In Malawi, female fish traders mobilise against transactional sex

The small town of Iola, KS, and Allen County's GROW Council offer a case study of how local communities across this prairie state have worked to solve the absence of grocery stores in many rural areas. Through local resourcefulness and organizing efforts; knowledge and financial support from the state government; and partnership with Kansas State University's Rural Grocery Initiative, towns have succeeded in bringing grocery stores, from locally-owned coops to school-based distribution hubs, back to their Main Streets.

As climate change has brought rising temperatures and more frequent droughts to much of Africa, some communities in Senegal are finding ways to survive by adapting their agricultural practices. Medicinal plants can be harvested more frequently and sold at higher prices than traditional millet and grain. The senna (Cassia) shrub in particular has allowed farmers, especially women, to sustain economic hope and prosperity, with the added benefit of improving the health of local villagers.

Cafe Euphoria in Troy, N.Y. operates on a cooperative model in which all employees are paid the same wage and are offered an ownership stake in the business. The company is founded on a social mission to create a safe space for trans and gender nonconforming people and promotes equity through a 3:1 sliding scale for its menu and thrift shop, with 94% of customers opting to pay the top-end price of the scale.

An income qualified farm-to-community incentive program has found its place within the Coloradan San Miguel County. Allowing farm shares to be distributed at Mountain Village Farmers’ Market, both communities win through affordable and healthy food and the providing of a consistent income source.

In Jackson, Mississippi, a series of community-led cooperatives are creating opportunities for affordable home ownership. This is part of a trend across the country to create community land trusts. They are financed through donations, other community businesses, or commissions. Though each land trust faces hurdles, they are collectively allowing more access to wealth and ownership in historically low-income neighborhoods.

Throughout the United States, farmer co-ops are gaining popularity as a means to share work and resources with fellow small farms with the goal of keeping rural communities alive. Although this model can look slightly different depending on the region and can create limitations, overall, many believe this approach may create a more resilient farming practice.

With grocery stores at capacity with delivery services, and people not wanting to leave their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, local farms like Honey Brook Organic Farm are seeing huge increases in business. The New Jersey farm had already started shifting from a CSA model to delivery, so they used that infrastructure to easily pivot. Collaboration with other local farms has been key, so beyond their produce, they’re partnering with their network to deliver meat, eggs, and even prepared meals from local restaurants.

A food hub in Spokane, Washington, is providing a marketplace where fresh, local food is accessible from multiple small farms in one convenient location and website. LINC gives farmers access to a market of consumers without the hassle of deliveries, cultivating business, or staffing booths at farmers' markets. The food hub is helping strengthen the small farm economy while promoting access to fresh foods.

Agriculture accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse emissions in the U.S. according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This article details efforts by small farmers to reduce carbon emissions as part of a larger fight against climate change. Some of their methods include things like switching to solar power, not tilling the soil, using horses rather than tractors, and recharging the soil with organic matter. For some of them- it's yielding results.

Residents of Garima Greh, an organization that provides transgender people with housing and necessities in New Delhi, started a small business making potpourri from the flowers discarded by local temples. They use the funding to pay for necessary medical expenses and gender-affirming care.