sustainable agriculture Archives - State of the Planet

fruits in a person's hands

Interwoven: A Speaker Series Talk on Equitable Relationships Between Land and People

A guest speaker introduced students to the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust and its work to secure land tenure for Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian farmers.

by Caroline Horrigan |March 16, 2021

Urban Farms: Growing Community Across the Five Boroughs

While urban agriculture is often praised for promoting sustainable growing techniques, one of its most important qualities is its encouragement of social connections and civic engagement.

by Lydia Wood-Hull |March 11, 2020
shade-grown coffee bushes grow under trees

Shade-Grown Coffee Helps Ecosystems and Farmers

A new study finds that coffee farmers could be better off financially if they used shade-growing practices for part of their production.

Building Regenerative Local Food Systems

On April 27, 2017, the Earth Institute, the School of International and Public Affairs, the Agriculture and Food Security Center and the Columbia Water Center presented the third annual Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, on Building Regenerative Food Systems.

by |May 30, 2017

Sustainable Agriculture Through Innovation and Collaboration

Individuals and institutions are becoming increasingly concerned about the social and environmental impacts and the broader societal ramifications associated with conventional agricultural systems. In response, many are acting to bring into view a brighter future that is capable of satisfying a long list of criteria that define sustainable agriculture.

by |November 16, 2016

Warming Streams Have Cascading Impacts in the Amazon

To protect a river, you must preserve its headwaters. Agricultural development is warming streams at the headwaters of the Xingu River, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Rising temperatures have local impacts that could cascade into regional changes, highlighting the importance of responsible land use outside of protected areas.

by |October 13, 2014

Students Explore Sustainable Agriculture at McEnroe Farm

The McEnroe Farm opened in the late 1980s, with the help of the McEnroe and Durst families of Duchess County, who had a shared vision for the future of sustainable agriculture. Over time, their endeavor has grown from a small farm with a roadside stand to one of the largest organic farms in the Northeast, with a farmers market in Millerton, and an interstate compost business.

by |September 23, 2013

Rain, Rain, Go Away…

Assessing biodiversity on coffee farms in Costa Rica is a difficult task when unyielding torrential downpours strike.

by |November 29, 2011

Seawater Greenhouses Produce Tomatoes in the Desert

With the global population increasing by 80 million each year, a third of the planet will likely face water shortages by 2025. This looming water crisis is inextricably linked to food production…

by |February 18, 2011