Tag Archive for: Agroecology

Agroecological Practices Are Widely Used by African Farmers

Agroecology is a body of knowledge, practices and political movements that aims to support transformation of food and agricultural systems to long-term social and environmental sustainability. African farmers face multiple challenges, and agroecology has been proposed as contributing to solutions and hence is being supported and promoted on the continent. However, the viability of agroecological practices for African farmers has been questioned.
The project that produced the results in this paper was set up to understand more about the viability of agroecological practices at farm and household level, identifying the lockins and drivers of use of agroecology and paying particular attention to labour and work. A case study approach was used, with 11 cases across eight countries from Tunisia to Madagascar contributing evidence. A common framework was used in all cases but with adaptation of details to local contexts. After two years collecting data, case-study and coordinating teams met in December 2022 to look at results and plan detailed analyses.

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Farmers’ Seeds: The Key to Agroecology

We’re thrilled to announce the final episode of ‘THE LAST SEED’ film, “Farmers’ Seeds: The Key to Agroecology.” This production is a result of a partnership between the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Biowatch South Africa, and PELUM Tanzania.

This compelling documentary takes a deep dive into the world of farming, agriculture, and most importantly, the critical role of seeds. Through a diverse set of voices, including farmers, consumers, and agricultural experts, the film emphasizes the role of seeds as the basis of life and sustainable agriculture.

The film opens with a powerful quote, “They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.” encapsulating the resilience inherent in farmers’ seeds. The film underscores the importance of farmer-managed seed systems, highlighting their crucial role in sustainable, agroecological practices. It celebrates the resilience of these seeds that have nourished communities over generations. The film stresses that preserving indigenous seeds extends beyond ensuring a food supply—it also includes protecting our environment and maintaining a vital relationship between earth and its inhabitants. One of the core messages conveyed throughout the film is the rejection of the colonization of African food policies, agricultural practices, and governance. Instead, the documentary proposes agroecology—a sustainable approach to farming that embraces farmer-managed seed systems. By empowering farmers to take control of their seeds, agroecology represents a departure from dependency on corporate entities. A fundamental tenet of the film is the importance of diversity and how it can help us transition towards a more sustainable, agroecological approach. By encouraging farmers to experiment with diversifying their crops, we can increase the productivity of the entire farm, not just one crop.

This idea forms the crux of a key message in the film: agroecology is about increasing the productivity of the whole farm. Agroecology prioritizes farmers’ empowerment, enabling them to make informed decisions based on local conditions. It reduces reliance on external seed sources as farmers can cultivate and improve their seeds through observation, testing, and adaptation. Each seed thus becomes a knowledge reservoir, integrating years of information about the environment and enhancing resilience.

The film also highlights the fragility of the industrial seed system, drawing attention to its vulnerability when faced with adverse conditions. In contrast, the seeds from a farmer-managed seed system demonstrate their ability to thrive and adapt, reflecting their close alignment with the local ecosystem. It becomes clear that agroecology, rooted in traditional knowledge and sustainable practices, outperforms industrial agriculture on multiple fronts.

Ultimately, “Farmers’ Seeds: The Key to Agroecology” argues that transitioning towards agroecology may be a challenging endeavor, but it is by no means unattainable. It is a rallying cry for everyone – farmers, consumers, and policymakers – to put our minds and hearts into supporting sustainable agricultural practices. We invite you to join us on this eye-opening journey into the world of agroecology. Let’s explore the power of seeds, the resilience of nature, and the potential of farmer-managed seed systems. By embracing agroecology, we can cultivate a future where sustainable farming and food sovereignty are the norm.

Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Farming Leads for Yields, Livelihoods, and Health

pioneering new study analyzing the costs and benefits of different farming systems gives new evidence to support agroecological natural farming as a key approach to help feed communities and transition farmers to nature-positive outcomes in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This first-of-its-kind research, led by impact data and analytics provider GIST Impact and supported by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, used True Cost Accounting methods to compare the major economic, social, and health impacts of natural farming with the three existing and still dominant farming systems in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh – tribal farming, rainfed dryland agriculture, and chemically-intensive farming in the delta region.

The study shows that farms using natural inputs achieved equal or higher yields compared to the other farming systems – on average, these farms saw an 11% increase in yields – while maintaining higher crop diversity.

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Book Launch, Stories Of Change: Agroecology As Climate Adaptation Approach In Africa

As our world grapples with the profound implications of the climate crisis, the challenges faced by local African communities resonate with particular urgency. The climate crisis strikes at the very heart of these communities, destabilizing their fundamental pillars of existence – agriculture and food systems. The situation is grim, and the stakes are high. We stand at a critical juncture where we are called to reflect, reassess and respond.

Today, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is proud to launch a new book titled “Stories of Change: Agroecology as Climate Adaptation Approach”. This crucial work is a compilation of 12 powerful stories from 9 African countries, shedding light on how they are promoting agroecology as a viable, sustainable response to the climate crisis.

Throughout the continent, climate change’s effects have led to volatile food prices, diminished incomes, and a decrease in agriculture production by up to 50%.

