Throughout history, the ‘milpa’ has been the basis of Mesoamerican agriculture. The milpa is an agroecological practice where maize (Zea mays), edible gourds (Cucurbita spp), and beans (Phaseolus spp) are intercropped in association with woody, medicinal, and fodder plants, as well as fruit trees. Maize is more than a crop...

Ending hunger and other goals where FAO plays an active role are part of a globally agreed agenda for the next 15 years. It was only natural, then, for FAO’s representative in Kazakhstan to take part in a recent tree-planting ceremony designed to draw public attention to those goals. To raise...

Seeking to gain a better understanding of the role that agroecology can play in eradicating hunger and malnutrition, FAO organized the Multistakeholder Consultation on agroecology for Asia and the Pacific, held in Bangkok, Thailand on 24-26 November 2015. FAO acted as a facilitator to enable debates and foster collaboration among...

Greening the economy and improving air quality for a better environment and human health were two main themes of the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference, held 8-10 June in Batumi, Georgia. Participating countries also emphasized agriculture, forest management, water and food as key focus issues contributing to a “Green...

The present paper is the product of research on cooperatives in Georgia carried out by Elkana from August to October 2016 in the framework of the AGROinform-led IFAD-funded project “Promoting inclusive horticultural value chains in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Moldova” The goal of the research is to provide valuable information...

Биологизация земледелия в России имеет давнюю историю. Первые идеи научной биологизации можно найти в трудах А. Т. Болотова (1738-1833 гг.) — основоположника отечественной агро­номической науки. Развивая свое хозяйство в имении Дворяниново Тульской губернии, он придавал решающее значение новым куль­турам и севооборотам. В 1771 г. вышла в свет одна из основных...

The video covers the stories of five young, agroecological producers in Costa Rica. Covering issues from traditional knowledge, efficiency, recycling, local economies and others, the video tells the stories of how agroecology is a viable and sustainable way to produce food and how young people can engage and lead small-holder...

La publicación del Anuario de 2016 de UPA, con el lema, “Agricultura y mundo rural: experiencias locales en un mundo global”, es una gran ocasión para reflexionar sobre las relaciones entre la globalización de los mercados y el mantenimiento de las producciones locales. La globalización es cada vez más constatable...

  Farmers in Koutiala, a district in Southern Mali grow cereals to feed their families and keep cows for milk and as a form of savings. There, all the arable land is currently under cultivation. During the four months of the rainy season, farmers prioritise the cultivation of cereals over fodder...

Although family farms are found in great numbers all over Romania, they are found in their highest numbers, and in the most typical traditional small-scale farmed landscapes, in the northern and Central parts of Romania. This smallholding-based production has persisted, especially in Romanian mountain and upland regions. However, livestock numbers...

The International Network of Community Supported Agriculture Newsletter

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a direct relationship between consumers and farmers which can contribute to a better food system. This relationship enables consumers to obtain local, healthy, often organic food produced with care and joy and helps farmers to sustain themselves and take care of the landscape, preserve the...

The primary obstacle to sustainable food security is an economic model and thought system, embodied in industrial agriculture, that views life in disassociated parts, obscuring the destructive impact this approach has on humans, natural resources, and the environment. Industrial agriculture is characterized by waste, pollution, and inefficiency, and is a...

Internet connectivity has become vital to modern agriculture. Farmers and cooperatives across the EU have called on the European Commission to increase the penetration of broadband into rural and isolated farming areas. One of the main objectives of Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is achieving a balanced territorial development through the...

Tropical fruits, beverage crops, sugar and raw materials contribute significantly to the economies of many developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries (LDCs), as a major source of livelihood and income for millions of rural smallholders. In 2014, the value of world production of these commodities was estimated at USD 255...

A importância das cultivares locais, tradicionais ou crioulas vem sendo cada vez mais reconhecida em aspectos relacionados a riqueza do patrimônio genético, preservação da biodiversidade na agroecologia, a partir da Política Nacional de Agroecologia e Produção Orgânica (PNAPO). Muitas delas também apresentam características de rusticidade e adaptabilidade, resultando na conjugação...

El presente estudio aporta un marco analítico que describe las principales barreras a la inversión y financiación agropecuaria, las cuales se pueden agregar en la gestión de riesgos financieros, de producción, mercadeo, climáticos e institucionales, y en modelos de negocio que reduzcan costos de transacción para brindar de manera viable...

Farmers are learning to prepare and cope with climatic variations by observing, learning and interacting with farmers and researchers. Science Field Shops in Indonesia are serving as a response to climate change, facilitating this process successfully.

There is no debate that eliminating hunger worldwide is one of humanity’s greatest challenges in the 21   st century. However, there are radically divergent visions for how to achieve this goal. Many people equate “feeding the world” with the need to produce more food. Yet this simplistic analysis ignores fundamental facts about world hunger. In fact, the mandate...

Osório (RS) – O Brasil é o país da diversificação de povos, de culturas, de territórios, de sistemas de produção da agricultura familiar. Esta é uma das características das Caravanas Agroecológicas que a ANA organiza: mostrar as diferentes realidades do país, seus conflitos e suas vitórias diante do agronegócio e...