TAKEPART'S BIG ISSUE vol. 13
Prosperity
In North Africa, herders caught between a changing climate and nomadic traditions are settling into more sedentary lives and entrepreneurship. In India, after years of failed monsoons, a neglected backyard fruit is being rebranded as a staple crop.
There are more than 50 million pastoralists living in sub-Saharan Africa.
Human Rights
Wealthy countries are investing in farmland overseas to shore up food supply chains. But territory is fundamental to a nation, and when rights to develop and farm land are sold off to foreign firms, it can bring about unrest and even regime change.
Open Map
Future Growth
In the United States, farmers are getting older and more scarce. But with more than 600,000 members across all 50 states, the Future Farmers of America is teaching a new generation of agricultural workers dedicated to feeding the world’s growing population.
There are 630,000 FFA members between the ages of 12 and 21 across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Resources
With both droughts and flooding increasing as topsoil and freshwater dwindle, farmers are looking to new tools to conserve resources. While some are planting more trees, others are betting the farm on ag robots.
The first fully robotic farm is slated to open next year in Japan.
CLIMATE
Some ranchers are making the case that raising grass-fed cattle can conserve habitats that could help turn the tide against climate change. Shifting weather patterns will hurt crop production, too, and plant scientists are breeding new varieties to withstand harsher climates.
At least 80 percent of American beef cattle are fattened on feedlots before slaughter.