Climate change has had a massive impact on the world, from melting ice caps to sea level rise and extreme weather. In North Carolina, perhaps the clearest example is seen in videos of homes on the Outer Banks collapsing into the water. In Rodanthe alone, seven homes have fallen into the ocean in the last four years.
Perhaps less obvious is the damaging effect on agriculture. While food production is still increasing globally year over year, thanks to new farming technology, climate change is slowing the rate of growth. It's an existential problem as the world’s population is expected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050.
Meanwhile, extreme weather in North Carolina has led to 65% of North Carolina counties having suffered agricultural losses. Due to economic pressure and damaging weather events, between 2017 and 2022, North Carolina lost 3,601 farms, translating to over 302,000 acres of farmland no longer in use, according to WRAL.
As a result, some farmers are looking for innovative solutions, including “regenerative farming.” It’s a practice that aims to create sustainable agriculture through reducing fertilizer use, “no-till” farming, or using cover crops like clover to rebuild healthy soil, for example.
One local farmer has broken records through his regenerative farming techniques. In 2022 Russell Hedrick produced as many as 459 bushels per acre of corn on his Catawba County farm — much more than the national average of 177.3 bushels per acre.
During NPR’s ongoing Climate Solutions Week, we look at how farms in the Carolinas are adapting to a changing world through climate-friendly agriculture.
GUESTS:
Russell Hendrick, farmer in Catawba County practicing regenerative agriculture and co-owner of Soil Regen, a company that consults farmers on sustainable agriculture
Lee Holcomb, assistant state conservationist of field operations for the North Carolina USDA
Zachary Turner, WFAE climate reporter
