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  • Return of indigenous crops helps reduce farm distress and restore ecosystems

    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.

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  • How Is Plastic Getting Into Hawaii's Soil?

    Hawaiian farmers are increasingly concerned about the amount of plastic they’re finding in their compost, which can have long-term effects on their crop growth. Hawaii Earth Recycling, the island’s largest compost provider, turns more than 140,000 tons of yard clippings and food scraps into compost and mulch that farmers can use for plants and crops. However, changes in where people can drop off their green waste and a lack of education among residents about proper plastic waste management have resulted in microplastics ending up in the organic soil.

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  • Can charcoal make beef better for the environment?

    An unusual mixture of biochar — a charcoal-like substance that is produced by burning organic matter — and dung beetles is one way farmers could reduce their cows’ methane emissions to combat climate change, while also improving the health of their soil. Studies on Doug Pow’s farm in Australia have shown an improvement in soil-water retention and an increase in the amount of carbon retained in the soil, which prevents it from escaping into the atmosphere. “We are doing our bit to re-engineer the soil in a positive way, for the long-term benefits of our world,” Pow says.

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  • WFP uses new tech to fight refugee food shortages in Jordan

    Jordan is dealing with an influx of Syrian refugees that are putting a strain on already scarce resources like water. In response, the United Nations World Food Program has started to grow barley and other foods hydroponically in a process that uses 90% less water than traditional methods. Beyond the innovations in the lab, new technology is also allowing refugees to shop freely in local supermarkets and use their irises—checked with eye scans—to pay for their groceries from their given funds. This eliminates the threat of theft and is improving food access across Jordan.

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  • How Nigeria's seed regulator is fighting fake seed

    The Nigerian government is cracking down on fake seed peddlers by enacting a system that detects fraudulent bags of seeds and removes them from distribution. The technology places a scratch code with a unique, one-time PIN on the bag of seed to help users identify the authenticity of the product.

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  • Young farmers apply ancient agroforestry practices in the heart of Sardinia

    Sardinia's vast forests are seeing the comeback of an ancient farming practice known as silvopasture which has potential as a climate solution. The ancient technique combines trees with forage plants and livestock and even results in uniquely flavored cheese. The technique has also kept people from leaving the countryside in search of jobs, allowing the next generation to carry on the family business while simultaneously combatting climate change.

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  • The secret gardens of Rohingya refugees

    The Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world, is overcrowded and increasingly isolated. A program by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Bangladeshi NGO BRAC offers refugees equipment, advice, fertilizer, and seeds to make their own garden. These gardens have become hugely popular, taking up what little space there is between tents, but also offer refugees a source of peace and a food source to supplement their meals. Compost for these gardens are prepared outside of the camp by Bangladeshi women, which helps improve the relationship between the two groups.

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  • In the Philippines, seaweed is giving former fishers a future

    By replacing fishing with seaweed cultivation, coastal communities in the Philippines are adapting to climate change and new market opportunities. In Bula, families are increasingly looking to seaweed as a source of income. International demand for seaweed has more than doubled in the last decade. Furthermore, the crop does very well in warm coastal waters, providing a steady, safe, and sustainable income for communities.

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  • Privilege for the poor: Farming giant gives back — to its workers' children

    Owners of the Wonderful Company food conglomerate honed their philanthropic efforts on the community they saw had the most need—their own workers' families—by establishing charter schools to improve the quality of life and education in Lost Hills, California. The K-8 school, one of two, has adopted a "cradle to career'' approach, incentivizing college education through in-school college pathways and renewable college scholarships after completing high school, and integrating parents into its mission through tailored educational sessions aimed at bridging cultural divides.

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  • Are you pouring hundreds of dollars a year down the drain?

    The use of rain gardens and rain tanks - which capture rainwater runoff, clean the water, and reuse the water for plants and gardens - helps to reduce water waste and toxic runoff. One Australian man built a rain garden to cut back on his waste (and his water bill) and estimates that he has cut down water consumption in his house by one third.

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