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As the West burns, a town fields its own amateur firefighters

Carl Segerstrom

September 05, 2018 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dufur, Oregon

In the town of Dufur, Oregon, local residents have been acting as firefighters to protect their fields and homes, using farming equipment to bury dry vegetation and tanks of water to put out the flames. While this has been the norm for years – because of the length of time it takes professional firefighters to arrive – the recent increase in wildfires is calling into question the safety of this informal fire fighting and figuring out how to work together with professionals.

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Aging cocoa trees provide opportunity for agricultural reform in Ghana

Nellie Peyton

August 30, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ghana

In Ghana, cocoa trees are aging and producing lower yields, worrying the farmers who rely on the crop to make a living; the decreased yield is also presenting opportunity for agricultural reform to produce a more sustainable vision for agriculture in the region. Across western Ghana, organizations are working together to create customary land agreements and helping land tenants to encourage long term investment in replanting cocoa trees.

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How Church-Owned Property Can Help Communities 'Grow'

Joseph Darius Jaafari

August 29, 2018 |

NationSwell |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Rockford, Michigan

Across the United States, communities and local churches are coming together to create farming projects that utilize unused, church-owned land. The farming ventures typically benefit students and families throughout the respective regions.

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How Ancient Grains and a Seed Bank Turned Life Around for Rural Women

Chhavi Sachdev

August 23, 2018 |

News Deeply |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Panchiyasaal, Gujarat

Gujarat is known to be very dry land, which makes planting annual crops a struggle for many farmers. Due to the determination of one farmer's wife, however, many are discovering that to be successful, they must diversify from only planting maize and look to millet as well.

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This makeup company is using its supply chain to revitalize the rainforest

Eillie Anzilotti

August 21, 2018 |

FastCompany |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Guatemala

Much of Guatemala's lands have been degraded due to a consistently burgeoning industrial market for palm oil and cattle farming. As a company that makes makeup using a variety of plants, beauty corporation Lush has committed to investing in natural plant production by buying land that would otherwise be at threat of deforestation. The Sustainable Lush Fund then works with on-the-ground organizations and farmers to sustainably utilize the land and increase the diversity of crops all while supporting local agriculture.

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The great African regreening: millions of 'magical' new trees bring renewal

Ruth Maclean

August 16, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Niger

With climate change altering the realities of farming, small-scale farmers in Niger are doing their part to nurture the growth of local gao trees. As a tree that sheds its leaves in the rainy season and naturally fertilizes the soil due to its nitrogen intake, this specific tree is positively transforming the African landscape.

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Meet The Social Entrepreneur Behind Africa's "Uber For The Farm"

Willy Foote

August 14, 2018 |

Forbes |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Central African Republic

Hundreds of millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa live on a mere two dollars per day, making it difficult to not only support themselves and their family, but also stay relevant in a market that requires expensive equipment. Hello Tractor, an "Uber-meets-Salesforce" app, helps smallholder farmers gain access to the use of fellow farmer's tractors and operators while also supporting the growth of the youth employment.

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How beekeeping helped a Sorsogon coconut farm

Mavic Conde

August 11, 2018 |

Rappler |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Sorsogon City

The use of local and native pollinators can greatly increase farm productivity. In the region of Sosorgon, in the Philippines, farmers who have begun using the local kiwot bees to pollinate coconut farms have noted significant increases in their yields. The Balay Buhau sa Uma Bee Farm (BBu) serves as a demo farm for the broader beeping project in the municipality of Bulusan, which aims to help farmers earn more in a sustainable fashion. This includes encouraging courses in apiculture and the use of affordable, low maintenance hives.

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The clock is ticking on dealing with western Kansas' drying Ogallala Aquifer

Karen Dillon

August 10, 2018 |

The Kansas Leadership Center Journal (KLC Journal) |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Topeka, Kansas

Western Kansas' finite Ogallala aquifer is the bedrock of an agricultural region that accounts for 10 percent of Kansas' economy. But thanks to decades of over-drafting for irrigation, the aquifer is on track to run dry in the not-so-distant future. Now some are calling for regional conservation, and some smaller programs have shown promise; however, the challenges of scalability and political wrangling remain vast.

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Becoming a Farmer the Community Way

Erin Ward

August 07, 2018 |

The Tyee |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Yarrow, British Columbia

Canada is quickly approaching a farming shortage, as elder farmers look to retire from the practice with no succession plan in place for future generations. Yarrow Ecovillage, a land-sharing project, may be the answer to the impending food-insecurity issue that will accompany this decline in farm production.

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