a colleague recommended he apply due to his work at just roots, a group partnering with grassroots organizations where they have turned two vacant plots of land into community farms within the chicagoland area. ruane said they grow and distribute over 25,000 pounds of food each year at their farms, impacting over 8,500 people on an annual basis. 

ruane, originally an educator from chicago, founded just roots after conversations with students, parents, and teachers about the number of vacant lots in the city. ruane also said in their conversations it came up “time and time again” about the lack of access to community green space and to fresh foods. 

“that’s where the initial spark of the organization started,” ruane said. 

ruane added he remembers one conversation where a parent was “frustrated” over this problem. 

areas of chicago face food insecurity, or what some people like to call a food apartheid, ruane said. he said this term recognizes the connection between systematic racism and the issues of food insecurity. these areas where food apartheid is prevalent are predominantly in communities of color within the west and south sides of the city, he added. 

according to the greater chicagoland hunger report, 25% of people in the greater chicagoland area face food insecurity. additionally, 36% of people also cannot afford the basic cost of living within their county, per the same report. 

diet quality is the leading risk factor for death in the united states, according to the aspen institute’s research on food. the research also said living in a household faced with food insecurity can lead to increased risk of having a chronic condition. 

ruane said on average the communities just roots serves have a poverty rate of 24% and an employment rate of 12%. 

“the food we grow stays within a five mile radius,” ruane said.  

ruane added their farms are sustainable as they run using regenerative agriculture. he said they are using practices which not only help grow food to nourish people, but also nourish the soil. this is an aspect of agriculture he said the aspen fellowship shows a lot of interest in. 

during the 18 month long fellowship, ruane said he will continue to engage in in-depth conversations with the 17 other fellows in the program. he said all of them do work on agriculture and food, but they are doing it on different scales and have unique perspectives on their work. 

he said during the program, the fellows are able to discuss how they can do their work better and create a better future for the communities they serve.

“i’m excited to experience the rest of the process,” ruane said. 

when people imagine a farm, they might not picture it in the heart of a city, next to an auto shop and a car wash. but that’s exactly where you can find hundreds of fresh fruits and vegetables in hartford, conn., bursting from rows and rows of pvc pipe instead of soil.

food insecurity can run rampant in cities, where there is less access to fresh food and less land available to cultivate it. however, one connecticut non-profit is reimagining how people can access healthy food at a better price. 

levo international is using hydroponic farming to create healthier communities, better education, and leaders for the future. crops grow from simple pipes filled with nutrient-rich water, using minimal space and energy. christian heiden, the founder of levo international, talks about the organization and how it’s changing the landscape of the city. 

listen to the full interview to learn more.

as a child, i grew up learning not to waste food. i often wonder why i, and many others across the globe, lost sight of that lesson as we grew up. 

lately, i’ve started to love cooking. but this newfound activity comes with some important questions: why does it hurt when no one eats the leftovers of the food i made? why doesn’t it hurt when i throw the last couple bites of someone else’s hard work away? why do i spend on groceries that i won’t eat? why am i not the only one that makes these mistakes? 

food is a powerful force in our lives and the degree to which we waste it has serious environmental, social, economic, and civil impacts. food is also powerful enough to bring communities and cultures together and i’d love to help people gain more respect for food. 

this video was filmed over the fall of 2025 during a time when the government shutdown in the united states had halted snap benefits for millions of americans. the video focuses on how i, and the people around me, view food and what that relationship looks like. 

israel ceballos stands outside his condo in university village with a tupperware container full of orange peels and a handful of breadcrumbs. his husband, paul matylonek, sits inside, surrounded by eight día de los muertos ofrendas and two leather suitcases from his polish immigrant parents.

“i feed 50 birds right here, and six squirrels,” ceballos says. “when i whistle, they all show up.”

ceballos isn’t exaggerating. with one whistle, dozens of house sparrows creep out from tree branches to snack on ceballos’s offerings. above, a squirrel nest overlooks the couple’s newly completed project, nearly two decades in the making: the morgan street community garden.

a dream takes root

lifelong midwesterners, ceballos and matylonek met at church on father’s day, 28 years ago. ceballos recalls seeing “a handsome man” light a candle for his recently deceased father, and the rest was history. before transforming this patch of land into a thriving space, the pair spent years cultivating life in their own backyard. they planted milkweed to attract and raise monarch butterflies — a quiet practice that would later echo through their larger work, bringing nature and meaning to their neighborhood.

inspiration for the garden came after the pair realized that the land behind their home, owned by the burlington-norfolk and santa fe (bnsf) railway company, had served as a dumping ground for debris for years. after the railway failed to respond to their emails seeking permission to clean up the plot, ceballos and matylonek went ahead on their own in may, enlisting neighbors and friends to help. 

once they had hauled away about 40 industrial trash bags of debris, the pair invested $1,000 of their own funds to build a small, raised garden bed on the plot. they also sent a request to community members asking for donations of pots for the garden, as the soil was likely unsuitable for growth.

this simple community act led to what is now chicago native garden projects, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and maintaining native plant habitats in chicago.

