Large-scale commercial farming systems that promote genetic engineering of crops, backed by research and development initiatives by agrochemical TNCs is no longer the best choice to feed the world today. According to De Schutter, biodiversity-based ecological agriculture projects “have shown an average crop yield increase of 80 per cent in 57 developing countries.” While biodiversity-based ecological agriculture promises a better alternative to combating hunger and mitigating the effects of climate change, it greatly requires public policies supporting research and development extension services. Private companies such as the agrochemical TNCs will not invest time and money in such ecological practices that will rob them of income from patents and sale of chemical products.Biodiversity-based ecological agriculture is a farming system in harmony with the environment and the community. It involves peasant-led initiatives based on generations of traditional farming that ensure productive and sustainable agricultural production free from the use of hazardous chemicals. Small-scale farming communities in Asia have a wealth of farmer-based wisdom in terms of seed conservation and crop production. All we just need to do now is to recognise these initiatives and let the small food producers feed themselves and the world.
At 31, Tapos Kumar Mondal has already spent more than two decades in farming. A resident of Burigoalini Union’s Abad Chandipur village, he lives with his nine-member family and has transformed their small homestead into an integrated farm producing vegetables, livestock, fish, and vermicompost. Tapos grew up helping his father irrigate fields and plant seedlings. […]
Learn the ecological way to grow productive summer vegetables without chemicals.
PAN International’s Agroecology Workgroup recently published a series of case studies spotlighting agroecology in action around the world. Agroecology provides a robust set of solutions to the ecological, environmental, social, and economic pressures we face when it comes to growing food. These case studies illustrate the validity of agroecology as a climate-resilient solution. Agrichemical corporations […]
We’re advancing our people-led agroecology agenda at COP30, alongside our partners and fellow advocates. Over the past few days, we’ve organized key events highlighting agroecology as a powerful, people-centered climate solution. November 12 PANAP, through our Asian People’s Exchange on Food Sovereignty and Agroecology (APEX), held an official COP30 side event: ”Agroecology as a non-market […]
(Reprinted here with permission from the author.) PAKISTAN’S agriculture sector is both a victim and a driver of climate change. From floods in Sindh to prolonged dry spells in Balochistan, our farming communities are already living on the front lines of a changing climate. Yet, while farmers are paying the price for global warming, agriculture […]
From October 1–16, join the 16 Days of Global Action on Agroecology and stand with farmers, women, youth, and communities across the Globe to demand a #PesticidesFreeWorld and champion #AgroecologyNow. This year’s theme “Hand in Hand for Healthy Futures: Empowering Rural Women & Safeguarding Our Children through Agroecology”, links to the global call to secure […]
It features a compilation of stories of women who are survivors of pesticide poisoning and their journey to agroecology. Despite facing challenges, they have turned their sufferings into determination to reclaim what has been lost: whether it be their health, seeds, traditional knowledge, connection to land and community, or economic security.
Thanal’s book is a collection of inspiring narratives of resilience, innovation, and leadership of women in Kerala, India who have embraced agroecology.
(Reprinted here with permission from the author.) SOIL is our lifeline. It sustains life with a variety of foods, holds and filters water to provide us with clean and safe potable water and maintains ecological balance by storing carbon. But Pakistan has played havoc with its soils. We refused to accept that soil is much […]
(Amirthammal’s story is part of a series of case studies on exceptional women farmers practicing agroecology. This profile is adapted from Stewards of the Fields: Women Farmers Navigating Sustainable Paths: A series of case studies of fifteen women farmers’ experiments with agroecological farming published by MAHILA KISAN ADHIKAAR MANCH.) Amirthammal is a 65-year-old Dalit (Christian) […]
