Agriculture

NET Nebraska group picture

Our first stop in Nebraska is in Lincoln: NET Nebraska, the headquarters for the state's network of public radio and television stations. Here the group met with experienced storytellers to learn more about environmental challenges that have been covered and the people the reporters met. From left: Dan Reed, Chad Davis, Eleanor Hasenbeck, Ilana Creinin, Laura Waxman, Topanga McBride, Diana Marcum, Laura Whaling, Will Lennon, Sydney Greene, Zack Smith and Kim Ossi.

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
In mid-September, nine students from universities across the country met in one of America's agricultural epicenters: Nebraska. We were here to tell some of the environmental stories found in our country's heartland.
Carbon footprint of meals

A protein dense, carbon friendly lunch. (Photo by Katherine Baker)

Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Cornell University
A comparison between 5 meals shows that carbon emissions per calorie varies greatly for certain types of food. Not surprisingly, meat recipes hold the highest carbon-to-calorie ratio.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi live in symbiosis with plant roots and are able to store up to 70 percent of organic carbon from leaf litter. (Mark Perkins/Flickr)

George Washington University
In many cases microbes are already helping the planet in underrated ways. Technological developments and advanced genetic engineering make microbiological innovation a major player in climate change mitigation.
Tilling soil

Tilling loosens soil to enable roots to sprout more easily, however it also exposes pockets of 'uneaten' carbon to hungry microbes. (Allan Murray-Rust/Wikimedia)

Northwestern - Medill
From breaking down escaping methane from melting ice caps to storing carbon in non-tilled soils, microbes are already mitigating climate change. 
Supporting local agriculture - a farmer transplants rice

A farmer works to transplant rice. (International Rice Research Institute)

Eco-Business
A pioneering, crowdfunding platform is bringing individual investors and farmers together for a shared stake in Philippines' agriculture.

Tanzania. (Hailey Smalley/SUNY-ESF)

SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
Anthropogenic climate change is currently influencing rainfall and temperature patterns in East Africa. Here's everything you need to know about how East Africans are confronting these challenges.
Bees maintain harmony between elephants and farmers.

Crop-raiding by migrating African elephants is a pressing issue for many farmers who border protected land. Bees provide an simple, ecologically friendly way to maintain harmony between elephant migrations and the farmers' livelihoods. (Hailey Smalley/SUNY-ESF)

SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
Farmers in East Africa are using bees to deter crop raiding elephants and increase food security in the area.

Camp 41's amazing cooks — a team headed by the Brazilian grandmother we all wanted to adopt — kept the Planet Forward crew full of fresh, local fruits at breakfast and lunch. (Planet Forward)

Arizona State University
Planet Forward led a student storytelling expedition to the Amazon. Read Sydney's story of how she found her sense of comunidade — “community” in Portuguese — as she turned every corner in Brazil.

Dave Hunter, founder of Crown Bees, a bee nursery and supply business in Woodinville, Wash., speaks at the USDA event. (Eric Englert/Medill)

Northwestern University
The USDA gets public input on its Native Bee Monitoring Plan.
Photo of ingredients to be used in Kalu Yala's cooking class

Ingredients from the farm and local stores to be used in a cooking class at Kalu Yala. (Kelley Czajka/Medill)

Northwestern University
Kalu Yala's culinary staff and interns are serving up sustainable and delicious meals in the Panamanian jungle.

Pages