South Dakota Ranchers Are Burning the Prairie to Save It

Silvopasture—combining native trees with rotational grazing on cattle pastures in the Peruvian Amazon—has more than doubled the number of cattle able to graze per hectare. Within a year, significant carbon has been sequestered and cattle health has improved.

Desde Mi Huerto operates a seed bank that for 20 years has produced over 100 Caribbean-adapted varieties, allowing farmers and communities to access local seeds at affordable prices when other sources fail, thereby preserving agricultural diversity and strengthening food sovereignty.

Farmers are adapting to changing climate effects by fusing traditional Hawaiian practices with new, regenerative agricultural techniques to save soils, streams, and reefs.

Tribal nations across the U.S., supported by the Intertribal Buffalo Council and adaptive federal grants, have rebuilt bison herds totaling roughly 25,000 animals on tribal lands—restoring a critical food source, with programs distributing tens of thousands of pounds of buffalo meat annually to tribal communities.

Indigenous communities in Michoacán, Mexico, have implemented traditional collective land management and community-driven governance strategies to sustainably cultivate avocados, successfully protecting local forests and biodiversity, empowering local economies, and resisting cartel violence.

Gatgyeda Haayk's community garden tackles food access challenges in Metlakatla by patiently building rich soil over many years, enabling diverse crops to flourish despite Alaska's difficult growing conditions. This effort not only provides fresh food but also revitalizes cultural heritage by cultivating traditional plants like "Indian potatoes" and fostering community sharing.

Grasslands are important players in carbon sequestration. In the U.S. and Kenya some farmers are switching to regenerative grazing. For some this entails concentrating herds of cows and resting paddocks for long periods of time, and for others it means reseeding native grasses. This all forms part of a larger global network to restore grasslands.

A review of 120 years of data found that traditional indigenous fire burning practices, which are low-intensity and controlled, lead to an increase in biodiversity. The practice has been done for years in indigenous communities to clear forage space, stimulate growth, or clear waterways. In Australia, where the practice has wide support, traditional low-intensity fires have led to a reduction in the intensity of large wildfires. They have also reduced and methane and nitrous oxide emissions by close to 40 percent. Other countries like Canada face hurdles to implementing the practice on a wider scale.

By returning to indigenous varieties of crops, farmers can increase ecological diversity and reliance to climate change. In India, hundreds of farmers in the state of Odisha have been returning to indigenous crops, like millet, vegetables, and tubers. In contrast to the high yield varieties of seeds provided by the government, heritage crops prove more resilient to changes in climate, water shortages, and local pests. Using heritage crops also reduces the need for pesticides, helping to restore ecological balance in the region.

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.