Our Impact

As Lourdes Medrano explains in "The deep roots of Mexico’s trade dispute with U.S. over GMO corn," the history of the current dispute between Mexico and the U.S. over genetically modified corn has roots much deeper than the presidential decree that set it off. Opposition to GMO crops in Mexico has simmered for 20 years.

In "How California’s drought upended a powerful farming district," a collaboration with KQED's The California Report, Dan Charles explains that for years, Westlands Water District fought for endless supplies of water — until the water started running out. Farmers instead started coming to terms with the fact that their operations will have to change — and in many areas, shrink — in order to survive chronic drought, depleted aquifers and climate change.

In "How food became a weapon in America's culture war," a collaboration with The Nation, Brent Cunningham points to how food has been used as a front in the nation’s ongoing culture war, a proxy for larger issues of character, morality, and patriotism. It began in the 1990s and evolved over the ensuing decades, as what we eat and how it’s produced became a national debate, and as culture clashes—over affirmative action, gay marriage, school curricula, abortion, and so on—seeped into every corner of our lives.

The fight to keep school lunch free has largely shifted in California, Colorado, and Maine. But as Bridget Huber explains in "Why universal free school meals matter," published in collaboration with Mother Jones, in most of the country, cafeterias have returned to the status quo, where kids either pay full price for lunch or get it for a reduced price or for free, depending on their families’ annual income.

Cover crops have gained elite status as a way for farmers to fight climate change. But as Gabriel Popkin explains in "A pillar of the climate-smart agriculture movement is on shaky ground," a closer look at the growing body of research raises questions about their ability to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Do you drink your tap water? Is it potable and ample? Can you cook food with it, and use it to mix infant formula and cereal? In "Why America’s food-security crisis is a water-security crisis, too," Lela Nargi discusses how asking residents these simple questions about their water could actually uncover some of the millions of Americans who are water insecure—a circumstance directly connected to food insecurity.

In "What seed-saving can tell us about the end of the world," a collaboration with Orion, Kea Krause explores the ancient practice of seed-saving, which appeared to become popular once again during the pandemic. Kea explains that as climate change bears down, why we save seeds may matter as much as the act of saving them.

In "The resurrection of Hiware Bazar," published with Grist, Puja Changoiwala explains how in the 1980s, the Indian village of Hiware Bazar had collapsed—ecologically, economically and spiritually. But today it is seen as a model for solving the nation’s farmer suicide crisis.

Teresa Cotsirilos' story, "For one historically Black California town, a century of water access denied," published with California Report, describes how drought has exacerbated long-standing water access issues that in many Central Valley communities can be traced back to decades of neglect and racist policies. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Allensworth. But the town is fighting back, coming up with ways to tap sustainable, clean drinking water supplies, creating a potential model for others to follow.

In "Alaska’s herring row," published with The Nation, Brent Simpson details how herring is a tiny fish central to Tlingit culture and to sustainable ecosystems. But overfishing is threatening both.

In “Is the Ojai Pixie dust?,” published with KQED's California Report, Lisa Morehouse explains that an ideal climate is what made California's Ojai Valley known for its Ojai Pixie tangerine. But now that climate is changing, and farmers are worried about the future of agriculture in the valley.

In “White gold fever,” an audio story produced with Snap Judgment, Esther Honig details how the discovery of a massive bed of callo de hacha, a prized scallop, could have saved a struggling Mexican fishing village. But it didn't work out that way.

In “The great carbon-capture debate,” a FERN exclusive, Nancy Averett details the anger and fear felt by farmers and environmentalists because of Iowa's proposed carbon dioxide pipelines. And explains that even beyond that, a central question looms: Are the pipelines a legitimate piece in the climate solution puzzle, or just a windfall for agribusiness? Finding the answer is crucial because the planet’s temperature is rising, and government incentives for ethanol pipelines are time limited.

In "When climate adaptation goes wrong," published with The Guardian, Stephen Rober Miller details how in Bangladesh, rising waters ruined farmers' rice fields, so they switched to shrimp — and that's when troubles mounted.

In “As heat rises, who will protect farmworkers?,” a FERN exclusive, Bridget Huber, Nancy Averett and Teresa Cotsirilos explain that though heat-related illness and death are a growing problem in U.S. agriculture, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration still hasn't established national safety guidelines.

In “The great pollen meltdown,” published with Yale Environment 360, Carolyn Beans explains how heat is a pollen killer. Even with adequate water, heat can damage pollen and prevent fertilization in canola and many other crops, including corn, peanuts, and rice.

In “The return of ‘good fire’ to eastern U.S. forests and grasslands,” published with Yale Environment 360, Gabriel Popkin describes how advocates support controlled burns as part of a critical solution to a range of problems, from biodiversity loss to wildfire risk to climate change. But first, they must overcome government regulations and a long-held view of fire as unnatural and threatening.

In “The controversial biofuel threatening British Columbia’s forests,” published with The Walrus, Brian Barth explores the province's booming wood-pellet industry, which is causing worry that old-growth ecosystems will be pushed to the brink.