Farms

Solutions

How Community Members Shuttered a Backyard Slaughterhouse in a Small, Black Community

Why focusing on zoning regulations and inclusivity is a path forward for activists.

Farms•6 min read

Solutions

How Food Justice is Made: Stories and Solutions

Four communities found solutions for the slaughterhouses in their neighborhoods.

Farms•1 min read

Solutions

How a North Carolina Farmer is Moving Toward a Sustainable Future

Once a contract chicken farmer, Tom Lim is farming his way out of debt with greens and mushrooms.

Farms•8 min read

Explainer

What the Slow Food Movement Is — and Whether It’s Actually Better for People and the Planet

The global movement is against factory farming — and is also against one of its potential solutions.

Farms•7 min read

Explainer

Are CSAs Worth It? Community-Supported Agriculture, Explained

CSAs offer some food system benefits — but are they practical and accessible?

Farms•8 min read

Explainer

Organic Farming: What It Is — and Isn’t — Explained

‘Organic’ is better for animals — but not necessarily more environmentally friendly or healthy.

Farms•7 min read

Investigation

Homesteading Is a Viral Trend, but ‘Butchery Gone Awry’ Is Its Dark Side

A growing number of backyard farmers confess they have no idea what they’re doing.

Farms•6 min read

Perspective

Does Veganism Kill More Animals? The Argument, Decoded

One popular defense of a meat-heavy diet is the “crop death” argument, but does the evidence actually stack up?

Farms•6 min read

Reported

Hot? Hungry? Step Inside These Food Forests.

In cities like Tucson, Arizona, neighbors are planting trees to provide shade — and food.

Farms•7 min read

Sentient’s Most-Read Stories of 2023

Our most-read stories and biggest shout-outs from the year

Farms•1 min read

Reported

The Future of Lab-Grown Meat? In the Netherlands, It’s Locally Grown.

A new Dutch public-private partnership brings together cultivated meat companies with farmers.

Farms•8 min read

Explainer

What Food Justice Is and Why It Matters, Explained

The food justice movement seeks to create a fair and sustainable food system.

Farms•9 min read

Explainer

What Monoculture Farming Is, and Why It Matters

Monoculture impacts our food system and environment — but most people have only a vague idea what it entails.

Farms•10 min read

Explainer

What Does the FDA Do? 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ensures the country's food, medical and cosmetic products are safe.

Farms•9 min read

Perspective

Indigenous Voices for Saving Animals and Earth

Indigenous Voices for Saving Animals and Earth is a series of essays from Indigenous peoples illuminating perspectives on the past and future.

Farms•1 min read

Perspective

How Opting Out of Meat Can Restore Mauri – Life Essence – in Aotearoa  

Grass-roots activists and larger Māori organizations are working to introduce and restore "te ao Māori" at a national government level.

Farms•4 min read

Perspective

How the Bison Became a Being of Decolonization 

Tens of millions of bison once roamed North America until ranchers decimated their numbers. But today, Indigenous-led projects are restoring the bison and their ecosystems.

Farms•5 min read

Perspective

The Fascinating Plant-based History of the Diné People

Often called Navajo, the Diné people were best known for herding sheep. Yet this Indigenous tribe originally ate a plant-rich diet of crops like beans, corn and squash.

Farms•7 min read

Explainer

What Is Sustainable Agriculture?

Sustainable agriculture prioritizes natural resources and healthy soils but because the label is not well-regulated, any farm can call itself "sustainable."

Farms•10 min read

Explainer

What Is Agroecology?

Agroecology relies on traditional Indigenous farming knowledge to make farming more sustainable.

Farms•6 min read

Explainer

What Is Grazing?

In animal agriculture, grazing is the practice of allowing animals to roam across land. Grazing allows animals to behave naturally but it also comes with many environmental downsides.

Farms•8 min read

Explainer

What Is a Food System?

Food systems refer to different ways societies organize the production and distribution of food. While some types put a strain on the planet, others have a smaller impact.

