With Hunger on the Rise, Urban Gleaners Seek to Strengthen Local Food Security

The Hawai'i 'Ulu Cooperative, a farmer-owned collective founded in 2016, has grown to nearly 200 members across four islands by providing guaranteed markets, stable pricing, and collective processing. Through this, farmers have revitalized traditional Hawaiian agriculture and created year-round supply chains.

Around Boston, local farms and community markets are using creative financing and marketing tactics to reach and incentivize lower-income communities to benefit from access to fresh, local Massachusefts foods.

The Rye Resurgence Project worked with San Luis Valley farmers to switch from water-intensive crops to drought-tolerant rye, saving per acre over half their prior water use. Since 2023, thousands of acres of rye have been planted in the valley, and hundreds of thousands of pounds of rye have been sold, sustaining a thriving local grain economy that connects farmers, millers, and bakeries.

Agricultural cooperatives in Hawai'i pool small farmers' resources to collectively process, market, and sell their crops, with successful examples like the Hawai'i 'Ulu Cooperative enabling nearly 200 members to reach broader markets and the Hawaii Cattle Producers Cooperative shipping 8,000-9,000 cattle annually while returning surplus profits to rancher-members, though some co-ops have failed due to declining membership and market pressures.

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.

Ajo, Arizona is home to a growing collective, collaboration of local agriculture and food-based initiatives. The small town coordinates actors from schools, restaurants, the farmers’ market, local gardens, and community supported agriculture initiatives in a network under the Ajo Regional Food Partnership. The network also works with the Desert Senita Community Health Center, making sure the benefits of the collaboration equitably reach all citizens.

The Barkum Women Rice Processors Association in rural Kano, Nigeria, secured a collective ₦8.8 million loan through cooperative action and training, enabling 38 women to build profitable rice-processing businesses that have financed their children's education and generated monthly incomes for members.

Using a strategy called equitable food-oriented development, Project New Village operates a solar-powered mobile farmers market, community garden, and backyard growers' network in Southeast San Diego, which has been serving residents with affordable fresh produce since 2022.

Over 3,000 tribal farmers in Odisha are using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—an organic method that uses 92% less seed, no standing water, and traditional formulations—to double their rice yields, increase incomes, eliminate dependence on expensive chemicals and moneylenders, and revive 70+ indigenous rice varieties while improving soil health.

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.