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When Not Farming is the Best Use of Land

Modern Farmer

Now, they absorb up to 16 inches of rain per hour,” says Jack Algiere, director of agroecology at Stone Barn. He credits this with the deep-rooted grasses aerating the soil and the added nutrients deposited from the manure of the grazing animals. Initially, this type of land conservation can be expensive.

Farming 96
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PFAS Shut Maine Farms Down. Now, Some Are Rebounding.

Civil Eats

Others have been able to relieve the problem through water treatments and removal of affected hay and manure. Hay provides a particular challenge because it is often sold and transported to other farms where it is fed to livestock who spread the chemicals through their manure.

Farming 145
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Regenerative Agriculture: A Strategic Approach for Farming

Cropaia

Compost and organic amendments : Regenerative farmers prioritize the use of organic matter, such as compost, manure, and other natural amendments, to enhance soil fertility and microbial activity. By understanding the specific needs of their soil, farmers can tailor their practices accordingly.

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The Farmers Leaning On Each Other’s Tools

Civil Eats

This helped them buy their first cache of shared equipment: a tiller, a harrow, a manure spreader, a trailer to move equipment between farms, and a log splitter for heating greenhouses with wood. Every year, they pool funds to add to their growing collection of tools.

Grain 144
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We Can’t Achieve Food Justice if We Don’t Prioritize Soil Health

Food Tank

Better Soils, Better Lives is helping heal soils among smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa with green manure and cover cropping, and the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils is working across the African continent to build nutritious food production through soil health. We’re seeing the power of storytelling, too.

Food 130
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Breaking the Chain: CIEL’s Battle to Unravel the Fossil Fuel Grip on Our Food System

Food Tank

Collaborating with farmers, CIEL promotes natural agroecological practices such as crop rotation, legume cultivation, and the use of beneficial insects, fungi, and organic manure instead of chemical additives. Tostad says “it’s super crucial to always be very context-specific, and not even country-specific, but soil-specific.”

Food 65
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The Fifth National Climate Assessment: Implications for Agriculture

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

In response, the chapter centers agroecological solutions like enhanced soil health and diversified landscapes. However, solutions to livestock methane center on feed supplements and energy capture from liquid manure systems rather than grazing systems. Fortunately, a focus on agroecological solutions has been gaining some traction.