The world is becoming hotter and drier. Farmers are starting to gather seeds that are okay with that.
Farms + Food
Latest Stories
How Reclaimed Wastewater Is Reviving Tribal Land
Over a century ago, the Supreme Court ruled that reservations have a right to water. Today, thanks to a unique exchange, the Pima are finally getting their due.
Can a Tiny Restaurant Surcharge Move the Needle on Climate?
Investing just one percent of food and beverage sales in regenerative agriculture could be key to changing the food system.
Getting the Soil Right: How Carbon Farming Combats Climate Change
When it comes to maximizing carbon sequestration, one key strategy lies beneath farmers’ feet.
Napa Vineyards Are Pairing Wine With ‘Fish Friendly Farming’
By keeping sediment out of waterways, California wineries and farms are playing a key role in protecting endangered salmon and trout.
An Ancient Desert-Dwelling Culture Embraces Hydroponics
With droughts on the rise, India’s pastoralists are turning to modern techniques to conserve water — and a way of life.
How Farmers Used California’s Floods to Revive Underground Aquifers
Farms designed to recharge groundwater are answering the state’s existential question: How do you make sure devastating rainfall doesn’t go to waste?
The New Livestock Farm Is a Forest, Too
Silvopasture, the ancient practice of integrating trees and pastureland, is making a comeback as a way for farms to improve animal health while benefiting the climate.
Uganda’s Communal Food ‘Epicenters’ Aim to End Hunger Forever
Pushing past the conventional food aid model, a regenerative farming system offers a recipe for success — and self-reliance.
How ‘Deconstructing the Sneaker’ Is Protecting the Amazon
As most shoe soles go synthetic, one brand is surfacing its sneakers with true, sustainable wild rubber — and turning its local harvesters into rainforest guardians.
How Tokyo’s Farms Have Survived for Centuries
In the world’s biggest concrete jungle, over a thousand small farms continue to grow crops protected by a powerful ally: the city itself.
UK Gardeners Are Planting the Seeds of a More Resilient Food System
By collecting the seeds that grow best in their own plots, a movement of gardeners is boosting biodiversity in a way that more closely mimics nature.
Mussel Farming Is Healing the UK’s Coastal Food Chain
Vertical forests of shellfish are returning biodiversity to a damaged coast — and producing sustainable seafood in the process.
What Black Jello Says About the Power of Small Enterprise
Targeted support for local products — no matter how strange — can drive down poverty rates.
How Big Food Companies Are Greening the Farms That Supply Them
Encouraging their suppliers to practice more sustainable farming is increasingly seen by major food brands as a way to fulfill their climate promises.
What If Donated Food Was Delightful?
A Chicago nonprofit is reinventing the food bank with better-than-store-bought produce, friendly delivery and an emphasis on client satisfaction.
Kelp Farming Is Reviving an Ancient Practice — and a Modern Economy
An Indigenous-run business is using regenerative ocean farming to clean up a New York bay and create local jobs.
At This Grocery Store, Shoppers Pay What They Wish
In St. Louis, a pay-what-you-can grocery store stays in business thanks to some customers voluntarily paying more than the price on the sticker.
The Guilt-Free Way to Get Rid of Halloween Pumpkins
An array of options exist, and a landfill doesn’t need to be its final resting place.
How a South American Surplus Flooded Philadelphia With Free Avocados
It could have been a food-waste debacle. Instead, a nimble network turned it into a bounty for all — and inadvertently reinvented a food system.
‘Tiny Farms’ Bring Agriculture Jobs to the Work-Life Balance Generation
In Germany, a new model of low-cost, very small-scale farming is luring young people who value flextime and vacations.
‘Open Source’ Seeds Loosen Big Ag’s Grip on Farmers
A handful of companies own the patents on virtually every seed planted in the US. Now, a new crop of unowned seeds is bringing biodiversity back to farming.
Britain’s Blind Farmers Are Teaching Others How to Grow
“We’re trying to give people a chance to stop thinking about limitations and start looking at what they really can do.”
Can Denmark Save Every Smørrebrød?
As the country that wastes the most food in Europe, Denmark is turning to apps that help shoppers grab groceries just before they end up in the trash.
A Wandering Conservationist’s Quest to Protect the World’s Soil
Criss-crossing the globe, one man has secured pledges from 74 countries to preserve their soil through more sustainable farming.
The Spectacular Comeback of the American Farmers Market
Once ubiquitous, farmers markets nearly vanished in the mid 20th century — until an array of forces converged to bring about their modern-day renaissance.
As Temperatures Rise, Farms Are Sprouting in Alaska
Even as farms decline across the US, a longer growing season is bringing food security to a state that has long relied on sustenance from afar.
These Farms Are Living a Double Life
Energy-hungry societies are confronting a dilemma: use precious land to harvest crops or green energy? A new kind of farm says you can do both.
For Some Fish Farmers, the Ocean is Becoming Obsolete
Land-based aquaculture startups are producing healthier fish without polluting the sea.
How San Francisco Cracked the Urban Composting Code
As California begins statewide composting, the place that pioneered it in the ’90s shows how dramatically it can benefit a city.
In Holland People With Dementia Can Work on a Farm
On Dutch ‘care farms’ aging folks tend to livestock, harvest vegetables and make their own decisions.
“If You Can’t Beat Them, Eat Them”
A Berlin catering and food truck company is turning invasive species into haute cuisine. Will “invasivorism” be the next step in the sustainable food movement?
Plastic-Free Shopping Is Going Mainstream
A partnership between America’s largest supermarket chain and a reusable packaging company is the latest sign that no-waste shopping is catching on.
Palm Oil Is the Worst. Could This Replace It?
Environmentally destructive palm oil is in countless products. Sustainable yeast oil offers a tantalizing alternative.
Grazing Livestock Among the Trees Is Helping to Prevent Wildfires
The once common practice is making a comeback — and saving forests from destruction.
Milan Is Winning the Fight Against Food Waste
The city’s groundbreaking “zero waste” strategy aims to leave no meal behind.
Potty Trained Cows Are No Joke for the Climate
Researchers are teaching cows to pee in designated places where the urine can be collected and neutralized, sharply reducing methane emissions.
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