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.
(Radha’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.) Women farmers, like Radha, are disproportionately […]
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A sharing on the crucial role that beneficial insects play in ecosystems and alternative pest management. Presented by entomologist Anoop Kumar during a Regional Farmers Learning Exchange Program organised by PAN Asia Pacific at the Thanal Agroecology Centre in Kerala, India last November 2022.
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I choose seeds that grow into strong plants, with no disease. The crop varieties that result are much more resilient to droughts and flood.
Sudha Chechi is a remarkable woman who has defied traditional gender roles to become a rural woman leader and manager of Thanal’s Agroecology Centre in Kerala, India. Sudha’s journey began at the age of 19. As is customary in many parts of India, she became a homemaker in the early days of her marriage. “My […]
