Kenyan farmers embrace new and sustainable way to build resilience

In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed after a severe drought to bring together federal, state and regional governments and bridge parochial concerns. It was meant to manage the basin as a whole and end overuse and salinization of farm land, leveraging new technologies to adapt to new realities.

Eradicating invasive species requires enrolling a community effort. Although quarantines and chemical treatments have not proven effective in preventing the spread of Popilia japonica, or the Japanese beetle, to farms on the US’s Front Range, the Colorado community of Palisade succeeded in eradicating the species through collective action. By combining pest control methods with a community program of reducing water use, Palisade farmers were able to push the beetles out of their farmland over the course of several years in the early 2000s.

The effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and hotter global temperatures, are already having drastic impact on many communities, especially the rural, agricultural regions of countries such as Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Mozambique. Earthrise explores how people in these communities are learning new skills, implementing new techniques, and are striving in every way possible to adapt to these environmental changes while creating hope for sustainable growth in the future.

The community in Jakhni, India, reimplemented old farming practices, like building embankments to trap rainwater and planting trees to prevent erosion, to combat severe drought.

A barley farm in southern Oregon transformed 70 of its 400 acres into a wetland sanctuary after it had spent years leaking phosphorus pollution into the Upper Klamath Lake. A team of scientists and advocates collaborated with the farmer to finance and construct the new natural ecosystem, which began to yield the farmer both environmental and financial benefits after only one year.

Nigerian farmers are adapting their practices to the dry season to avoid disastrous flooding during the rainy months. They use techniques like drip irrigation to conserve water by delivering it directly to plant roots and are cultivating drought-resistant crops. The government helps supports farmers in this endeavor by providing seedlings and fertilizer, too.

An Arizona farmer became the first organic regenerative certified farm in the southwest using practices that conserve water and improve soil health along the drought-stuck Gila River. His practices include growing arid-adapted crops, integrating livestock grazing, and planting cover crops.

After there was a fungal disease outbreak in the 1990s that affected cacao crops in Brazil, a group of 150 community members got together to collectively manage a farm to grow back cacao trees using agroforestry techniques. Because of their efforts, they sell their cacao to major chocolate brands and have seen their monthly income more than double.

In India, 15 farmers are piloting a program that utilizes greenhouses to grow crops that would otherwise perish in the unpredictable climate. The income generated from this capability is allowing families to pay for their children's education. In addition, women are being given opportunities to play a part in the agricultural success through training and networking.

It's not easy sustaining historical agricultural practices amidst a backdrop of climate change. Nate McCaffrey of eastern Colorado knows this all too well. So, instead of continuing the conventional ways of farming he had grown up to know, he decided to try out a no-till farming approach, and then went a step further and planted cover crops. Although not without its limitations, this switch in both mindset and practice has allowed him to cultivate healthier soil and save on fuel costs previously allocated towards his old tilling machinery.