The restorative promise of agroecology: Farming for sovereignty and resilience in Malawi – Part II
In Malawi, farmers who have embraced agroecology are navigating the challenges of climate change, market pressures, and community needs.
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Truth, lies, and loyalty in the age of Trumpism
Why do people cling to falsehoods, even in the face of evidence? Both truth and lies serve social purposes, but holding onto reason becomes essential as we face climate change and rising Trumpism.
How California’s war on smog and its ambitious car pollution rules made everyone’s air cleaner
The Clean Air Act gave California the authority to issue tough pollution standards for vehicles, spurring the development of the catalytic converter and cleaning up America’s air.
Climate cracks are spreading — and even the system knows it can’t hold
From scientists to intelligence agencies, repeated warnings about climate and ecological collapse have gone largely unanswered by governments, media and markets.
Prairie Prophecy: A powerful new film on Wes Jackson and the future of agriculture
A new documentary, Prairie Prophecy, explores the life and work of ecologist Wes Jackson, offering a compelling vision for the future of agriculture, sustainability, and our relationship with the land.
The restorative promise of agroecology: Farming for sovereignty and resilience in Malawi
In Malawi, where agriculture is central to daily life, an internship with an agroecology organisation offers an inside look at farming practices that challenge industrial food systems and support food sovereignty.
A New Wave of Collaboration for Our Oceans
In January, we launched a brand-new Marine Ecosystems Community of Practice – a collaborative initiative bringing together four Ecosystem Restoration Communities (ERCs) working at the frontlines of coastal and marine restoration.
The Ag Coop that Shares More than Machinery
What if, instead of going into debt to invest in their farms, farmers came together to pool equipment? What if, instead of struggling to run a small farm alone, there was extra help at hand? What if new entrants could draw on the experience of more established farmers in their local area? It may sound too good to be true, but this is the reality with France’s network of Agricultural Machinery Cooperatives (CUMA).
Scale Raises the Ceiling, but Fiscal Foundations Determine Whether Autocracy or Democracy Prevails
Understanding this deeper history widens our conception of political possibility. It reminds us that democracy has emerged through multiple pathways and has sustained under diverse historical conditions—and that its durability has depended not just on shared norms or formal institutions, but on the fiscal systems that underwrite them.
Preserving Local Seeds, Sustaining Rural Life
In Tughgoz village, located in the remote Ishkashim District of Tajikistan, agriculture is more than a livelihood — it is the foundation of daily life. Like many rural communities in the region, village residents rely on their land, local knowledge, and traditional seed varieties to sustain their families and protect their future.
Cities: Canary in the Coal Mine?
The easiest and cheapest means of reducing warming is increasing vegetation in rural areas; eliminating bare soil, especially the millions of acres produced by industrial agriculture, addressing erosion and aridification, and restoring forests, which will also increase fire-resistance, reducing the need for the far-more complex and expensive changes required in suburban and urban areas.
How to build community resilience in the face of abrupt economic decline
Benicia, California, is set to lose its largest single employer and source of tax revenue, a sprawling oil refinery. A Guardian article about this issue catalyzed this essay that describes what a thoughtful process might look like, if a community – any community – chose to pursue sustainability instead of economic growth.