Farms•8 min read

Explainer

Insect Farming: What Types of Bugs Are Farmed?

Each year, over a trillion insects are farmed for human consumption.

Farms•10 min read

Perspective

We Asked ChatGPT How to Fix Our Food System

What does ChatGPT think about factory farming?

Farms•21 min read

Analysis

Sentient Media’s 2022 Year in Review

Top posts from 2022 and more.

Farms•7 min read

Reported

Please Don’t Gift a Cow for the Holidays, Advocates Say

A growing chorus of animal advocates and researchers argue farm animal gifts cause more harm than good.

Farms•4 min read

Explainer

Commercial Fishing: What You Need to Know

The global commercial fishing industry is valued at $150 billion per year. Here's why it's wrecking the planet.

Farms•12 min read

Reported

How Senegalese Fish End Up in Factory Farms

Exploiting wild fisheries for animal feed disturbs marine ecosystems, drives food insecurity and supplies an industry responsible for massive environmental pollution.

Farms•7 min read

Explainer

Could Veganism Solve World Hunger?

Increasing adoption of vegan diets and curbing food waste are two powerful ways to combat world hunger

Farms•8 min read

Reported

From Meat to Plant-Based, One Factory at a Time

Finland's Meeat Food Tech is accelerating food system change by converting existing meat facilities into plant-based protein factories.

Farms•9 min read

Investigation

Here’s What Happens Behind Closed Doors at an Intensive Goat Dairy

A new undercover investigation by Animal Justice Project shows how goats are treated on a large dairy farm.

Farms•5 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Podcast: The Need for A More Humane Food System With Vox Staff Writer Kenny Torrella

In this episode, Vox staff writer Kenny Torrella discusses celebrity fails, when plant-based food tastes bad, and what a perfect future might look like.

Farms•43 min read

Conversations

Sentient Spotlight: Cristian and Ariana Rubén of i Film Heroes

Check out the first interview from our new series, Sentient Media Spotlight, that celebrates people making a profound impact in their communities.

Farms•6 min read

Reported

Supermarkets Step in to Rescue Britain’s Pig Farms

British supermarkets are pouring millions of pounds into the UK’s beleaguered pig farming sector. Experts fear it may only make the problem worse.

Farms•6 min read

Reported

New Food Strategy Could Be ‘Massive Win’ for UK Farmers and Animals

A new national strategy hopes to modernize the UK's food system by encouraging animal farmers to transition to more sustainable farming methods.

Farms•5 min read

Reported

‘Food Over Feed’: War in Ukraine Highlights Need for Dietary Change

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has caused the price of animal feed to skyrocket, intensifying food insecurity in much of the global south.

Farms•5 min read

Reported

Dairy in the Americas: How Colonialism Left Its Mark on the Continent

The first cows arrived on the continent with Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. For many, milk is as much a drink as it is a symbol of their…

Farms•9 min read

Perspective

What Would Happen if the U.S. Banned Factory Farming?

Meat, dairy, and eggs are woven into the fabric of American life and have been for as long as most will remember. But that, too, can change.

Farms•8 min read

Reported

Cory Booker: ‘Climate Movement Doesn’t Talk Enough About Food’

Sen. Cory Booker wants to end the uncontrolled expansion of factory farming in the U.S., and he's looking to the climate movement for help.

Farms•2 min read

Reported

Spanish Politician Sparks Fierce Debate Over Future of Factory Farming

Alberto Garzón recently called out his nation’s factory farming industry for being unsustainable. The criticisms were long overdue.

Farms•3 min read

Perspective

Why It’s So Hard to Prevent Disease Outbreaks on Factory Farms

It's almost impossible to keep a factory farm free of disease. Culling doesn't always work. Antibiotics have their own host of problems, and vaccines do too.

Farms•4 min read

Explainer

Animal Rights Activists: Who They Are and What They Do

An animal rights activist is a person who seeks to reduce non-human animal suffering. Want to learn more about animal rights activism? We've got you covered.

Farms•9 min read