“i just wanted something that the community could enjoy,” ceballos said. “nothing makes me happier than walking by and seeing people sitting here.”

ceballos said that many people wanted to help, but couldn’t deliver equipment, so the pair changed their request and asked for monetary donations. over the past six months, ceballos estimates that over 60 donors have raised around $13,000 in donations and materials for the community garden. the chicago department of streets and sanitation donated paint and a city garbage can to the cause, while 25th ward alderman byron sigcho lopez attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the garden in september.

“it’s opened up my eyes to the community itself, dealing with people who don’t live in my building, but have donated and have helped,” university village resident and volunteer jesus palacios said. “you turn from a neighbor into a friend.”

under ceballos and matylonek’s leadership, what was once a patch of waste transformed into a neighborhood effort that now includes over 300 native plants across 90 species.

community efforts bear fruit

nearly 60% of the world’s population now resides in urban environments, and increased urbanization has caused a substantial loss in native biodiversity. as a result, planting native species offers benefits that extend beyond neighborhood aesthetics, helping to repair some of the ecological damage caused by urban infrastructure. within city landscapes, native species have proven to outperform non-native species, providing critical habitat and food sources for pollinators, arthropods, and other local wildlife. 

in addition to ecological benefits, expanding access to urban green spaces enhances climate resilience while benefiting human wellbeing. a 2016 world health organization report synthesizing multiple studies found, among other things, that urban green spaces may be linked to improved immune system function, enhanced mental health and cognitive performance, reduced exposure to air pollution, and an increase in pro-environmental behaviors. together, these benefits illustrate how small-scale urban gardening efforts can connect people to the planet. 

for ceballos and matylonek, however, they see that growth less as an achievement in horticulture and more as proof of what trust, kindness, and transparency can build.

“you don’t know until you put yourself out there,” ceballos said. “what i’ve learned is you’ve got to let the fear go.”

although ceballos and matylonek seem stunned at the community’s outpouring of support, secretary of cgnp danielle orihuela said that it isn’t surprising at all.

“[israel] has always been the person to be able to talk to anybody. he’s captivating,” orihuela said. “i think those are the most important things that make a leader: do you actually care about the people sitting next to you? do you want to get to know them? you level with them as an equal, and i think both of them are like that.”

their approach to fundraising reflects that same ethos. instead of chasing publicity, they invite people to participate through dedicated containers, which often honor loved ones.

one pilsen resident dedicated her garden container to her recently deceased brother and stops by once a month to honor his memory. nearby, another container holds soil mixed with the ashes of a neighbor’s son. to ceballos and matylonek, these aren’t just plants: they’re reminders that what they’ve cultivated goes beyond the garden boundaries.

“it was these two that i realized, we’re really doing something right,” ceballos said. “people want to memorialize; they want to remember their loved ones. they don’t know how or where, so people found solace in that. it goes to show that you just don’t know how you’re going to impact people.”

this fall, ceballos and matylonek opened their home during día de los muertos as part of their expanded fundraising efforts. in exchange for a small donation, ceballos guided visitors through their many ofrendas – traditional memorials for dia de los muertos, or the day of the dead — and explained the holiday’s history. monarchs, once fluttering through their backyard, reappeared as symbols of the season, woven throughout the altars to represent the souls of ancestors returning home.

matylonek also offered visitors insight into his family history, explaining how his parents immigrated to the united states from eastern poland.

with the end of the gardening season, volunteers will continue to maintain the grounds and prepare for spring.

“i think we’re living in a society where it’s a little dark,” palacios said. “working together and seeing the different colors and shapes and sizes of people helps so much and brings the community together.”

palacios said he’s come to understand why the garden keeps growing, not just with plants, but with people.

“[israel and paul] have such a beautiful view … they’re so kind, i think that’s also why people want to help,” he said. “you just become one, and i think they are the glue to everything.”

tulsi basil, “wizard of oz” dahlias, cherry tomatoes, antoinette tulips, “jessica’s sweet pear” mint – the list goes on. the roof crop urban agriculture initiative supports farms yielding a vast range of eclectic flowers, produce, and apothecary crop varieties across chicago.

the roof crop promotes sustainability, ecological engagement, and community development through its support of 14 rooftop farms across the chicagoland area.

