Confronted with major difficulties but also with solutions for the future, family farms, far from being actors at the end of the road whose death we would be foretold, are an inherent part of truly sustainable development. The ambition of this annual barometer is to take a step back and take...

Kampong Cham, Cambodia – One hundred fifty kilometers from Phnom Penh is the village of Sambo Village Sambo Village in Sopheas Commune, Steung Trong District, Cambodia. Most of the villagers grow paddy and cassava for a living. Additionally, they also grow a few bushes of lemongrass for family consumption. Seeing the...

The campaign #17Reasons2Coop aims at promoting agri-food and forest cooperatives as a critical tool to design tomorrow’s agriculture. Since the beginning of their existence and at each stage of their growth, by responding to farmers’ needs, agri-cooperatives have been pursuing the objective of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Sustainability is...

The video "Agroecologia é Vida" is an accomplishment of the Centro Sabiá organization and provides information about the importance of agroecology and the advantages of producing and consuming agroecological food. The video uses the technique of the graphical report, and brings results from the "Agroecology Study in the Semi-arid of...

Our planet is on the brink of environmental collapse, and hunger is on the rise. According to the 2018 State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report, the number of people affected by malnourishment and chronic deprivation is climbing for the third consecutive year: 821 million persons suffered from undernourishment...

LinkedIn Op-ed on the future of organic farming in the EU

The development of rural areas and livelihoods in an integrated way will be the focus of a new FAO project beginning this week in North Macedonia. The project was launched in an event in Skopje today, organized by FAO and the Macedonian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy (MAFWE) and...

The members of the Mediterranean network of Local and Solidarity -based Partnerships for Agroecology (MedNet) came up with a Vision during its 2nd meeting, held in Thessaloniki in November 2018. This was the result of an intensive maturation process. Several “Common Training Framework Editing Workshops” were conducted, in different locations. The first workshop,...

In this new three part series we present an analysis by Dr. Andrea Beste on the similarities, differences and synergies between the organic, agroecological and regenerative farming movements.  Part two here outlines the history and current status of agroecology. A German version of the entire series is also available below....

Kampong Thom, Cambodia – Born from a farming family in Panha Chy Village, Tbaung Krampeu Commune, Santuk District, Kampong Thom, But Sovann graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Prek Leap School in Phnom Penh. Wearing a smile as he looks at the dug fish ponds, he says, “We...

Behavioural sciences are increasingly informing policy-making, including agricultural policies. Their unique contribution to policy lies in the first-hand evidence they provide regarding how people think and behave. For the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to be a success, it is necessary to understand farmers' decision-making and viewpoints beyond...

O  Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento firmará acordo de cooperação com a Organização das Nações Unidas para Alimentação e Agricultura (FAO) para estimular a cadeia produtiva de chás, óleos e plantas medicinais e aromáticas. A informação foi dada nesta terça-feira (12) pelo secretário de Agricultura Familiar e Cooperativismo do...

The paper shows that “accumulation from below” at local level is being driven by off-farm incomes and participation in Maragra Estate, thus accelerating social differentiation. As highlighted by earlier studies in agrarian political economy, the intrusion of capital has also established distinct classes, namely; the “poor”, “middle” and “rich” based...

Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia – Kraing Leav Commune, Rolea Pa’ear District, Kampong Chhnang has an unfortunate farmer history under the French Colonial in 1925 during the uprising against Resident Badez due to the oppression of farmers for their inability to pay tax on paddy fields. To this day, residents of Kraing...

Sustainable small farmers should be put at the core of EU agricultural policy, according to a new paper released today by the Nyeleni Europe and Central Asia Platform for Food Sovereignty. The strongly documented publication comes ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee in early April,...

Agricultural expansion is the greatest driver of the loss of nature and its biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. In Africa, this is primarily the expansion of food crops to meet growth in domestic food demand. Further losses are inevitable before the situation stabilises. But they could be greatly reduced by...

This technology describes the introduction of ridge sowing, Farm Yard Manure (FYM), and multi-cropping and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for okra, sunflower, and sugarcane production in the Ghotki district in Pakistan. It provides also a cost-benefit analysis of this improved farming practice compared to the traditional practice. The main...

These Guidelines on Sustainable Rangeland Management in Sub-Saharan Africa come at a critical moment. Rangelands are under growing pressure from land degradation as well as crop and urban land expansion, among other threats. Moreover, the capacity of rangelands to sustainably supply markets will be tested over the coming decade as the global and regional demand for...

This publication is based on research carried out by a team working on agroecology transitions. This work is supported by the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience of Coventry University (CAWR) and the AgroEcology Fund. Between 2014 and 2018, FAO’s global dialogue on agroecology has brought together more than 1400 participants...

Drawing from extant literature on institution-building processes and emancipation through entrepreneurship, the author conducts an ethnographic study among rural farmers in Western Cameroon to inquire whether marginalized individuals can succeed to change institutions within their communities and what strategies they might devise to do so.