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‘The Seed Struggle In Africa’: A Groundbreaking Film Exposing The Threat To Food Sovereignty

Together with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Biowatch South Africa, and PELUM Tanzania, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation has publicly launched a new groundbreaking documentary film called THE LAST SEED. AFSA is happy to announce that the first clip from the film, entitled “The Seed Struggle in Africa” is now available to the public. We hope that this film will inspire change in advocating for food sovereignty and brings to light the urgent, pivotal issues facing African farmers today.

Through the lens of this film, we delve into a reality often overlooked – the struggle for control over the bedrock and source of agriculture, the seed. The freedom to feed oneself, the power to decide what grows on our farms and gardens, what we eat on our plate and the assurance of having food to feed our family are more than just basic rights – they are the epitome of true freedom. Yet, this is the freedom that is being threatened today.

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Call for Contributions: Policies for Agroecology to Support Healthy and Just Food Systems

How policies matter for agroecology

Agroecology has continued to gain momentum and recognition for its transformative potential to respond to today’s crises and to achieve food sovereignty. There is a growing evidence base about the impact of agroecology, and incidental policy support. Yet there are still many systemic barriers that prevent agroecology from achieving its potential in transformations towards more just and sustainable food systems.

Food systems are complex, and policies influencing them exist at multiple levels (local, national, regional, international) and in different domains. These include access to land and tenure regulations, seed laws, food safety regulations, water use mechanisms, market development, trade rules, state programs for rural women or youth, and regulations regarding social organization, among many other things. They also address community processes, ways of interacting and customary law. Policies are not only state-led. People’s agroecological processes or indigenous governance are equally meaningful forms of policy co-creation.

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Regenerative, Organic and Agroecology: What’s the difference?

Regenerative, organic, agroecological. You might encounter all of these terms in the search for ‘sustainably’ grown food (there’s another!). This word soup is a great sign that lots of farming communities are experimenting to find a better way, but as a consumer, it can be pretty confusing.

Here’s a quick guide to each term, to help you make sense of labels, and separate the green from the greenwash.

What is organic farming?

Organic farming first arose in the 1940s, as a reaction against the industrialisation of agriculture. These days, it’s got a strict legal definition, and to call your produce “organic” you must be certified. In the UK, most organic goods are certified by the Soil Association or OF&G – just look for their stamps on the label.

Above all, organic farming is about nature: protecting it, enhancing it, and working in harmony with rather than fighting against it.

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La agroecología es una forma diferente de pensar la ruralidad, con vida en los campos

Se puede producir sin agroquímicos con rindes similares al modelo agropecuario actual y a costos mucho más bajos para las y los productores. Se puede producir con un modelo más diversificado, no monocultivo, e integrarlo a la ganadería para generar más trabajo y arraigo en el campo. Se puede recuperar la biodiversidad de los suelos y retener carbono, bien preciado en tiempos de discursos sobre el cambio climático. El modelo es la agroecología. En el Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) lo saben porque, desde 2010, el ingeniero agrónomo Martín Zamora realiza estudios en la Chacra Experimental-Barrow, en la localidad bonaerense de Tres Arroyos, comparando el modelo agroecológico con el modelo de la “revolución verde” —siembra directa más paquete de agroquímicos— y acompaña a unos 50 productores en transición. “Veo lo que hace mi vecino con la siembra directa y los insumos y me parece insostenible”, le dicen los productores que ya dieron el paso hacia la agroecología.

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Grassroots Solutions to the Global Food Crisis

In 2008, numerous experts -– from peasants to policy  makers – warned of a “perfect storm” of crises in the industrial food system. Our movements had already been raising the alarm about growing corporate control, financialization of food, resource grabbing, economic injustice, and destruction of the territories of small-scale food producers by large scale commodity agriculture, deeply dependant on fossil fuels and other mined inputs. Fifteen years later we see that crises are a recurrent phenomenon in the capitalist food system. Intensifying environmental impacts, resource wars and conflicts, rising debt, structural injustices and inequalities are compounding the effects on our peoples.

Food sovereignty remains our answer to the food crisis. Now more than ever our communities and countries need to focus on agroecological food production. As this edition shows, we have a multitude of praxis and political proposals for solutions, but we need to build our power to fight the extractive and profit driven corporations from overtaking our food system.

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La agroecología debe abrirse a otras dimensiones del cambio

Después de su última edición en 2021 en formato telemático, el Congreso Internacional de Agroecología, un evento muy consolidado y que supera el ámbito académico, retoma la presencialidad en un momento en el que, como dijo Ana Pinto ―del colectivo de jornaleras de Huelva― en una de las mesas, parece que hay más investigaciones sobre campesinado que campesinado. En el Estado español asistimos a momentos muy duros para los proyectos agroecológicos y vemos cómo cierran incluso algunos que han sido referente durante años, tanto de producción como de consumo. A esto se suman los efectos ya evidentes de la crisis climática sobre la agricultura, la incertidumbre sobre los precios de la energía y de las materias primas y la crisis alimentaria.

«La inseguridad alimentaria ya está en Europa, no es algo del futuro. La crisis energética en Reino Unido ha provocado que muchas personas no coman porque priorizan sus recursos para la energía», denuncia Michel Pimbert, profesor de la Universidad de Coventry.

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Tag Archive for: Agroecology

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