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  • These farmers show that agriculture in the Amazon doesn't have to be destructive

    June 28, 2021 |

    National Geographic |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Brazil, Nova Califórnia, Rondônia

    Nearly a fifth of the Amazon has been cleared for cattle grazing and logging. However, a cooperative called RECA is making it economically sustainable for farmers to shift towards agroforestry. Agroforestry is the intentional planting of trees and shrubs in farms and forests among others. 11 tons of carbon per acre are sequestered through agroforestry systems. REFA farmers planted up to 40 species of trees then will process products from the species to be sold. The more than 300 families from the co-op made five times more per acre than local ranchers not practicing agroforestry.

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  • This South L.A. startup will turn your front lawn into a farm

    May 25, 2021 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

    A startup in California called Crop Swap LA is converting unused front yards into community gardens that can grow crops like kale, rainbow chard, and tomatoes as a way to feed neighbors. Community members can pay for subscriptions for up to $43 a month to receive a bundle of greens and vegetables from the microfarms and homeowners get a share of the profits. Each garden needs to have the proper maintenance, which can make it difficult to scale, but these gardens can help provide access to food to those who don’t have a grocery store in their area.

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  • Inside Elephant Territory

    May 24, 2021 |

    Outriders |

    Multi-Media |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: Sri Lanka

    New tactics are being implemented to prevent elephants from approaching farmland in Sri Lanka. Clashes between people and elephants have increased with the expansion of small farms encroaching into elephant habitats. One solution to prevent damage to crops and to protect people has been electric fences. The fences deliver a small shock - enough to deter the elephant without harming it.

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  • The Great Plains prairie needs fire to survive. These ranchers are bringing it back.

    May 13, 2021 |

    National Geographic |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Maywood, Nebraska

    The Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance in Nebraska is working to preserve grasslands through prescribed burns. Eighty-volunteer members have burned nearly 85,000 acres to stop the spread of cedar trees that disrupt the prairie ecosystem. These burns allow the grass to return, which has been helpful for farmers and their livestock. This work has inspired others in the state to create associations to share resources on how to restore their lands.

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  • Farmers Trying To Save The Ogallala Aquifer Face Tension From Peers, But Their Profits Are Improving

    May 05, 2021 |

    High Plains Public Radio |

    Radio |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Hays, Kansas

    Once Kansas formed its first local enhanced management area — or LEMA — where a certain land area had strict irrigation limits, many farmers weren’t happy about it. But a research study found that instead of cutting their water usage by 20 percent as required by the law, many decreased it by 31 percent. While they do have slightly smaller harvests, one farmer said they were making more money inside the LEMA than before. “It seems really encouraging because it seems like the program has both increased profits and increased water savings,” said one researcher.

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  • This Restaurant-Led Agriculture Effort Wants To Help Farmers And Ranchers Fight Climate Change

    May 03, 2021 |

    Colorado Public Radio |

    Radio |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Boulder County, Colorado

    A new county initiative in Colorado aims to support regenerative agriculture projects on farms as a way to take carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil in an effort to combat climate change. Restaurants donate 1 percent of their profits to the Restore Colorado initiative in Boulder County. The McCauley Family Farm is one of the first to sign on to this initiative and plan to plant more trees on their grazing land. While it can take years to see any benefits, organizers are looking to scale the initiative to be statewide.

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  • After a century of dispossession, Black farmers are fighting to get back to the land

    May 01, 2021 |

    Mother Jones |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    In the U.S., a movement of Black farmers is trying to reclaim their legacy as agrarians. Only 1.7 percent of farms were run by Black farmers according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture. Black farmers are forming collectives, creating land trusts, creating conferences.

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  • The Farmer Trying to Save Italy's Ancient Olive Trees

    April 29, 2021 |

    Atlas Obscura |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Italy, Gagliano del Capo, Puglia

    An imported strain of bacteria is threatening to destroy olive trees in Italy that produce about 12 percent of the world’s olive oil. An agronomist is working with other scientists to graft trees — taking a different kind of tree that could be resistant to the bacteria and inserting it into the trunk of an older tree. After years of trial and error, they’ve found some success. On one farm, 70 percent of the grafts used have survived. But conspiracy theories and financial difficulties have made it a challenge to have a coordinated response to the problem.

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  • Community restores grasslands in Lamkani, making the village drought-resilient

    April 08, 2021 |

    Mongabay |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: India, Dhule, Maharashtra

    The village of Lamkani, in India, was lush but became barren after years of droughts. In 2000, Dhananjay Newadkar, initiated a multi-pronged approach that was supported by the community. It included watershed development, a ban on grazing and felling trees. However, the bans were not enforced. Instead, artists incorporated messages about conservation in their performances and educated the community. Finally, the grasslands were restored through rotational grazing. Now, the town is water-sufficient, even in droughts.

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  • Seaweed Diet for Cows Lowers How Much Methane They Produce: Study

    April 07, 2021 |

    KNTV-TV |

    Broadcast TV News |

    Under 3 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Davis, California

    Researchers at University of California, Davis found that cows that were fed a small amount of seaweed in their diet drastically reduced the amount of methane they emitted, which could be a low-cost climate solution for farmers. They saw an 82 percent reduction in methane in beef cows and there was also no detectable difference in the taste of the beef. More research is needed to be done to see how these results apply in other settings.

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