Rentals That Let You Fly the Coop

Over 5000 farmers across Kenya have begun using hydroponic techniques to grow fodder for their cows. This trend ensures milk production is still high in time of drought, when traditionally grown grass doesn’t do well. Groups including Hydroponics Kenya and Grandeur Africa have trained farmers in these water-saving techniques.

To ensure everyone can participate in traditional holidays, community members in Kano practice Watanda, where groups buy a cow directly from a local farmer and divide it among themselves, combating rising meat costs.

A band of farmers in South Dakota are reviving “heritage turkeys,” an ancient breed of turkeys that went nearly extinct in the 1990s. There can be a learning curve and upfront costs when working with heritage turkeys, but because of efforts nationwide, the breeding stock of these creatures went from 1,335 in 1997 to 14,000 by 2016. The farmers are breeding, raising, and selling these turkeys as part of the farm-to-table movement, but they’re also working to preserve the critically endangered breed.

Nigerian Dwarf goats can be a viable livestock option for people who want to engage in urban farming. Cities across the United States — like Phoenix, Austin, Pittsburgh, and San Diego — are making it easier to keep goats, which can provide financial boons for urban farmers through cheesemaking and even enhance the farm’s ecosystem by using its manure as fertilizer.

Small farmers in Indiana are working together to "manage the spaces they share, and to use those resources to improve their community by growing healthy food, and distributing that food to the people around them." Although the efforts started with a retiree population, young adults are now joining in, and the coop is gaining attention from economists and universities.

Tammy Harvey in Florida has 13 hens in her backyard that allow her to grow her own eggs, thereby reducing her carbon footprint since her food went directly from farm to table. While it can be difficult for some people to raise their own chickens due to regulations, some counties are making it easier.

"Sometimes going backwards is making progress," says Dennis Moroney, a rancher in Arizona working alongside other ranchers, scientists and farmers to find a viable solution for growing crops in an increasingly warm and dry climate. This mindset has turned to methodology for this group. Rather than try to adapt current land to the hot temperature, they're finding that the best bet may be to utilize crops and livestock already known to thrive in hot, arid climates.

In agricultural communities across Kenya, global warming has led local farmers to turn to camels -- as an alternative to cows -- for dairy products both to feed their families and take to the local markets to sell. Furthermore, with an uptick in demand both regionally and nationally for camel milk, farmers are finding themselves with new purchasing power for various goods and services.

As skepticism increases around the health of consuming meat products due to inhumane ways the animals are being reared and raised, this Vermont packinghouse is embracing transparency by letting the public see all. From tours of the facility to learning how the animal was raised and later killed, this slaughterhouse is trying to change the narrative around the secrecy behind the meat on your table.

A local government initiative has helped over 30 farmers to buy hand tractors in the last six years, with most of the beneficiaries being women. The hand tractors make farming more accessible and profitable for women.