Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute (FTPI) is a Native-American women-run organization dedicated to teaching sustainable indigenous ways of living in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. The Institute provides resources that support the Pueblo people through knowledge preservation and education. Roxanne Swentzell created FTPI in 1987. Swentzell tells Food Tank that before creating FTPI, she learned about permaculture and built her own sustainable homestead. By doing this, she discovered what farming techniques worked in her area and then began sharing this knowledge. “The name, Flowering Tree, ca ..read more

Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) in Washington is offering a culinary-agriculture curriculum to help students to understand the values of farm-to-fork in a new way. The classes allow students to gain expertise and real-world experience in agriculture, handling livestock, and culinary arts. The program allows students to “apply [their knowledge] and take it out of the hypothetical realm,” Tyler Cox, Animal Science Professor at WWCC, tells Food Tank. “It’s like: Put your coat on, we’re going to go look at this right now.” Utilizing the land right next to campus, the program manages 80 head o ..read more

Climate Caucus—a Canadian non-profit—recently held a webinar on climate-resilient food security. The webinar was part of a series called “Increasing Affordability Through Municipal Climate Action.” Laura Schnurr from the Tamarack Institute, Alex Lindstone from Climate Caucus, and Justine Dainard from Guelph’s County of Wellington spoke about Canadian municipalities’ role in climate resiliency and food access, stressing the need for partnership.  In 2024, the Agri-Food Analytics Lab predicts that average Canadian families of four will spend CAD 701.79 more on food—up from CAD 15,595.21 in ..read more

Eric Boor took over his great-grandfather’s nine-acre farm in southern Iowa four years ago. He and his wife Mikala transformed the property and now raise pigs with their two young children. And they do it differently than their neighbors by raising pigs in a more environmentally sustainable and humane way. When they first started, many in their family and community doubted that they could successfully farm this way. “My dad told me I couldn’t raise pigs without antibiotics because he wasn’t able to in confinement settings,” says Eric. “And then my grandpa told me I couldn’t raise them without ..read more

During a recent fireside conversation at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, Million Belay, General Coordinator for Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa discussed the power of food sovereignty and agroecology. The conversation was co-organized by Food Tank and the Food and Agriculture Pavilion.  Belay notes that there are worrying trends as investors take an interest in the agriculture sector across the African continent. While funds can be beneficial, he says, they often “come with drawbacks.” Investors, he explains, “want to go in, invest, get money, and get out most of the time. The ..read more

During a recent session at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), discussed the ways the climate crisis is affecting the state’s farmers and opportunities to overcome these challenges. The conversation was organized by Food Tank in partnership with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Producers Trust, and the Forum for Farmers and Food Security (3FS) at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion. Since becoming Secretary in 2011, Ross explains that she has lived through two ..read more

During the U.N. Climate Change Conference, food systems stakeholders discussed the importance of leveraging strategic relationships to help farmers around the world transition to more regenerative practices. Hosted at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion, the session was organized by the Business Council for International Understanding.  Agriculture is responsible for roughly one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to research from the United Nations. But Bruno Pozzi, Deputy Director of the Ecosystems Division for the UN Environment Programme argues that th ..read more

During a recent conversation at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, H.E Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development for Mexico, shared insight into the current landscape of agriculture in Mexico. The session was organized in partnership with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Producers Trust, and the Forum for Farmers and Food Security (3FS) at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion. Villalobos highlighted that the climate crisis has significantly affected agricultural production in Mexico for decades, reachin ..read more

Food Tank’s Dispatch from the U.N. Climate Change Conference is a special newsletter series running daily during COP28. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe to Food Tank’s newsletter now by clicking here. Good morning from COP28 in Dubai! Yesterday was a rest day here at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, but things are back in full swing today. Food Tank’s official programming kicks off today, too! We have five events today alone (including breakfast, lunch and dinner) at COP28, featuring more than 50+ important s ..read more

Food Tank’s Dispatch from the U.N. Climate Change Conference is a special newsletter series running daily during COP28. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe to Food Tank’s newsletter now by clicking here. Welcome to COP28! I’m here in Dubai, U.A.E., for the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference. COP28 formally kicked off last week, and we’re now in the most important stretch of the conference for discussions about food and agriculture. During this time, the Food Tank newsletter is the place to be! I’ll be in your inbox w ..read more