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.
Traditional farming in the Philippines is organic by default and relies on bayanihan, where the farmers organize themselves to work together and share in the labor and resources to grow food. Farmers had agency and control over their production resources. With secure tenure over their land, they could feed themselves their families and communities safe […]
Agroecology recognizes the broader context within which the problem of food insecurity plays out–a world where the economic, social, and political rights of the urban poor are neglected, where their agency and power over their lives are persistently undermined. Agroecology is necessary in the creation of the food gardens, given its grounding in the specific […]
This animated short shines a bright light on how fragile and unjust so many of our interconnected global systems are. This video focuses on genetically modified (GM, also known as GMO) seeds and the story of their global impacts. For years now, pesticide industry giants have peddled their genetically engineered technology kits: modified seeds and […]
PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) and its partners across the globe conducted the 16 Days of Global Action on Agroecology 2020, with the theme “Fight for Food Systems Change!”, as rural peoples confront the challenges of the hunger crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 16 Days of Global Action on Agroecology is an annual […]
PANAP’s teaser video for 16 Days of Global Action on Agroecology 2019! Join the youth all over the world as they March On for Agroecology and Food Sovereignty!
Women lead the way by showing that in replacing Highly Hazardous Pesticides with agroecology, a pesticide-free world is possible! With support of the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) and Sida – Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete
PAN Asia Pacific has been spearheading a grassroots-empowered pesticide risk reduction project to astounding success in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and China. Here are some the key lessons we learned, as we move towards a #PesticidesFreeWorld: Awareness campaigns convinced governments to support farmers’ markets Farmers’ networks were created through capacity building and community organising Public awareness […]
The 2017 “16 Days of Global Action on Land and Resources” with the theme “Advanced Food Sovereignty and Agroecology! Promote Youth’s Participation in Agriculture!” was participated in by 23 organisations from 9 countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa.
In the villages of Samrong Tong, district of Kampong Speu province, Cambodia, women vegetable farmers are at the forefront of promoting agroecology. In this short documentary, watch how the Women Organic Vegetable Producer Group, with the support of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC), are able to improve their health and […]
