FAO recognizes and re-affirms that CSOs are critical partners across a wide spectrum of activities at the local, national, and international level. The autonomy and independence of CSO's is a central value that is undoubtedly recognized by FAO: CSOs in the region  recognize that, all issues and the policies discussed...

The main objectives of this research were to determine which medicinal plants are culturally most important for the native community of Vencedor as well as testing a new measure of the cultural importance of medicinal plants that can be used outside of this one particular case. Data were collected through...

El proyecto “Qutapiqiña”, implementado desde el 2012 al 2015 por ProgettoMondo MLAL, Soluciones Prácticas y la Asociación Integral San Antonio de Qutapiqiña (AIQ), con el apoyo financiero de la Unión Europea, se orientó a aumentar los ingresos de las familias de las comunidades manejadoras de vicuña del ANMIN Apolobamba y...

 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...

Nguyen Thi Hoi is a woman farmer in the province of Thai Binh, Viet Nam. She is one of many smallholder farmers whose lives have improved thanks to a project implemented by FAO and IPSARD (the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development). Through the local farmers' cooperative, the...

La recuperación de cultivos nativos para elaboración de artesanías es uno de los ejes de trabajo de Mesoamérica Sin Hambre – capítulo Guatemala.En este video se puede observar el apoyo del programa, así como el proceso de manufactura realizado con fibras de maguey por mujeres del área chortí, en Corredor...

Essa primeira edição reúne uma amostra representativa das Boas Práticas que os serviços de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural desenvolvem em todo o país para a diversidade da agricultura familiar orientadas pela Política Nacional de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (Pnater), instituída pela lei número 12.188 de 11 de janeiro...

The outcome document of the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples contains a series of commitments calling for multifaceted action by a range of actors, first and foremost Member States, but also the United Nations system. Among these is a request that the Secretary-General develop a system wide action plan...

Este video forma parte de un módulo de comunicación y capacitación sobre tierras comunales desarrollado en Guatemala para fomentar la participación activa e informada de las comunidades rurales en procesos decisionales relacionados con la tenencia de sus tierras. Este segundo bloque temático presenta conceptos básicos, diferentes categorías y formas de reconocimiento...

An Open Letter by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food highlighting concern over the Regional Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Plant Varieties by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)The letter highlights concern that the Arusha Protocol is inappropriate for the ARIPO region and the non-transparent...

A Unique Sense of Place - the Tarnava Mare area of South-eastern Transylvania is one of the forgotten jewels in Romania's crown. It is one of the Europe's most important natural and cultural landscapes, including some of the finest pristine wildflower rich grasslands – the result of centuries of good...

Only a small number of governments have established meaningful and effective farmer-centred measures for the implementation of access and benefit sharing of genetic resources. One reason is the highly complex nature of the international regulatory system. This special issue of Farming Matters magazine presents practical ways in which access and...

This educational video presents Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) through practical examples and theory. It is illustrated by 4 PGS initiatives: “Nature et Progres” in France, “Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia” in Brazil, “Bryanston Organic and Natural Market” in South Africa and “Sabeto Organic Producers Association” in Fiji. The video is structured...

New information materials (a video and five factsheets) are providing important insight into the Forest and Farm Facility’s (FFF) work at country, regional and global level. The FFF, a partnership comprising FAO, IIED and IUCN hosted by FAO, has developed a model delivery mechanism for multi-stakeholder actors to improve the...

UNESCO and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS-France), in partnership with Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee and Tebtebba, will organize an international conference on indigenous knowledge and climate change. Indigenous peoples, scientists and governments are invited to a transdisciplinary dialogue to better understand the role that indigenous and...

A group of coffee farmers in Turrialba, Costa Rica, is successfully exploring diversification options with horticultural food crops. This is being done in collaboration with two vegetable seed banks that allow family farmers to use varieties freely under the multilateral system of FAO´s International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for...

Food and nutrition insecurity has been a major challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). With land frontier closing, farmers in SSA must intensify and diversify food production to alleviate food and nutrition insecurity. In the face of climate change, African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) can offer opportunities to diversify production systems and...

When Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) struck in November 2013, it severely damaged or destroyed many seaweed facilities, crippling the income of Filipino coastal farmers who relied on this as their main source of livelihood. The Philippines is one of the world’s largest producers of seaweed and initial assessments...

Model Sheep Fold is a good example of how traditional farming methods are supported by technical exper-tise to ensure that the traditional way of life in Romanian villages may be maintained. Solar panels supply the shepherds with electricity for light and for charging their cell phones. This enables the shepards...

Even as many pockets of the state, including its capital, battle the ravages of development and consumerism, a couple of villages visited by the author stand as examples of resilient local economies and lifestyles.  The village is not very old; it all began in 1963 with three families. Nongtraw comprises of...