In 2024 I set out on a year-long road trip across the rural United States searching for how researchers and farmers are finding climate solutions to secure the future of our delicate food system.

Samuel Jesse tends to the NASA funded Mars Lunar inflatable greenhouse lab at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center in Tuscon, Arizona.

A tomato grown in the hydroponic greenhouse currently utilized aboard the International Space Station. The CEAC is working to improve the system for better yields.

Researcher Jose Olaf Valencia Islas tends to tomatoes in an experimental greenhouse that ultizies artificial intelligence to use resources more efficiently.

A researcher adjusts a tomato plant in an experimental greenhouse in Arizona.

A cow’s body is seen on cattle grazing land in Arizona.

Cows consume a mix of hay and seaweed to minimize methane production at the experimental organic dairy at Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment in Maine.

A researcher records the tomato yield from an experimental greenhouse utilizing artificial intelligence in Arizona

Bushels of apples are transported to the Apple House processing plant in Pateros, Washington.

Pink Oyster mushrooms grown on organic substrate are harvested at Mighty Cap Mushrooms in San Luis Obispo, California.

Mighty Cap Mushrooms aims to employ sustainable farming practices into their growing business.

Farmers gave away 300 dozen eggs in response to rising egg prices as the avian flu continues to disrupt food supply chains.

Christa Barfield, owner of the largest Black-woman owned regenerative organic produce farm in America, hands out free cartons of eggs amid the avian flu crisis.

Hydroponic root structures of lettuce are checked for mold in an experimental greenhouse in Arizona.

Graduate students remove trays of lettuce to inspect for leaf burn which indicates the success of their prototype air flow system.

Bushcels of apples are stacked alongside orchards in Washington.

Hundreds of thousands of pistachio trees grow in Bowie, Arizona.

A Nutrien Ag Solutions nurse trailer containing pesticides is seen in a citrus orchard in California.

Chris Anderson explains his efficient water wicking raised garden bed design that helps eliminate wasteful runoff, evaporation and gophers. The tubes are filled with coco peat, soil, compost and sand.

A sensor is rigged to monitor tomato plants. The data will be interpreted by artificial intelligence for maximum yield.

Artichokes grow in the Coachella Valley. The region is an important agricultural hub for the entire United States.

Strawberry plants grow in the Coachella Valley.

Water runoff from flood irrigation pools by crops in the Coachella Valley.