'Tiny Farms' Bring Agriculture Jobs to the Work-Life Balance Generation

The Al Barakeh Wheat Project is working to regain food sovereignty through urban wheat farming in Amman, Jordan, by partnering farmers with families to teach them how to grow and harvest wheat.

To develop the next generation of producers, the Young Farmers Coalition non-profit is now pushing Congress and individual state legislatures to take a big step: forgiving farmers’ student loans.

For several years, the Urban Growers Collective in Illinois has been helping to bring and distribute healthy food to underresourced communities throughout Chicago by operating eight urban farms, but efforts have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In just over six months, the organization has "delivered nearly one million pounds of produce to more than 25 partner organizations across the city."

An income qualified farm-to-community incentive program has found its place within the Coloradan San Miguel County. Allowing farm shares to be distributed at Mountain Village Farmers’ Market, both communities win through affordable and healthy food and the providing of a consistent income source.

Dubbed an agro-ecology center, Tahoe is embracing a different approach to food stability through teaching local residents how to grow food in alpine climates. By picking up food from local farmers and transporting their food to market in a fair and equitable way, the Tahoe Food Hub was born to create and grow a local food system.

In Detroit, and throughout the country, many people find themselves in "food deserts", or places where access to fresh fruits and vegetables is extremely limited. Black residents are addressing these issues via the creation of their own food production and supply network called the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. Through this network, Black neighbors created a co-op grocery store that promotes urban agriculture and healthy eating.

Though the overall poverty rate has been dropping in recent years, rural communities in Uganda still lack many basic resources, including access to healthy food, toiletries, and economic opportunity. The Network of Women in Agribusiness and Development was founded by women to empower and support their sisters through educational initiatives, agricultural training, and the provision of items such as pigs and fruit trees to help them break the cycle of poverty.

A small agricultural co-op in the mountains of Veracruz, Mexico, has effectively implemented its own approach to climate change. The community adapts the main sector of its economy and livelihood-- farming-- to sustainable practices. "Las Cañadas" has increased the food security and health of the local community while simultaneously decreasing deforestation, soil degradation and carbon emissions.

A collaborative network of farms and organizations is preserving Palestinian heirloom crops by cultivating them in diaspora communities across the United States. The network propagates traditional varieties like mulukhiyah, kousa squash, and Gaza peppers while organizing community gatherings where Palestinian diaspora members can reconnect with these plants through hands-on cultivation and traditional food preparation.

A Catholic covenant in India, Helpers of Mount Rosary, promotes organic farming to locals and visitors from across the country on 40 acres of farming and training fields.