The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) virtually launched a new booklet, "Taking Agroecology to Scale - Learning from Natural Farming in India," based on a strong working relationship formed with RySS, which resulted in 15 online webinars on scaling natural farming. The booklet summarizes and reflects on the...

La Stratégie de développement du secteur des cultures pour l'Afrique de l'Est 2021-2026 établit une série d'objectifs et d'interventions convenus par les représentants des ministères de l'Agriculture des pays relevant de la juridiction du Bureau sous-régional de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) pour l'Afrique orientale ainsi...

It never ceases to amaze me why it’s so difficult to buy locally produced food that is tasty, seasonal, fresh and chemical-free directly from farmers. Why do government policies and programmes always seem to favour big agro-business and supermarket culture? It’s Thursday. I’m on my way to collect this week’s food...

This study inquires on the outscaling of the microtiller, a machine developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in the 1990s to address the tedious rice land cultivation in the Cordillera highlands of the Philippines. Stakeholders of the project were interviewed, particularly staff members of PhilRice and the Department of Agriculture; representatives...

The Philippines is one of the most climate change-vulnerable countries. Sea level rise, water variability, rain-induced flooding, and landslides are among the observed impacts across municipalities and cities in the country. Cities and urbanizing areas, have been experiencing these impacts, making localized issues of poverty, food insecurity, unemployment, and conflicting land uses, more complex and challenging. Grounded in...

Small farms are a key component of the EU rural economy. In fact, over three quarters of farms in the EU are classified as small with holding sizes below 10 hectares, and a large proportion of these small farms are below five hectares in size. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)...

Selenicereus megalanthus H. is a tropical fruit belonging to the family Cactaceae, is rich in essential nutrients, antioxidants and bioactive components. It presents wide variability in different characteristics and a great demand in the market, however, genetic studies in Colombia are scarce. The main of this study was to characterize...

 In the context of the ‘‘European Green Deal”, the European Commission adopted a comprehensive Farm to Fork Strategy, which recognises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet and aims to address comprehensively the challenges of sustainable food systems.  During the last decades the EU has...

If the world is to transition towards agrifood systems that are more sustainable and equitable, small-scale production systems will be key to progress. Large parts of the world depend on small-scale systems for maintaining food security and nutrition (Lowder, Sánchez and Bertini, 2021; Herrero et al., 2017). Despite this centrality,...

Transformation of the agriculture sector in Africa is at the heart of driving progress towards ending poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Common agricultural policies and practices, and knowledge sharing across the region, supports this aim. Areas of common agricultural policies and practice include support to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme...

Some 30 years ago, eminent anthropologist Paul Richards described the practices of smallholder farmers as a type of performance, similar to theatre or a musical act. Farmers acquire skills and competence through practice, rehearsal and improvisation. I have recently learned that the same applies to the marketing of farm produce....

The COVID-19 pandemic fully exposed the vulnerability of the global agri-food system to shocks and stresses, highlighting the need for transformation and action to make it more resilient and inclusive. This paper offers a unique insight into the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic by examining impacts and responses in...

Forest-based adaptation is an ensemble of climate actions that employ forests and trees in support of climate change adaptation and resilience, including sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration, reforestation and afforestation. Forest-based adaptation can help address the gaps between current adaptation actions and the adaptation needed for reducing climate-related...

MIXED is a project funded by the EU Horizon2020 programme. MIXED will explore the benefits of mixed farming and agroforestry systems (MiFAS) to climate, environment and society in general and support the further development of such systems. MIXED explores different types of MIFAS. The assumption is that MiFAS have the...

A few decades ago, a former US Secretary of Agriculture told farmers they should get big or get out. A glance through agricultural census data since then would appear to show that this is exactly what farmers have done – gotten bigger, and many have had to get out. But...

This flyer presents key facts from the “Soil Atlas of Asia”, the first ever soil atlas for the region and an important tool to promote its sustainable soil management and preserve soil health. By targeting the general public, decisionmakers, politicians, teachers and even scientists in other disciplines, the atlas aims...

Recognising the lack of clarity and therefore consensus on basic terminology, this article attempts to define some common terms used in discussions around gender and labour in fisheries. Towards a common understanding on gender and labour in fisheries, we define some basic terms commonly used when applying a gender lens to...

Documenting and analyzing the development of agroecology in different countries and context is important to enhance up and out-scaling of agroecology at the European level. Based on the AE4EU project (Agroecology for Europe https://www.ae4eu.eu), a mapping of agroecology in Austria and Germany in its different dimensions was achieved to provide...

Welcome to the Agroecology Europe Summer Newsletter 2022 where we share with you our recent actions,  news and upcoming events. On the agenda this summer: The registration is open for the Agroecology Europe Youth Forum, News from Brussels with policy updates, the methodological guide of the OASIS evaluation tool is available,...

On 27 July 2022, in the frame of Biofach 2022, the international organic trade fair and congress, FiBL Europe organised a session related to the European project ALL-Ready to discuss how organic and agroecology can positively influence each other and to understand the role of organic agriculture in the future...