It is around five in the morning, and the Imataca Forest Reserve is stirring with the voices of Kariña women. They advance towards the middle of the jungle, bound for the Botanamo river to gather the day’s water. Then, these indigenous women will prepare “casabe”, a circular tortilla made from...

In this video, we demonstrate how to make and use a fermented fertiliser known as fish hydrolysate. This fertiliser is rich in microbes that promotes soil fertility and plant health and can boost crop yields. It is easy to make from widely available low-cost ingredients.      

For a group of women in the Tosagua district of Ecuador, close to the country’s Pacific coast, daily life used to follow the pattern of many farming communities, caring for families, crops and livestock. But for the last five years, the 127 members of the Association of Community Women of...

Across Latin America, there are eight agroecology schools established by La Via Campesina, the world’s largest peasant movement, and the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations (CLOC). Better known as the Latin American Agroecological Institutes (IALAs), these educational institutes are situated in Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Colombia....

Agricultural management has a great influence on biodiversity and its services in agroecosystems. In Europe, a relevant proportion of biodiversity is dependent on low-input agriculture. To assess the effects of agricultural management on biodiversity, in this study we surveyed the communities of arable plants, diurnal flying insects, and pollinators in...

Food security, food safety and access to healthy food in Europe are all attainable, but not under the current food system. The industrialisation, hyper-globalisation and monopolisation that underpin the current system make it a self-defeating structure, driving deforestation, species extinction, health crises, soil depletion and climate breakdown. These characteristics also...

This situation paper is a background document that summarizes the diversity, complexity, and relevance of tenure systems, rights, and the institutional management of inland fisheries in India. The paper is prepared on the occasion of the ICSF Workshop on Improving Inland Fisheries Governance in India, held at Seva Kendra, Kolkata,...

In this video, we demonstrate how to make and use a fermented fertiliser known as 'cow fertiliser' made from cow dung and urine. This fertiliser is rich in microbes that promotes soil fertility and plant health and can boost crop yields. It is easy and cheap to make.  

Developing countries — especially least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) — face huge challenges in financing their current climate and nature needs. The borrowing space of LDCs and SIDS is already significantly constrained by debt, and the 70% of climate finance provided as loans to developing...

‘The twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 5F crisis (food, feed, fuel, fertilizer and finance) have shown up structural weaknesses and the low levels of resilience in our agrifood systems. In conjunction with climate change and conflict, these crises are significantly derailing progress towards the achievement of the...

This Annual Report outlines FAO's key achievements and case studies on animal production and health. Throughout 2022, FAO focused on promoting sustainable and resilient livestock production systems while addressing a growing demand for animal-derived food products. During the year, the Organization implemented strategies to tackle animal diseases, reduce antimicrobial resistance,...

Rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) are planted on 65,545 hectares in Colombia (Minagricultura, 2021). Since September 2020, unusual leaf spots were observed on mature leaves of rubber trees (clones RRIM 600 and FX 3864), in three plantations in the Eastern Plains region. The regular spots (usually 1–3 per leaf) were up...

This brief has been produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in collaboration with the Global Dairy Platform (GDP) and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and with the financial support of the New Zealand Government. The FAO was approached by GDP...

ORGIIS Ghana, also, Organisation for Indigenous Initiatives and Sustainability, is a local non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) in the Upper East Region. The organisation is on a mission to empower people using local knowledge to create sustainable communities through indigenous and endogenous development. Its strategic location in Paga allows the organisation...

In this video, we demonstrate how to make and use a rich compost in just 18 days using the ‘hot composting’ method developed by the University of California, Berkeley.

Sustainable, ecological approaches to European farming, the heart of the European Green Deal, are needed to safeguard food supplies for EU citizens and protect the long-term livelihoods of rural communities. The emergence of more support for organic systems as a form of agro-ecological production can help address these policy challenges...

The Caribbean Strategy for Climate-Resilient Forests and Rural Livelihoods matches prioritised forestry initiatives for vertical and horizontal scaling with suitable funding streams. It also identifies possible regional and national partners for project development and execution. While the strategy is focused on forest resources management, it also emphasises poverty alleviation and...

This paper reflects on the concept of the Plantationocene through an analysis of sugarcane plantations in Guangxi province, China. It argues that although these plantations are owned and operated by local villagers, they are de facto controlled by corporations, and subject to state intervention through a ‘zoning scheme’. They are constructed and...

Objetivo y metodología de la investigación El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos: i) Evaluar el contenido de Arsénico (As) y Cadmio (Cd) en suelos agrícolas del área de estudio determinando su concentración química y ii) predecir la distribución espacial de As y Cd a través de la técnica de tomografías de...

Ce dessin illustre les débats scientifiques et politiques entre les « land sparers » (économiseurs de terre) et les « land sharers » (partageurs de terre). Les land sparers ont construit un modèle théorique qui crée une relation entre biodiversité et rendement, reposant sur l’idée selon laquelle la concentration d’une...