“the goal of sustainability and increasing green spaces in chicago and using those spaces in productive ways means a lot to me,” said elise anhorn, operations manager of the roof crop.

at the roof crop’s home base in chicago’s west side, several independent enterprises work in tandem under the same roof. the ground floor houses the restaurant maxwells trading, third season, an apothecary and design studio, and a coffee shop. flashpoint innovation, a food and beverage consulting firm, occupies the second floor. and on the roof you will find the roof crop’s green roof featuring two greenhouses and a small event space.

the roof crop launched in 2013. it began as a marketing initiative and evolved into a partnership with a company that installs green roofs, according to anhorn. 

anhorn said the company began with the question: “how can we market more installations through this lens of [roofs] being growing space?” 

“that kind of took off, and now it is its own stand alone company,” anhorn said.

the green roofs the roof crop support serve a range of purposes. some are urban farms yielding produce and flowers, while others are simply green spaces that contribute to natural ecosystems in chicago. 

the roof crop foundation, a non-profit affiliated with the roof crop, manages apiaries on green roofs across the city. the apiaries serve the dual purpose of rejuvenating the region’s pollinator populations and producing honey.

the roof crop has helped green roof development at a variety of types of spaces throughout the city, including the mcdonald’s headquarters, google’s midwest headquarters at 1k fulton and many residential buildings. 

third season, which opened in 2023, hosts events and workshops and sells various apothecary and local products such as homemade soaps and honey, supporting the local sustainability needs met by rooftop gardens.

mickey cao, design and store manager at third season, said the organization recently hosted a midwestern minimalist design workshop that promoted the beauty and simplicity of nature. it has run a monsoon pottery workshop with a local artisan as well, as it aims to involve local artists from the community in its work.

“i think it’s been really positive to have a space in a fairly industrial area where people can come and have community and learn and do creative things together,” cao said.

third season also hosts sustainable farming programs for chicagoland teens and young people, according to cao.

anhorn said a goal of the organization is to educate urban farmers.

“the end goal isn’t to farm on every green roof around the city, but to make green roof farming more accessible and possible and to share what we’ve learned along the way,” anhorn said.

“and then, we’ll feed you.” i could sense a collective sigh of relief from the group of weary travelers when national geographic-lindblad expeditions naturalist tanya helmig uttered those words in the airport lobby. up before dawn and off by 6 am, our planet forward team flew from quito to guayaquil, then from guayaquil to baltra island, passing through several biosecurity checkpoints before finally arriving in ecuador’s enchanting galápagos islands. 

stepping off the plane felt otherworldly. maybe it was the dissonance of seeing the abundance of cacti in what i thought would be a tropical paradise, or maybe it was the inkling of realization that i — a small town girl from rural north carolina —  now stood in a place famous the world over for inspiring the theory of evolution. 

our smiling scottish-born guide gave a warm welcome to the gaggle of tourists and shared some logistical instructions, but it was all a blur until she said those magic words: “and then, we’ll feed you.” last night’s dinner was long ago and i, like many others, passed on breakfast in lieu of a later wake up call. she promised we were in for a treat that week, starting with a grand buffet lunch to welcome us onboard. but once we sat down to eat, i realized this wasn’t just another restaurant experience — it was a window into a complex food system that keeps the people in the galápagos fed.

a “bucket list trip” is how many (if not all) of the guests aboard the national geographic gemini expedition ship described their journey to the galápagos islands. our group of planet forward storyfest winners shared the experience with members from three generations of a midwest family celebrating the life of their beloved grandfather, a mother-daughter pair from northern california capping off a longer tour of ecuador, and a semi-retired arizona snowbird who was on the trip to better understand the experience she recommends to her travel clients.

some people were adventure enthusiasts signing up for all the adrenaline-pumping hikes and dives; others were savoring the opportunity to get up close and personal with wildlife from the convenience of the zodiac (a brand of rigid inflatable boats). bookending the breathtaking natural beauty of time spent exploring the islands was the comfort and attention to detail experienced aboard the gemini. 

this floating hotel provides shelter and transportation for up to 48 guests and 50 crew members at any given time. in addition to the private cabins, there’s an indoor dining room, outdoor dining patio, lounge area, pool deck, and library for guest perusal. as you might imagine, there’s way more space behind the scenes that keeps the gemini going.

