How China’s mountain farmers are coping with climate change

Rural communities, often led by women, are using seed banks and traditional techniques to boost local crop diversity and food security by: Miaomiao Qi, China Dialogue Among the dry, terraced fields of Wangjinzhuang in Shexian county, nestled in Hebei’s Taihang mountains, Liu Yurong shows us the 20 local varieties of beans she grows on her family’s land. Beans are the main source of protein here, she explains, because the climate has always been too dry and harsh to raise livestock. Liu Yurong’s family also grows food crops of millet, corn and vegetables, and cash crops of peppers, medicinal plants and