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Op-Ed | A Case for Food Diversification

Food Tank

Unfortunately, many farming practices in Africa are based on monoculture, so if a disease or a drought hits a key growing region, the entire system suffers. Incorporating indigenous vegetables into our local farming system can disrupt this pattern. It can also promote healthier soil, reduce pest problems, and boost rural economies.

Food 141
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Bringing Youth Back to the Farm in Rural America

Food Tank

Iowa is the number-one pork producer in the United States, but it has relatively few hog farms. Large factory farm facilities have replaced smaller family farms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.

Ruralism 116
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A Black-Led Agricultural Community Takes Shape in Maryland

Civil Eats

Since 2012, Gail Taylor has built healthy soil, provided hundreds of local families with fresh tomatoes and turnips, and fostered community on less than an acre at Three Part Harmony Farm in northeast Washington, D.C. Turnips from Three Part Harmony Farm (left). is the realization of more than 15 years of work.

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Rural Drinking Water Has a Nitrate Problem

Modern Farmer

This story was produced through a collaboration between the Daily Yonder, which covers rural America, and Climate Central, a nonadvocacy science and news group. Across the board, farms have been merged into just a few big companies that control most food sectors. The smell from the lagoon made it impossible to enjoy their backyard.

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Across Farm Country, Fertilizer Pollution Impacts Not Just Health, but Water Costs, Too

Civil Eats

When Jeff Broberg and his wife, Erica, moved to their 170-acre bean and grain farm in Winona, Minnesota in 1986, their well water measured at 8.6 Those tiles, which were first installed in the mid-1800s and have now largely been replaced with plastic pipes, ultimately allowed farmers to grow crops on land that was once too wet to farm.

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Retaining Soil Moisture at Lighthouse Herb’n Farm

ATTRA

Farmers all over the United States are changing the way they farm to boost soil health, use less water, and reduce fertilizer and pesticide use. Lighthouse Herb’n Farm is located at the base of Palomar Mountain in San Diego and is run by Damian Valdez and Jaime Williamson. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

Farming 105
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A Washington Cohousing Project Could Help Preserve Farmland

Modern Farmer

Its a rare sunny day in January, and about a dozen people gather on a farm in Snohomish County, Washington. The farmer, Brett Aiello of Reconnecting Roots Farm, wants to suppress the weeds around some newly planted fruit trees without disturbing the soil, and hes enlisted some help. Let’s prove that this works.