most intriguing to me was the galley, where an expert culinary team preps, serves, and busses a world class meal — influenced by the local cuisine and catered to myriad dietary restrictions and preferences — three times a day. there were (seemingly) endless assortments of delicious and freshly made foodstuffs available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner delivered right to guests’ tables by the knowledgeable and courteous waitstaff. 

meal times were so elegantly choreographed that they belied the logistical challenge of feeding 100 people while floating more than 600 miles away from the nearest commercial food supplier. that distance matters because, according to a study by carolina sampedro and colleagues published in 2018, around 75% of all food consumed on the islands is imported from mainland ecuador, a share that could grow to 95% in the next decade without policy and infrastructure investments.

and tourists like myself (~270,000 people each year) account for more than 70% of the islands’ total economy, increasing the demand for fresh food in a place with limited agricultural land and strict conservation zoning. 

from farm to fork

as a food and agriculture researcher, i knew there was more complexity to the food service than meets the eye. i sought out a variety of crew members to learn more about our meals and agricultural development in the galápagos islands. 

my first stop was the hotel office, where hotel manager fernanda orellana walked me through how menus are designed and groceries are purchased, not just around guest expectations, but around the agricultural realities of the islands and the company’s commitment to sustainability.

fernanda, a bubbly and easygoing person, started her career as a hospitality student in guayaquil, ecuador’s biggest city and coastal hub, furthering a lifelong dream to live in the galápagos. a stint as a waitress on a cruise ship brought her to the islands a decade ago and she worked her way up the hierarchy of numerous tourism companies before beginning her current role aboard the gemini. 

as the hotel manager, fernanda manages the culinary team and approves all purchase orders, giving her great insight into the food system onboard. she described the company philosophy of local purchasing in the following way: “most of our products are purchased here in galápagos: the first option is always local farmers.

many companies bring food from guayaquil because it’s cheaper, but buying local food supports the economy here. some companies make a whole video campaign about buying one local product; lindblad doesn’t brag about it, but they really do it.” 

sourcing local ingredients also contributes to the goal of building a delicious and diverse menu that’s 100% ecuadorian. fernanda uses her interactions with guests to promote culinary curiosity. she said, “it’s good because guests get to explore the culture and tradition through food. ecuador has every kind of dish you can imagine. food has history, and i love sharing the stories behind how dishes came to be so people understand ecuador more fully.”

from seco de pollo (ecuadorian chicken stew) to pan de yuca (cheesy cassava bread) to locro de papa (potato and cheese soup), i for one walked away with a more expansive view of ecuador through its cultural foods.

next, i had an opportunity to speak with head chef victor bodero. my conversation with victor — nestled into a few moments of spare time before dinner service and interpreted by fernanda — started with his tenure on the gemini, covered his perspective on galápagos food systems as a local, and ended with innovative efforts to reduce food waste. 

victor was born in guayaquil and moved to santa cruz island at age seven. he worked his way from dishwasher to line cook to head chef on the vessel under previous management, and was happy to be continuing a world-class culinary experience with lindblad expeditions. responding to a prompt about the company’s commitment to local food sourcing, victor said, “buying directly from the people [on the islands] allows farmers and fishers to create new pathways to market and start upgrading [their operations] because they know they have a steady buyer.” 

for victor, it’s not just about getting quality produce straight from the galápagos; it’s also important to ensure as little food waste as possible. approximately one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted. wasted food isn’t just about lost meals, it means wasted water, land, energy, and fertilizer. 

one way lindblad expeditions and the gemini team reduce food waste is by asking guests to pre-register for dinner entrees. each afternoon, the team placed a sign-up sheet on the end of the bar with evening meal options. by indicating your preferences ahead of time (as opposed to ordering on the spot in the dining room), victor could tightly tailor the dinner service to only prepare what was requested.

“for example, if i have 10 guests pre-registered for the chicken and five unregistered, i’ll take out 15 portions of chicken in case the unregistered folks want some. that’s an improvement from prepping 45 portions (the full guest list), but it would be so much better if everyone pre-selected their entree,” he said. 

a fond farewell

having embarked on the gemini on a saturday, when the next saturday rolled around it was time to leave. the last meal was a tranquil mid-morning breakfast on the patio, a bittersweet time to get our fill and say goodbyes. peering over the guardrails, i caught a glimpse of a small, nondescript white boat that was cozied up beside the gemini.

i wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but figured it out after a few minutes of curious observation: the crew members were exchanging loaded coolers for empty ones, bringing all sorts of meats and produce from the islands to replenish the galley for the next voyage.

