India’s Farmers Struggle with Climate Change
Climate change is altering weather patterns around the world and conditions like rainstorms and dry periods are becoming more extreme. These sudden and dramatic shifts are affecting many industries, especially farming. Farmers in the Asian nation of India have been especially hard hit. Too Much Rain, Too Little Weather in the southern regions of India […]
French Farmers Halt Protests After Government Promises Changes
French farmers had been protesting for weeks to bring about reforms in the agricultural industry. They finally received several promises of change from the government on Thursday, February 1, 2024. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced plans to help the farmers and meet their demands. This led to the French farmers’ unions calling for an end […]
The Pima Canals: A Solution for Modern Water Problems in the Southwest
As early as the 1600s, Spanish missionaries considered the Pima people in southern Arizona as the gardeners of the dry American Southwest. The Pima used canals dug by their ancestors to water their fields of wheat, corn, beans, and fruit trees. That is, until American settlers upstream diverted the water of the Gila River, which […]
ICARDA Helps Farmers Worldwide Keep Crops Growing
Wheat farmers in the United States can have their entire crop wiped out by a pest. In Morocco, drought conditions have made growing food difficult. Extreme weather in Ethiopia has resulted in challenges meeting the food demands of the country’s population. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, or ICARDA for short, […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
A Complete Count? Last week, btw took a look at the 2020 Census, why it is so important, and why some populations – particularly undocumented immigrants – may be reluctant to respond to it. But this is not the only group that is historically undercounted: for example, the Census Bureau estimates that more than 1.5 […]
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Responding to Tragedy Last week, btw brought you the story of dual mass shootings that occurred within less than a day of each other in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and left at least 31 people dead. Gun safety advocates had hoped that the twin tragedies would spark renewed interest in gun safety legislation, […]
Farmers in Danger
Lately, the issue of suicide has been in the news a lot, with the unexpected deaths of chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade making headlines. But while celebrity deaths gain attention, suicide is quietly on the rise among another group as well: American farmers. Here, btw takes a closer look at this heartbreaking […]
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Puerto Rican Aid Continues Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that as of January 31, it would no longer be sending aid to Puerto Rico. Ever since Hurricane Maria devastated the island four months ago, FEMA has provided essential food, water, medicine, and other supplies. In fact, FEMA estimates that it has […]
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Heads-up Displays: Safety Measure or Distraction? As technology continues to evolve at increasingly higher rates, especially in automobiles, safety advocates struggle to keep up. Many luxury automakers, including Audi, Jaguar and Chevrolet have begun offering a “head’s up display” as part of luxury car option packages. This feature projects basic information usually found on a […]