Marketplace All-in-One What the World’s Farmers Can Teach Us About Climate Resilience
Oct 29, 2025
Somini Sengupta, an international climate correspondent for The New York Times, shares insights from her extensive reporting on how farmers adapt to climate challenges worldwide. She highlights innovative practices like drought-resistant crops and agroforestry, showcasing how smallholder farmers can teach lessons to larger industrial farms. Sengupta addresses the complexities of regenerative agriculture and discusses the critical issue of food access amidst global hunger. The conversation urges listeners to consider practical dietary changes to lessen environmental impact.
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Malawi Farmer's Diet And Crop Shift
- Somini Sengupta recounts meeting Judith Harry in Malawi who shifted from corn and tobacco to pigeon peas as rains grew unreliable.
- Judith adopted legumes to shade soil, fix nitrogen, and protect crops from frequent droughts and extreme rains.
Monocropping Concentrates Climate Risk
- Sengupta explains monocropping concentrates risk when climate hits major producers like Brazil and Vietnam simultaneously.
- Diversifying crops and regions reduces systemic vulnerability in a warming world.
Rice Faces Extreme Weather Swings
- Rice production faces swings of drought, heat, and untimely floods that destroy entire harvests in major producing countries.
- Farmers respond by shifting planting schedules and testing flood-tolerant seed varieties.