Water is one of the most scarce resources for African farmers. Access to enough water in semi-arid regions is a huge challenge and shortages can lead to the loss of lives and livelihoods in times of drought. With climate change, water conservation will only become more imperative. Ethiopia has one...

Seeds of Sovereignty shares the stories of African communities embarking on a journey to revive their traditional seed diversity, and take back control over their food systems. Forging a path toward a socially just, ecologically sane and sovereign future, they are courageously challenging the corporate, profit driven model of agriculture...

Article sur la création d'un cadre d’échanges pour la mise en application des pratiques et systèmes agroécologiques : le ReBPA, Réseau Béninois pour la Promotion de l’Agroécologie, à la suite d'un cycle d’apprentissage, organisé en septembre 2013 par Agrisud, pour la mise en œuvre et la diffusion de systèmes et pratiques agroécologiques à...

Oliver De Schutter speaks about sustainable food systems at a conference in Wageningen, the Netherlands. “Agroecology is really common sense. It means understanding how nature works, to replicate the natural workings of nature on farms in order to reduce dependency on external inputs. Agroecology preserves the ability for future generations...

On the occasion of the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF), this number drew attention to the important role of family farming and the key challenges and priorities for the future. Find out the differences, and the different programs and activities on family farming all over the world. This and much...

This film examines a cooperative of the Brazilian Landless Movement (MST) in the South of Brazil, which struggled for access to land and then transitioned to ecological agriculture, or agroecology. This MST cooperative is demonstrating the possibility of an alternative model of flourishing rural life, which provides thriving livelihoods for...

Case studies of best practices from: Lithuania, Belarus and Russian Federation

Este documento recoge los resultados de los grupos de investigación de la Escuela Territorial y Agroecológica Manuel Quintín Lame. Durante un año los escuelantes participaron de esta iniciativa coordinada por el Grupo Semillas y las organizaciones del Sur del Tolima FICAT, ACIT, Utritol, Manos de Mujer-Coyaima y Asociación Futuro con...

Agro-ecology applies ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that globally, more than 800 million people worldwide are undernourished. Shockingly, half of these are small-scale farmers and their families, for whom a failed harvest due to drought, or...

Poverty and vulnerability combine in a vicious circle for many family farmers. To break that and turn it into a virtuous cycle, resilience must be built into farming and the systems in which farmers operate. There is an urgent need for a change in mindset regarding family farming, agriculture and...

Présentation de la ferme école BENKADI BUGU près de Ségou au Mali. Un environnement social et commercial sur 10 ha. Chaque année, 20 jeunes ruraux, garçons et filles,  participent et acquièrent un enseignement en agroécologie en alternance qu’ils appliquent en même temps sur leur propre parcelle. De plus, les apprenants...

La vinaza, subproducto orgánico líquido de la fabricación del pisco, es catalogada en Chile como desecho industrial, generándose la necesidad de lograr su reclasificación y promover su uso como biofertilizante. Para esto, se propusieron tres experimentos entre los años 2010 y 2012, con el objetivo de definir dosis que no...

The most important agricultural systems such as Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Saffron farming systems are irrigated by Qanat. The geographical regions around the Central Desert of Iran which is also one of the most traditional agricultural areas have been using the Qanat technology for providing water for agriculture and human consumption...

FAO held, with the support of France, the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Foreign Office of Agriculture of Switzerland, the International Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition at its headquarters in Rome on 18 and 19 September 2014 and a side-event on the Symposium during COAG on 30...

Le programme s’inscrit  dans le cadre de l’initiative de l’Union Européenne visant à accélérer l’atteinte de l’Objectif du Millénaire pour le Développement (OMD) 1c, « réduire de moitié, d’ici 2015, la proportion de la population vivant dans l’extrême pauvreté et souffrant de la faim ».  Il est coordonné par la...

Pastor John Kamara, Musaia, Koinadugu Province, Sierra Leone.Through the narrative of his life, Pastor Kamara tells the story of the development and improvement of honey business in Sierra Leone. From the struggle to make a living collecting honey in the traditional way to the success of producing raw honey with...

Given the importance of the sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture, and the critical role of biodiversity and ecosystems in sustainable intensification of agricultural production, this publication addresses these issues, and by doing so also contributes to furthering the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Programme of...

In a context of a changing climate and growing concerns for more healthy food systems, agroecology is gaining momentum as a scientific discipline, sustainable farming approach and social movement. There is growing anecdotal and case study evidence of its multiple benefits, from climate resilience to farm productivity. Yet its promotion...

On 24-25 November 2014, Farmers, Agencies of the Government, Civil Society and International Organizations came together to define a roadmap that will institutionalise incentives for farm families through specific policies and programs from all the stakeholders. 

Documentaries on the Best Practices in Rural Development carried out by young farmers that have been granted support under EU Rural development policies.