Agriculture

Japan has long harvested a shrub called mitsumata for its money supply. But when mitsumata started dying out, Japan frantically searched for alternatives to make yen.

It took California a century to produce a pistachio harvest. Now, it's the world's top supplier. But as the Dubai chocolate trend fuels demand, and California droughts intensify, growers are fighting to keep up.

Yuzu has been trending in the United States for a few years now. Michelin-starred chefs, craft breweries, and foodies across the country pay a premium for the hard-to-find fruit. All the while, in Japan, yuzu has been a staple for centuries.

Oil wells from the Dutch colonial era lie scattered across Indonesia, polluting the earth and destroying locals' chances at making a living off anything but oil. We visited the workers who risk their lives daily to survive off the little oil that's left.