the circularity of it all struck me with another thought, that the food service experience on the gemini was at once uber global and hyper local: we were international tourists eating ecuadorian meals sourced from — almost exclusively — the galápagos islands. more than 2,500 miles away from my own family farm, my once-in-a-lifetime adventure was powered by family farms in the galapagos. now, that’s something to chew on. 

editor’s note: lindblad expeditions, our planet forward storyfest competition partner, made these series possible by providing winners with an experiential learning opportunity aboard one of their ships. we thank lindblad expeditions for their support of our project.

american farmers have long relied on china’s massive demand for soybean meal, a high-protein animal feed. now, as china turns to brazil and argentina to meet its soybean needs, u.s. farmers are left scrambling to sell their crops. 

“let’s be clear, this is a man-made disaster caused by donald trump and his administration,” soybean farmer john bartman said at a press call hosted by the democratic national committee in october. “why? because there’s nearly 1 billion bushels of soybeans that don’t have a home right now.” 

the scale of the disaster

u.s. farmers will lose roughly $100 per acre this year, according to the university of illinois urbana-champaign. for adam phelon, who planted over 1,000 acres of soybeans on his family farm in melvern, kan., that could mean a $100,000 loss in gross income. 

“it’s been 40 years of market development that’s taken place to get it to where we are, and so having that just eroded away, we can’t just replace that overnight,” phelon said in an interview. “we’re going to see lasting effects for years to come.”

grain market economist ed usset said he’s concerned about the long-term implications of losing china’s business, specifically if china learns it no longer needs the united states to fulfill its soybean needs. 

minnesota gov. tim walz expressed similar sentiments, calling on trump to end the “ridiculous trade war” and recognize the long-lasting damage china’s boycott will have on rural america. 

“the thing we need to keep in mind is it took decades to establish these markets,” walz said during the press call. “china didn’t just sign one-year contracts with argentina. they signed some of them up to a decade long, and it’s going to take us years to get these markets back.” 

in september, argentina temporarily suspended its 26% soybean export tax in an attempt to boost sales. china then purchased 7 million metric tons of argentine soybeans, to the dismay of american farmers. phelon was further angered to see president trump finalize a $20 billion bailout to stimulate argentina’s economy, calling the move “a kick in the pants to farmers.”

soybean oil as a solution

as the united states searches for other export markets for american soybeans, the expanding biofuels market offers a promising opportunity to drive domestic demand — specifically, for soybean oil. 

historically, soybean meal has contributed much more to driving the value of a bushel, according to scott irwin, an agricultural marketing professor at the university of illinois urbana-champaign.

“a rule of thumb was that around two-thirds of the value of a bushel of soybeans could be traced to soybean meal,” irwin said. “that has dropped to 50–55% with the boom in biodiesel and renewable diesel production, particularly the latter.” 

soybean oil can be processed into renewable diesel, a sustainable fuel made from plants or animal fats that is chemically identical to petroleum, but much better for the environment because, like all plants, soybeans absorb carbon dioxide as they grow rather than raising greenhouse gas emissions. 

in june, the environmental protection agency proposed raising minimum volume mandates for the use of different biofuels under the renewable fuel standard (rfs) for 2026 and 2027. the proposal would increase the amount of renewable fuel required to be blended into u.s. transportation fuel, like the diesel fuel truckers use to fill their tanks. 

if the epa proposal becomes a final regulation, it will mandate the highest renewable fuel blending standards in american history. the development would heavily benefit soybean farmers by driving the demand for soybean oil to fulfill the epa’s regulations, irwin said. 

greenhouse gases produced by advanced biofuels stay in the atmosphere for half as long as gases generated from petroleum, irwin said. 

“on that front, surprisingly, the trump administration is encouraging something that’s positive from a greenhouse gas climate perspective,” irwin said.

renewable diesel is considered a “drop-in” substitute for petroleum diesel, said scott gerlt, the chief economist of the american soybean association. from an engineering perspective, that means renewable diesel can be used as a replacement for petroleum diesel without worrying about changing infrastructure or blending levels.

soybean oil’s potential doesn’t stop at the fuel pump. researchers eric cochran and chris williams from iowa state university are taking soybean oil to the roads: their soybean-based asphalt polymer can replace petroleum additives, making pavement both longer lasting and more sustainable. 

the traditional polymer additive used in asphalt is sps, a purely petroleum-based polymer that is rarely manufactured domestically nowadays. a key component of sps called butadiene can also be hazardous to handle, cochran said. soybean oil, on the other hand, reduces reliance on petroleum products while supporting the domestic soybean market.

