A windmill towers over a soybean field on August 10, 2024 near Charles City, Iowa.
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Climate change affects our food, and our food affects the climate. NPR dedicates the week to stories and conversations about finding solutions.
As NPR’s climate solutions reporter Julia Simon says, “modern agriculture is a big driver of climate change. Powerful warming gases are released from cows and fertilized soil, and deforestation is fueled by rising food demand.”
You may have started to see changes in where plants thrive and which struggle to survive in your area: Earlier this year, the US Department of Agriculture updated its hardiness map (what can grow safely where) for the first time in 11 years. Gardeners and hobby farmers are beginning to see a change. Smoke from recent wildfires in the West may change Idaho’s potato crop. Tribes in Michigan choose not to tap trees for maple syrup because of the warm, dry winters.
But with challenges come efforts to find solutions. Communities across the country are tackling this challenge, so we’ve gathered some examples from the NPR Network of how to change the food we grow to support climate goals.
Using technology to advance agricultural science
Researchers at Cornell University are using machines called breathing chambers to measure the exact amount of gas emitted by cows to better understand the emissions associated with dairy and meat farming. As WSKG’s Rebecca Redelmeier reports, the data is important to understand which feed additives can reduce gas in cattle and how to improve.
➡️ LISTEN: Reimagining our Meat System
➡️ The future of tomatoes amid CA drought: Hydroponic farming?
Meanwhile, entomologist Brian Spiesman, a professor at Kansas State University, has created a new smartphone application called BeeMachine which uses artificial intelligence to identify different bee species and study habitat loss. And as Kansas City’s KCUR reports, “the app allows the public to participate in documenting bees, as well, by taking photos when they see one,” providing valuable insight into the bees’ whereabouts.
Some solutions start with respecting indigenous knowledge
As Gulf States Newsroom’s Danny McArthur reports, “environmentally conscious approaches to farming are getting more federal support in the United States. In the Gulf South, some small farmers are taking advantage of the billions of federal dollars now available for climate smart agriculture.”
McArthur followed up with three farms across Mississippi that use sustainable practices, some of which go back to techniques Black farmers have used for generations. For this year’s Climate Solutions Week, McArthur is also following black-owned farms that grow climate-friendly crops.
➡️ How Seed Savers Exchange Works to preserve America’s crop biodiversity
Others reintroduce biodiversity to local ecosystems. Angie Comeaux started a native food forest on her farm in Florala, Ala., featuring thousands of native trees, along with hundreds of plant species. Plants are planted in a way to foster cooperation, designed to grow strong, together.
How we use the land we own matters
There is only so much land available, and how we choose to use it often reflects our priorities as an economy. But some communities have begun to find ways to maximize revenue, while protecting the environment.
For example, as Frank Morris reports for Harvest Public Media, “solar energy is the fastest growing source of electricity in the US, but some new solar installations are taking over productive agricultural land. Scientists are trying to develop ways to get calories and kilowatts from that land. equal.” So researchers are experimenting with various row crops, flowering plants and vegetables to see if they can coexist successfully with solar panels.
➡️ This family runs two dairy farms – one organic, one conventional – as part of being good stewards.
Meanwhile, in parts of the country where people have lived closer together, urban farming presents a world of opportunities – and new challenges to navigate. As WFAE’s Zachary Turner reports, a developer in Charlotte, NC, is trying to build a 1,400-acre mixed-use community centered around an urban farm.
Another effort in Charlotte is partnering with urban farmers and insurance companies to not only help grow food, but also provide food and farm education and help make eating affordable.
