Discover the Latest at Green Impact News

“My concern is that climate change is impacting agriculture and could well disrupt supply chains,” wrote Modern Farmer reader Taera Shuldberg. Shuldberg’s town of Sierra Vista, Arizona is working on a 10-year city plan—but Shuldberg had read the drafted plan and found it lacking. “I was surprised and dismayed to find that climate change was The post City Planning for Food Security in the Face of Climate Change appeared first on Modern Farmer.

In 2014, during a short stay on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, walking along a dirt road, I came across a poster for an upcoming event stapled to a telephone pole. It read of a “cacao ceremony” that same weekend. Being a card-carrying member of the ceremonially starved and ceremonially hungry, I immediately signed The post Ceremonial Grade Cacao is Ceremony’s Subversion appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Ismail Samad is no stranger to hospitality. The East Cleveland, Ohio, native began his first foray into restaurant co-ownership at the age of 23, and in 20 years, he has worked his way through ground-breaking restaurant openings and community programs. Working at the intersection of food and community crystallized a realization for Samad: Black and The post Loiter: East Cleveland Fights for Food Power in a Harsh Climate appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Mercy for Animals president and CEO Leah Garcés has been an animal rights advocate fighting the factory farming system for more than two decades. But her approach to advocacy changed the day she met Craig Watts. Watts, a former contract poultry farmer, represented everything Garcés was against.  What she didn’t realize was that he was The post The Transition Away From Factory Farming appeared first on Modern Farmer.

This excerpt has been edited for length. Transfarmation: The Movement to Free Us From Factory Farming, is available for purchase now. In the spring of 2014, I found myself sitting across from a man who was by every definition my enemy. His name was Craig Watts and he was a chicken factory farmer, raising chickens The post Transfarmation: The Movement to Free Us From Factory Farming appeared first on Modern Farmer.

The US meat industry has had a long love affair with three major sources of protein: cows, pigs, and chickens. While you can find different animals if you peruse your grocery store, the Big Three dominate the industry. Americans consume 56.5 pounds of beef per capita, followed by 48 lbs. of pork, compared to one The post Sneaking Snake Onto the Menu appeared first on Modern Farmer.

In the produce section of the IGA grocery store in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, a TV monitor shows customers, in real time, the roof of the store and farmers harvesting cucumbers that within an hour will be on store shelves. When the Food Industry Association asked Americans to list reasons why they buy local produce, 82 percent The post On the Ground with Grocery Stores Redefining How Local Food is Produced appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Across the country, Americans are feeling the effects of inflation and rising costs of food, a pressing issue that’s been at the forefront of this year’s presidential election. As both candidates promise to lower grocery prices, it’s clear that food affordability is top of mind for consumers, two-thirds of whom say they feel the effects The post The Never-ending SNAP Debate Risks Stalling Another Farm Bill appeared first on Modern Farmer.

This story was produced through a collaboration between the Daily Yonder, which covers rural America, and Modern Farmer. The Lower Yakima Valley in Washington state has been home to large-scale animal agriculture for decades, but in 2008 when one dairy operation tried moving onto the Yakima Indian Reservation, the community balked at the proposition. “The The post Rural Drinking Water Has a Nitrate Problem appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Would you pay $50 for six pears? Luxury fruit—a longtime cultural staple in Asian markets—has finally made landfall in the US. Social media influencers are shelling out cash to unbox packages of exclusive produce on TikTok, and high-end retailers such as Whole Foods Market are now displaying expensive fruit on their store shelves. Several American The post The American Agriculture Industry is Making (a Little) Room for Luxury Fruit appeared first on Modern Farmer.