“making your pavements last longer means less raw material, less energy, less fuel needed for all that construction, and then the materials that are going into the pavements become increasingly u.s. agriculturally sourced,” cochran said.

cochran said the product is currently being manufactured across the united states and sold to county engineers, contractors, asphalt terminals, and oil refineries. over the next year, homeowners can look out for do-it-yourself products for roofing and driveway maintenance.

in the meantime, the trump administration is expected to announce a relief plan of at least $10 billion for farmers hurt by tariffs. still, farmers have said the temporary fix doesn’t provide what they actually want, and what soybean oil might give them a chance to do: to compete fairly in the global marketplace. 

“this is our livelihood. we need to make sure that we have a place to go with our soybeans,” phelon said. “that’s the number one goal. we want to feed and fuel the world, and without trade around the world, we’re not able to do that.”

in the dry fields of sankoyo, a village of less than 200 people where land cruisers speed by on their way to the okavango delta’s hippo-dotted lagoons, thekiso bayei, a petite mother of five, is in a battle against a 15,000-pound herbivore. 

she says she saw it yesterday, waiting just outside her fence. 

“we used to harvest crops to feed our children,” thekiso said, holding a handful of seeds. she’s not planting today, but she still likes to hold them. now, every harvest season, thekiso awakens one morning to a broken fence and a field picked clean of crops: “they only leave footprints and dung.”

it’s hard to farm when you live next to the world’s largest population of african elephants. sankoyo is one of a few dozen villages in botswana stuck between over 130,000 elephants and the kalahari desert. the delta’s rising elephant population — often celebrated as a conservation success — has taken a devastating toll on the indigenous villagers who have farmed its riverbanks since the 18th century. 

as the world debates what to do with botswana’s elephants, some farmers in sankoyo have made up their minds. 

“i want elephants to be killed,” thekiso said.

the farmers and the elephants

“long ago, we used to harvest so much food we even left some crops in the field,” qumokaake, an 81-year-old grandmother, said. “today, we die of hunger because you have to buy food to survive.” 

like most farmers in northwest botswana, qumokaake said it’s been years since elephants left her crops alone. the southern african nation’s elephant population spiked from about 80,000 in 1996 to over 130,000 by 2023. that’s over one third of africa’s elephants, mostly concentrated in a region smaller than ireland where no fences separate wildlife from villages.

“we don’t stop plowing, even if we know the elephants will come,” qumokaake said, pulling weeds from her maize. “farming is our life.”

a few hundred yards from qumokaake’s garden, a safari truck kicks up dust. 

inside the open-air truck, safari-goers and their african guide risk the bumpy dirt road that skirts sankoyo. most foreign tourists to the okavango fly over the village on chartered flights that land at luxury safari lodges. they likely never know sankoyo exists, let alone that the village just seven miles from moremi game reserve is among the poorest in a nation with one of the world’s highest rates of wealth inequality.

botswana, known as a sanctuary for southern africa’s wildlife, has done so well conserving its elephants with strict anti-poaching policies that some scientists say the population is now overpopulated. researchers largely attribute this rise to thousands of elephants migrating into botswana to escape poaching and conflict in surrounding nations.

the notion of too many majestic elephants may be lost on westerners, but it’s not a hard concept to grasp for locals who live in daily fear of attacks by hungry giants.

“they killed two people,” kobamelo simalumba, a 78-year-old farmer in sankoyo, said. “one called sangwana shalenshando and one called fwafwa.”

since 2018, injuries and deaths from wildlife have increased by about 80% in the okavango delta. botswana reported 60 people killed by wildlife, mostly elephants, between 2018 and 2023. 

in the forests around sankoyo, trees are stripped of leaves and stunted at elephant-trunk height. while the african elephant is still very much endangered on the continent as a whole, it’s more complicated in botswana specifically. 

“we have so many elephants,” said monty montshiwa, an ecologist who leads human-wildlife conflict mitigation programs at wildentrust, a botswana non-governmental organization (ngo). “the population is so high, and it ravages the whole ecosystem.”

as the mammals step on trees, lift thatched roofs off houses, and rip up water pipes, locals are desperate for solutions. 

“where is the balance?” montshiwa asks. “what is it that can be done for co-existence?”

a trophy hunting debate

timex moalassi, chief of sankoyo, thinks trophy hunting is part of the solution.

