The Bright Side

New Jersey Institute of Technology biology graduate embarks on an organic farming mission

For biology graduate Xavier Reyes, his decision to hang up his lab coat in exchange for overalls to become an organic farmer is the best way he can move the needle on sustainability. The Albert Dorman Honors College student had come to NJIT with the idea that he would pursue a career in ecological research […]

Kenyan youth brings organic gardening to his urban slum community

Gregory Kimani grew up not having enough to eat in his crowded Nairobi settlement. “I have a long history with food insecurity having grown up in a single-parent household where managing three meals per day was a challenge,” Kimani said. After graduating from university with an environmental conservation major, the 26-year-old is using his knowledge […]

Indian woman helps 50,000 Indian farmers get organic food to consumers

When Shriya Naheta joined her sister seeking out organic farms to supply her new restaurant, she was armed with a recently earned a business degree from the University of Southern California. Surprised at the variety of crops Indians grew—specialty lettuces, fancy potatoes—she decided to create an ecosystem for organic produce from farms to consumers. In […]

How planting prairie strips on Iowa farms could save soil, water, wildlife and money — in-state and beyond

An Iowa State University program to encourage planting strips of native prairie on Iowa’s corn and soybean farms has been shown to significantly reduce soil erosion and runoff of phosphorous and nitrogen fertilizer, while establishing habitats for pollinator populations and reducing the need for pesticides. Iowa State University’s “Science-Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie […]

Bob Randall still spreading the gospel of organic gardening in Houston

Urban Harvest is the fourth-largest community garden program in the country, and 77-year-old Bob Randall is still planting seeds. A New Jersey native who thrived on produce from his grandparents’ farm, Randall worked part-time in college in pesticide research. Soon after he “abandoned pesticides for ecology,” earning a PhD in anthropology focused on people’s interactions […]