Journalist covering climate/environment, human rights & more for @grist @natgeo @nytimes @meduza_en & others. Californian at large. Я говорю по-русски. She/her
A life/career update: next week I’m moving to Kyrgyzstan on a @FulbrightPrgrm grant, studying the impacts of climate change on water & agriculture. I’ll be spending most of this year in this beautiful country and can’t wait to get started! 1/
In my first piece for The Baffler, I traveled to Ukraine to report on the growing power of agribusiness. More than four years into Russia's full-scale invasion, farmers, activists & academics are raising the alarm about the transformation of farmland:
Ukraine’s rise as a major agricultural exporter was due, in part, to land consolidation by large corporations. @DKruzman reports on how this is accelerating as the government leans into agribusiness as a vehicle for rebuilding the war-torn country.
https://t.co/FCwgiJkqln
NEW: Amid a countrywide mental health crisis and facing a lack of formal care, some in Ukraine are turning to the amanita mushroom, reports @dkruzman for @newlinesmag. https://t.co/6KzCLDoWQE
"People were turning to amanita out of a lack of other options, in a country where millions face the stress and anxiety of waiting for the next drone strike or to get a phone call informing them a loved one has been killed." @dkruzman reports from Ukraine. https://t.co/6KzCLDoWQE
In recent years, more and more veg growers have been allowing cattle to graze their properties in a bid to improve soil health. But what about other livestock, like bison and goats - could their hooves also be beneficial?
@DKruzman takes a look:
https://t.co/9AIeLiRuo5
All indications are that a novel method of pulling nitrogen from the air could revolutionize fertilizer production. But farmers worry it's too good to be true.
New from @DKruzman:
https://t.co/ddgwQBCDUD
Watch: @erinclarebrown examines how some Ukrainians are increasingly microdosing the “fly-killer” mushroom to cope with the trauma and stress of the ongoing Russian invasion.
https://t.co/52djo6Yftd
Applications are now open for grants from the Kim Wall Memorial Fund! Honoring the legacy of Kim’s journalism, this fund provides women and non-binary reporters with funding to tell stories of subcultures, broadly defined. Apply by December 7: https://t.co/huLnad9FG2
“Far from belonging to the distant past, the Aral Sea is the site of countless choices in our present: what kinds of economies we prioritize, what forms of nature we value and what we want our future to look like.”
@dkruzman reports for @newlinesmag.
https://t.co/894w6fpcs0
Global coffee production is under threat from disease and climate change. Here in the U.S. we're also likely to see prices spike as tariff fallout continues.
But what if we grew our own, in Florida? New from @DKruzman:
https://t.co/H4XrwPp9v1
After January's devastating wildfires in LA, images of "miracle homes" that survived the flames circulated around social media. But what does it actually mean to build a more fire-resilient home? My latest for @insideclimate:
What if the minerals we need for clean energy didn’t require us to perform mining? Researchers are finding lithium in wastewater, nickel in plants, and even valuable metals in seawater — a cleaner future may lie in unexpected places. https://t.co/ts5Zf0qKmF
Cloud seeding is a decades-old scientific method of forcing clouds to release precipitation at will. But because of chemtrails and other conspiracy theories, legislators have proposed criminalizing the practice.
New from @DKruzman:
https://t.co/BFIiYrJ86B
It’s an honor to receive this award in the memory of Kim Wall and to be in the company of incredible journalists like @ARaquelCarvalho! Thank you to the @IWMF for believing in me & my project. I’m excited to share updates from my reporting in Nevada soon ✨
We're thrilled to announce our 2025 Kim Wall Memorial Fund grantees: @DKruzman and @ARaquelCarvalho! Following in Kim's footsteps, Diana and Raquel will pursue stories that bring awareness to injustice in unseen communities. Learn more: https://t.co/NkD79KIzJ9
New Central Asia environment coverage from me: for @meduzaproject, I wrote about the region's melting glaciers, and the scientists training the next generation of researchers to track them. Thanks as always @EilishHart and @SamBreazeale2 for editing! https://t.co/hK41O6Vrdi
NEW: Scientists are making serious progress on growing crops without sunlight/photosynthesis. If successful, the initiative could upend vertical farming.
@DKruzman has more:
https://t.co/VAq3i1Lcey
I don't often do immigration reporting, but last year I discovered a story that no one else was telling. Multiple asylum seekers from Russia & Central Asia reported being kept in detention for unclear “national security” reasons in the last 7 months of the Biden administration.
Farmers are seeing great results from spreading rock dust all over their fields. What are "great results", you ask? Guess you'll have to read the article!
New from @DKruzman: https://t.co/7S5khW3t15
A nonprofit group in Zimbabwe is working with local people to document and raise awareness of ancient rock art made by the San people before it disappears. https://t.co/xNUVZOj9u9