“we don’t say, ‘let’s just kill elephants for the sake of killing,’” said moalassi, who traveled to london last spring to argue against a proposed trophy hunting ban. “we say, ‘let’s hunt a certain number of elephants per year for a fee so that we can manage the environment and make developments in our settlement.’”

the village’s community trust recently approved the auction of 83 wild animals — including 15 elephants — to a trophy hunting operator for an estimated $326,618. the sale will add nearly double the income the village gets from leasing land to safari lodges to its annual budget. 

sankoyo is one of many villages electing to bring back trophy hunters after botswana lifted its hunting ban in 2019. the return of trophy hunters sparked backlash from western animal rights groups. locals see it as a lifeline, however.

“people outside our country don’t want us to kill our animals because they are rich,” galefete kettwaeletswe, sankoyo’s deputy chief, said. “us here, we are poor.”

botswana issued a quota of 400 elephant hunting licenses in 2025. every year, sankoyo’s trust will now receive a certain portion of those licenses to sell. residents hope trophy hunters will solve their elephant problem and “push the animals far away from us,” as lesego ntaashuma said, but it’s not that simple.

according to joseph mbaiwa, a scientist at the okavango research institute, killing 400 elephants — about 0.003% of botswana’s total population — will have minimal impact.

“have you ever seen somebody hitting a wall? it will remain as it is,” mbaiwa said. “it doesn’t do a dent to the elephant population. it will keep on going up.” 

if people want to keep farming alongside the elephants, they’ll need more than cash. mbaiwa said communities also need mitigation strategies like electric fences and lights over their fields.

but these ideas rarely get implemented. dikatholo kedikilwe said his neighbors are more familiar with the idea of shooting pesky elephants. he’s trying to show them a different way.

dikatholo is mixing chili peppers with elephant dung and letting the mixture burn in his fields. elephants dislike the spicy smoke and stay away. dikatholo said he hopes a donor will fund his chili pepper project so he can grow enough peppers for all of sankoyo.

“it’s really promising, but the main challenge is funds,” dikatholo said. “we need water for the chili peppers. it’s a struggle.”

under the shade of a giant raintree near the middle of the village, dikatholo and his neighbors gather for a budget meeting. they have to decide how to spend the estimated $326,618 of hunting revenue. still no funding for his peppers, but the village does settle on items like school scholarships, village electrification, and payments to the elderly.

as the sun sets over the raintree, the village votes to accept the budget funded by the sale of 15 elephants. people are quick to get home.

the lions come out after dark.

“maybe the elephants won’t come”

thekiso’s knee aches as she pulls tufts of fingergrass from the side of the road. like many elderly women in sankoyo, she spends her mornings pulling weeds for ipelegeng, botswana’s unemployment program, for 620 pula or $44 a month. 

most of her children and grandchildren left sankoyo years ago. there are few jobs in the village besides pulling weeds for the government. most young people gave up on farming after a childhood of elephant-raids, but the women in patterned dresses still go out into their fields, every day after ipelegeng, to tend to their crops. the rains have been good this year, and their crops are growing well.  

when thekiso gets home from ipelegeng, she sets down her cane and watches her garden. her beloved maize, watermelon, and pumpkins are safe, for now.

“maybe i have a chance to harvest,” thekiso said. “maybe the elephants won’t come.” out in the mopane forest, an elephant trumpets.

several experts on a panel from rural and urban communities discussed their progress and challenges of being a farmer. the panel was hosted by mya o. price, an assistant professor at the global food institute, with panelists dion dawson, chief dreamer of dion’s chicago dream; cicely garrett, co-executive director of the national black food and justice alliance; qiana mickie, new york city’s inaugural executive director of the office of urban agriculture within the mayor’s office; and ashley c. smith, executive director of black soil ky.

before the panel began, opening remarks were shared by tambra raye stevenson, the founder and ceo of women advancing nutrition, dietetics, and agriculture (wanda). she discussed her heritage as a fifth-generation oklahoman and the historical significance of black farming communities.

she also highlighted the erasure of black cultural contributions and the need for policy changes. addressing the audience, she asked them to “plant hope,” meaning attendees should support black food sovereignty through community and policy efforts.

“by planting hope, we will not just simply survive: we will thrive,” stevenson said.

ashley c. smith of black soil ky, an organization promoting agriculture to black kentuckians, said a major challenge for black farmers in a rural area is balancing the finances. she said rural farmers know no one, like national funders, are coming to “save them.”

according to the economic research service, a part of the department of agriculture researching agriculture, the environment, and rural development, 86% of all united states counties with “high and persistent levels” of poverty in 2019 were rural.

