Climate Food and Agriculture
Climate + Food and Agriculture
EDITOR’S NOTE
Grist has acquired the archive and brand assets of The Counter, a decorated nonprofit food and agriculture publication that we long admired, but that sadly ceased publishing in May of 2022.
The Counter had hit on a rich vein to report on, and we’re excited to not only ensure the work of the staffers and contractors of that publication is available for posterity, but to build on it. So we’re relaunching The Counter as a food and agriculture vertical within Grist, continuing their smart and provocative reporting on food systems, specifically where it intersects with climate and environmental issues. We’ve also hired two amazing new reporters to make our plan a reality.
Being back on the food and agriculture beat in a big way is critical to Grist’s mission to lead the conversation, highlight climate solutions, and uncover environmental injustices. What we eat and how it’s produced is one of the easiest entry points into the wider climate conversation. And from this point of view, climate change literally transforms into a kitchen table issue.
Featured
The people who feed America are going hungry
Climate change is escalating a national crisis, leaving farmworkers with empty plates and mounting costs.
Latest Articles
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![Alfalfa fields at the Fondomonte farm in Butler Valley, Arizona.]()
![Alfalfa fields at the Fondomonte farm in Butler Valley, Arizona.]()
Arizona is evicting a Saudi alfalfa farm, but the thirsty crop isn’t going anywhere
The state’s decision will do little to solve a water shortage largely driven by irrigated agriculture.
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In Michigan, not-so-sunny prospects for solar farms
Fearful they will lose their small town vibes, some communities say no to solar.
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![A pair of gloved hands holds black gritty rocks.]()
![A pair of gloved hands holds black gritty rocks.]()
To reverse a troubling trend, farmers are adding rocks to their fields
Across the country, farmers are taking a chance on a new method: adding crushed volcanic rock to fields to improve soil health (and sequester carbon in the process).
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![A thermometer reads 42 degrees Celsius during a rare winter heat wave in Brazil.]()
![A thermometer reads 42 degrees Celsius during a rare winter heat wave in Brazil.]()
Winter just ended in South America. It’s 110 degrees.
The unseasonal heat in Brazil is bad news for the world's supply of coffee and soybeans.
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![Collage of plant sprouting from biochar]()
![Collage of plant sprouting from biochar]()
Biochar is a ‘shovel-ready’ climate technology, but can it scale up?
The soil soot is a small-scale solution that climate advocates — and corporations — want more of.
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![Illustration of American Chestnut tree with helix-shaped branches]()
![Illustration of American Chestnut tree with helix-shaped branches]()
The American chestnut tree is coming back. Who is it for?
As federal agencies prepare to deregulate transgenic chestnuts, Indigenous nations are asserting their rights to access and care for them.
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![Cattle graze next to fallen trees on a farm in Colombia, after a forest was cut down.]()
![Cattle graze next to fallen trees on a farm in Colombia, after a forest was cut down.]()
What would happen if the world cut meat and milk consumption in half?
Agricultural emissions would fall by almost a third. But getting there wouldn't be easy.
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![A tractor stuck in a flooded field.]()
![A tractor stuck in a flooded field.]()
‘A silent killer’: How saltwater intrusion is overtaking coastal farmland in the US
As hurricanes get stronger, storm surges are bringing saltwater to farmland—and leaving salt there once waters evaporate.
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![A person flips hamburgers on a grill.]()
![A person flips hamburgers on a grill.]()
Beef guzzlers: 12% of Americans eat half of the country’s cow meat
Changing the habits of this small group could go a long way toward cutting the country's planet-warming emissions.
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![A blue sign that reads]()
![A blue sign that reads]()
As winters warm, the citrus industry squeezes into Georgia
Half a million citrus trees have taken root in the Peach State over the past decade.
