code of silence among workers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers-run FFP has protected employees by educating tens of thousands of them while enforcing standards through a rigorous investigation and hearings process.

Living-wage advocates in North Carolina have turned to the business community to address low minimum wages which prevent employees from escaping poverty. Where local and state governments are unable to pass higher minimum wages, businesses have been encouraged to increase their minimum wages and consider the benefits of lower employee turnover and less money spent on recruitment and training, despite the increased payroll costs. Nonprofits like Just Economics of Western North Carolina calculate the living wage a person should make in a specific area depending on whether they have dependents or not.

A tax break for open space may help protect New Mexico’s farm land from development, preserving generations-old tradition and ownership, while maintaining valuable land for a future agricultural resurgence.

A new law seeks to protect vulnerable guest workers and unwary businesses from unscrupulous recruiters by requiring them to register with the state and meet certain requirements.

Part 1 of a series on solutions to freeing victims of labor trafficking around the globe. Labor trafficking is a deeply entrenched problem, woven into global economies where the victims are often hidden in plain sight. Almost everyone in the US owns some product likely made with slave labor. But there is hope - from grassroots workers’ coalitions to multilateral treaties and geo-data manipulation to new law enforcement initiatives, individuals are finding new ways to counter labor trafficking.

Ethiopian domestic workers stuck in Lebanon can now rely on help from an organization started by Ethiopian women who were once in their shoes. Victims of labor exploitation have a hard time escaping abusive situations, leaving them stranded in Lebanon without a place to stay or a means to get home.

Equip is a business in Lebanon that is trying to prevent further abuse of domestic workers, by helping them communicate better with their employers. “Their business model relies on employers paying for the company’s services, which range from $10 to $550, and include English lessons, first-aid training, legal translation, and conflict mediation.”