“we can’t have our farmers standing in the food bank or food pantry lines,” smith said. “they have to be fully supported.”

cicely garrett of the national black food and justice alliance, an organization representing rural and urban black farmers, said she saw some successes amid the challenges. she specifically pointed to a growing number of people who are more open to collaboration. she said more people have space to breathe, they have the time to dream of certain ideas, and they want to collaborate to make their ideas possible.

“having more encouragement around people doing this, like organic, genuine relationships in which they have shared values and vision, is something we are seeing more of,” garrett said.

qiana mickie of the new york city mayor’s office said there are some innovations and strategies giving her hope today. one example was people creatively using spaces, especially in urban areas. she said she wants to use underutilized spaces, like by expanding community and school gardens.

“there is the opportunity of leveraging smaller micro-contracts, or meeting them where they’re at, at their scale and still creating contracts that can create food,” mickie said.

but she also added there is not much sustainability and upkeep in places like community or school gardens, as they require maintenance.

in terms of black communities responding to climate change, organizations are finding some success, dion dawson said. dawson runs dion’s chicago dream, an organization working to improve health outcomes and equity while addressing food security in chicago. according to dawson, the organization produces around a quarter of million pounds annually and does not waste anything.

while working towards a solution, dawson added, he hopes everyone does not have a doomsday plan; rather, he challenges everyone to think about a future they can hope for. he also said “resiliency” is necessary, but in some cases it is not needed. 

for dawson, the goal of building a sustainable future is a group effort. “i think everyone should look at themselves like a lego,” dawson said.

gw’s global food institute, founded in 2023 by activist and chef josé andrés, was created to transform food systems in service of healthier populations and a healthier planet. utilizing cross-disciplinary research and teaching, gfi serves as a hub for diverse parties to come together and advance solutions to food systems issues impacting their communities. the institute connects academic research with real-world problem-solving, drawing on public health, business, journalism, technology, international affairs, and other disciplines.

for tara scully, ph.d., director of curriculum development for gfi, the collaboration fills a critical gap between research and practice. scully sees gfi as a “facilitator and connector” of creative minds eager to better the world around them. 

“we’re hearing from our community at gw the desire for their work to have real-world impact and application,” scully said. “this partnership creates space for us to engage in meaningful and impactful partner-driven work.”

food and society at the aspen institute works to help today’s food leaders achieve their career goals and make a tangible impact on food systems across the country, according to scully. its food leaders fellowship brings together leaders from a multitude of disciplines for an 18-month experience designed to sharpen leadership skills, foster collaboration, and accelerate solutions for more sustainable, equitable food systems.

this year, the fellowship announced its fourth cohort of 18 food leaders who have ideas for the research they want to do and the collaborations that best suit their goals. fellows not only exchange ideas, but also design projects that directly engage with the communities they serve. 

this partnership between gfi and the aspen institute, supported by josé andrés’ longer tables fund, aims to connect aspen fellows with the gw community. each fellow will not only get the chance to utilize the resources provided by gw, but also to work with innovative and thoughtful gw faculty, staff, and students.

the collaboration officially kicked off at the aspen institute campus in colorado in mid-august, when gfi’s scully and its program manager laura mindlin joined the fellowship’s newest cohort for their first week of brainstorming. for mindlin, the energy was palpable.

“we’ve already been blown away by the ideas that have come out of these conversations,” mindlin said.

fellows discussed projects that ranged from large-scale research initiatives to creative community partnerships and gw faculty were able to immediately identify ways their expertise and their students’ experiences could support the work.

over the next two years, the partnership will operate as a pilot program. funding has been set aside to bring fellows to the gw campus, embed them in courses, and support joint research that pushes boundaries. students will also have the opportunity to take part in projects through capstone courses, service-learning classes, and even study abroad experiences. one example already in the works is a sustainable supply chain course that may take students to puerto rico, where several fellows are based and working on food access initiatives.

this collaboration aims to be a symbiotic relationship for the fellows, the university, students, and staff. for mindlin, one the most exciting parts is the potential to reshape how universities engage with the world outside their walls.

“this is about breaking down silos between disciplines, between the university and the field, and between ideas and people who might not normally connect,” she said. “that’s where real transformation happens.”

the partnership also reflects a broader shift: food systems change is no longer seen as the work of a single sector, but as a challenge that requires voices from across fields. programs like this bring together creative minds and provide new perspectives that allow these leaders to see outside the box to create tangible solutions.

editor’s note: this series is brought to you by planet forward’s partnership with the global food institute at gw. we thank gfi for their continued collaboration on food, agriculture, and solutions stories.