This week’s edition of our solutions journalism project, the Upside, looks at agricultural accomplishments and meets a chicken named Sweet Pea

Ideas to fix farming, and how to have an eco-friendly death

The headlines about the state of farming around the world tell a troubling story. Unsustainable agriculture is using up our precious fresh water, adding to greenhouse gas emissions, degrading large swathes of fertile soil and wiping out our birds, insects and wildlife at alarming rates.

So this week, some tales of hope from the farm – plus how to have an environmentally friendly death.

The urban Flanders area of Belgium is more famous for its motorways than meadows. But its metropolitan residents are embracing a new form of agriculture that is reconnecting them with their food, Jennifer Rankin reports. This “farm-to-fork” model reduces many of the problems associated with modern industrial food production.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Koen Tierens on his farm in Kampenhout, Flanders. Photograph: Jennifer Rankin/The Guardian

Poultry farming is big business, with an estimated 33m eggs and 2.2m chickens consumed in the UK each day. About 95% of those chickens are intensively farmed, and hens are slaughtered at 18 months when they no longer produce as many eggs. Maeve Shearlaw met the chicken Sweet Pea and friends at a remarkable project that is saving 50,000 hens a year from the chop.

Play Video 1:40 How half a million hens were saved from slaughter – video

In other news, we’re all going to die – eventually. The number of us dying globally each year is on the rise as a natural consequence of population growth, and dealing with all our mortal remains is starting to put a strain on the planet. In Amsterdam, Senay Boztas found out how to have an environmentally friendly death.

What we liked:

Back on the farming theme, we enjoyed this National Geographic piece on how simple but ingenious new greenhouses are revitalising agriculture in a drought-prone region of India. And this CityLab piece highlights Barcelona’s controversial approach to tackling its affordable housing shortage.

What we heard:

If you choose a vegan lifestyle, the demand for meat and dairy will reduce, thus massively reducing the number of animals kept in appalling conditions on factory farms. Hens have the highest rate of slaughter worldwide. Cramped horrific conditions whilst egg laying, only seeing daylight on the day of their death. Sarah Marc commenting on Facebook about our chicken video

Where was the upside?

It was in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, where a theatre is providing space for artists to channel their hopes and fears for their troubled country.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A performance by the puppet cabaret group Tsesho at the Dakh theatre in Kiev. Photograph: Eugenia Lulko

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If there is a story, innovation or trailblazer you think we should report on, write to us at theupside@theguardian.com