Goats were household members in Europe from ancient times until recently. And goats are still important on family farms in tropical countries, because goats will eat almost anything you give them, including plants that are too dry and tough for pigs, cattle and even sheep. Goats turn waste into milk....

Alors que la paysannerie représente 65 à 70 % de la population en Afrique de l'Ouest, comment sortir les petits producteurs de l’extrême vulnérabilité ? Ibrahima Coulibaly, paysan malien et président du Roppa ainsi que l’économiste togolais Kako Nubukpo, commissaire à l’Agriculture de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine, nous partagent leurs points...

En Afrique de l’Ouest, comme partout dans le monde, les agricultrices et agriculteurs sont les premiers à observer les effets du changement climatique dans leurs exploitations. Pour faire face aux aléas grandissants de la météo, l'intensification écologique et l’agro-écologie sont devenues des alternatives incontournables pour améliorer et rendre l’agriculture plus résiliente.  Martine...

Si aujourd'hui on parle d’agroécologie, c'est grâce aux savoirs et pratiques des femmes rurales dans l'agriculture vivrière. Leur refuser le droit d’accès à la terre au profit de l’agrobusiness sonne le glas de notre santé environnementale et de notre souveraineté alimentaire. Comment préserver les savoir-faire ancestraux tout en les adaptant aux...

Agroecology and organ agriculture present promising alternatives to the current food system, supported by a growing body of evidence. Despite the potential of AE/O, their full benefits cannot be realised in most countries due to political and institutional barriers and lock-ins, including incentives and funding that favour “business as usual”...

Agroecology is identified as an important solution to increase the sustainability of agricultural and food systems. Despite the increasing number of publications assessing the socio-economic outcomes of agroecology, very few studies have consolidated the scattered results obtained on various case studies. This paper provides new insights by consolidating evidence on...

Farmer-managed seed systems and the conservation of agrobiodiversity are increasingly recognized as important components of food and seed sovereignty. In contrast, hybrid, genetically modified (GM), and, increasingly, gene-edited crops continue to be promoted by Green Revolution proponents as a “climate smart” package that includes fertilizers, pesticides, purchased seeds, and links...

Les effets positifs de l’agroécologie dans le domaine agro-environnemental (santé des sols,biodiversité, lutte contre la crise climatique, non-contamination de l’environnement) sont souventmis en avant. Ils s’accompagnent d’effets positifs tout aussi importants dans le domainesocio-économique, comme en témoignent de nombreuses études réalisées dans divers pays duSud, dont plusieurs par des organisations...

The natural forest in southwest Ethiopia is progressively modified to coffee agroforest. To this effect forest composition and diversity is simplified to local preferred coffee shade trees. Woody plant species that are less managed require the conservation priority in coffee agroforest. The study aims at assessing diversity of plant species, investigating...

Défis Sud cette année publie deux dossiers : l’un consacré aux 60 ans des ONGs belges et l’autre à la souveraineté technologique du monde paysan. À l’occasion du soixantième anniversaire des ONG belges, nous écrivons que la solidarité est « le seul chemin possible pour relever les défis globaux et...

Small-scale organic vegetable farms need strategies to overcome yield, labor, and economic challenges in transitioning to reduced and no-till practices. However, the production tradeoffs associated with different scale-appropriate management practices are not well documented for these operations. We evaluated crop yields, labor, profitability, and soil nutrients over four continuous years...

CGIAR Technical Reporting has been developed in alignment with the CGIAR Technical Reporting Arrangement. This Initiative report (“Type 1” report) constitutes part of the broader CGIAR Technical Report. Each CGIAR Research Initiative submits an annual “Type 1” report, which provides assurance on Initiative-level progress towards End of Initiative outcomes. The CGIAR...

Quelle est la place de l’agroécologie dans les conférences internationales sur la biodiversité, le climat et la désertification ? Comment faire avancer concrètement l’agroécologie lors de ces conférences ? Avec le CARI, Iles de Paix et l’appui du réseau Minka International, Humundi a cherché à répondre à ces questions. Participez au...

Over the last three decades organic food and farming has been growing year by year across the EU and continues doing so. The EU’s organic market is very dynamic with growth rates varying between countries. Policies can positively impact this growth – both production and consumption. In 2022, the EU’s total...

As the G7 agriculture ministers meet in Syracuse in Sicily from September 26 to 28  under Italy’s presidency, the 15th edition of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, Slow Food flagship’s event, will be held in Turin “On the occasion of the meeting of the agriculture ministers of the G7 countries, Slow Food asks...

Over the past two decades, the Mekong region has experienced significant transformation of its agricultural sector from subsistence farming to export crops driven by the expansion of agricultural land and of irrigation, plus intensification thanks to mechanization and the use of chemical inputs. In the context of agrarian transition, maintaining...

Access Agriculture is proud to announce the release of its new book “Young changemakers,” which offers a rich diversity of perspectives and insights from real-life experiences of 42 inspiring teams of youths in Africa and India who are blazing a trail as private extension and advisory service providers promoting agroecology...

Food waste could be made into useful compost, instead of mixing it with plastic and other inorganic trash, as my wife Ana recently explained on a panel discussion on Radio Cepra in Cochabamba. She was invited by a local NGO, Alerta Verde (Green Alert), along with two agronomists who encourage...

Given environmental, economic, and social costs of unilateral chemical and biotechnological interventions to control pests, there is an urgent need to transition towards a knowledge-intensive holistic approach emphasizing agroecosystem design and management. The focus will be on what makes agroecosystems susceptible and vulnerable to insect pests, pathogens and weeds, in...

Highlights: • Young changemakers revolutionise scaling agroecology using video. • CCDB honours Access Agriculture with plaque in appreciation of partnership. • 96 new videos added in March. • Editor's choice of video - Converting chicken waste into fertilizer• Entrepreneurs for Rural Access (ERAs) at work in Cameroon. • Trash to treasure....