Conservation Agriculture

Collection

Conservation Agriculture

Solutions Journalism Network

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Story
Farmers in Some of the Toughest Places to Do Agriculture Are the Ones Innovating for Climate Change

It's not easy sustaining historical agricultural practices amidst a backdrop of climate change. Nate McCaffrey of eastern Colorado knows this all too well. So, instead of continuing the conventional ways of farming he had grown up to know, he decided to try out a no-till farming approach, and then went a step further and planted cover crops. Although not without its limitations, this switch in both mindset and practice has allowed him to cultivate healthier soil and save on fuel costs previously allocated towards his old tilling machinery.
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- Author Frani Halperin
- Date 2018-04-01
- Publication H20 Radio
Story
Millet anyone? Facing soil crisis, US farmers look beyond corn and soybeans

After decades of planting almost solely corn and soybeans, across the Midwest and Plains, farmers are trying new methods to restore nutrients and replenish their soils. Methods like no-till farming, growing diverse cover crops during the winter, and using soil-sensitive crop rotations are growing in popularity. While the new practices face some resistance, cultural awareness is growing and being encouraged by new legislation.
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- Author Story Hinckley
- Date 2018-12-28
- Publication The Christian Science Monitor
Story
Look who's helping your clothes make the transition to a warmer world

The cotton industry is turning to a wide variety of innovations such as remote sensing, water regulation, no-till methods etc. in order to combat the varied and complex impacts climate change is having on it.
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- Author Laura Routh
- Date 2017-02-20
- Publication Ensia
Story
'It's a groundswell': the farmers fighting to save the Earth's soil

Governments, UN officials, and climate experts alike are ringing the alarm bells of growing soil degradation around the world. But a new agricultural movement is tackling this challenge head on. Instead of the centuries-old method of ploughing, or turning up the soil, farmers have recently taken to keeping their fields covered with varied plants year round, to keep soil healthier. Advocates also point to lower costs on machinery and labor, more resilient crops, and climate change dividends as added benefits as well.
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- Author Matthew Taylor
- Date 2019-04-24
- Publication The Guardian

Solutions journalism is news about how communities and organizations are responding to social and environmental problems. This collection contains solutions stories that portray how farmers around the world are implementing conservation agriculture. In Colorado, one man is leaving behind what has become standard practice and has instead stopped tilling his land and is planting cover crops. These two actions allow him to cultivate healthier soil and use less fuel. The cotton industry has also stepped up and started using conservation agriculture, from no-tilling methods to special water regulation. Farmers in the UK are trading their ploughs for cover crops in a movement to protect the soil from depletion. In the US, new legislation is helping farmers adopt sustainable practices and many are starting to use diverse cover crops and crop rotation that leaves more nutrients in the soil.

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