
Why Gender Inequality and Food Security Go Hand-in-Hand
Research has shown that addressing gender inequality in agriculture would see a much-needed increase in global food security. The same is also true in the context of climate change: for example, rural women are often more vulnerable than men to climate shocks, but given the right support, they can significantly boost yields and help make farming more resilient. Community-based adaptation planning is an effective way to design climate-resilient livelihood strategies, and address the underlying causes of vulnerability.
Food Hubs Link Consumers with Locally Farmed Food
Move over farmers' markets. More than 300 food hubs around the country are also providing small farms another outlet to sell locally raised food to consumers. There's no one model for a food hub—it depends on the market, the location, and what it is grown in that area. Some collect food from farms and dole it out to customers in weekly deliveries. Other hubs help consumers, restaurants, colleges, and institutions to source food online. But producers, consumers, and experts all say food hubs have an important thing in common: it's an efficient way to get locally raised food to those clamoring for it.
A Mini Farm That Produces Food from Plastic-Eating Mushrooms
According to one recent study, there’s at least 5 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean. That’s more than 250 tons. So what to do with mountains of plastic waste with nowhere to go? Katharina Unger, an Austrian designer, thinks we should eat it. Unger partnered with Julia Kaisinger and Utrecht University to develop a system that cultivates edible plastic-digesting fungi; you can now eat mushrooms that eat plastic. It’s a bizarre process, but the end product looks surprisingly like something you might want to consume.
Knowledge is Power: Tackling Climate Change One Forecast at a Time
How do you plan as a farmer, when rainfall patterns you’ve relied on for generations are increasingly unpredictable? CARE is supporting communities in East and West Africa to use Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) to meet the challenges of climate change. PSP is an approach that brings together meteorologists, community members, local government, and local NGOs to discuss and interpret seasonal forecasts from scientific and local sources. This locally-relevant climate information is used to develop climate resilient plans and advisories for livelihoods, food and nutrition security, disaster management, and sector services. The advisories are then shared through locally accessible means like radio and religious gatherings.
