The Voice of AFSA: Meet Elizabeth Mpofu

This interview was originally published by Agroecology Fund long term partner Alliance for Food Sovereignty Africa (AFSA) for their Voice of AFSA Series and is published here with permission.

Elizabeth Mpofu is a renowned farmer, activist, and global leader in the fight for food sovereignty, agroecology, and rural women’s rights. A practicing organic farmer in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth has dedicated her life to advocating for smallholder farmers, especially women and indigenous communities, ensuring their voices are heard at national, regional, and global levels. She is a founding member and former chairperson of the Zimbabwe Smallholders Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF), an organization representing 19,000 small-scale farmers—13,000 of whom are women—who practice ecological farming. She has also chaired the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) and served on the board of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA). From 2013 to 2021, she served as the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina (LVC), the world’s largest peasant movement.

Elizabeth’s leadership has been widely recognized. In 2016, she was appointed Special Ambassador for Pulses in Africa by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighting her dedication to promoting sustainable, nutritious food systems. In 2017, she founded the African Women’s Collaborative for Healthy Food Systems, bringing together women leaders from across Africa to advance food sovereignty, economic justice, and rural women’s rights. Her work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Inaugural Charlotte Maxeke African Women Leadership Award in 2023 for her outstanding contributions to gender equality and community service. 

Early Life and Education

I was born on December 30, 1959, in South Africa, in Barkwana Hospital. My father was working in South Africa at the time, and he married my mother, who was South African.

When I was five years old, my mother decided to move to what was then Rhodesia, before it became Zimbabwe. After we arrived, we settled in a remote area in Manicaland province, where we had our family farm. Although I was very young, I understood that my mother, being South African, was not allowed to work on the farms. So, in the beginning, we had to assist her on the farm since my father had stayed behind in South Africa for work.

It was a big challenge. We had relatives there, but we couldn’t communicate with them well. They had their own homes, and we also wanted to have our own piece of land. However, it was difficult for my mother to acquire land. But through thick and thin, with the assistance of some of my father’s relatives, we eventually managed to get our own piece of land.

I started school when I was six years old at Marume Primary School in Buhera, Manicaland province. One of the biggest challenges I faced at that time was that I couldn’t speak our mother language, Shona. In South Africa, we spoke other languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, a little bit of Afrikaans, and Sotho. But in Buhera, no one was familiar with these languages. So, I had to try communicating in English, but it took me some time to learn and adapt to Shona, which is the main language spoken in Zimbabwe.

I attended school in Manicaland from grade one to grade five. Then, for grades six and seven, my aunt—my father’s sister—took me to her area in the eastern part of Zimbabwe, where I continued my education. However, I was unable to complete my secondary education due to challenges at home. At times, it was difficult for my parents to afford the school fees for my higher education. Additionally, cultural beliefs played a role—at that time, people believed that girls didn’t need to pursue higher education, while boys were considered the most important members of the family when it came to education.

Family Life and Farming Journey

As a girl, I spent much of my time working with my mother on the farm. Although our farming practices were not entirely agroecological, we still tried to work sustainably, using manure and other natural methods.

I grew up in a family of eight—five girls and three boys. Among us, the girls were the majority, and I was the eldest daughter. However, I had two older brothers. Both of them had the opportunity to pursue secondary and higher education—one became a teacher, while the other joined the war to fight for our country. As you know, Zimbabwe has a history of struggle, and my brother was one of the war veterans who fought for our land.

While my brothers pursued their paths, I stayed home with my mother. My sisters also had the opportunity to go to school; they reached secondary level, and one of them became a teacher. Two of my sisters married before I did. Despite not furthering my education, I was happy to be at home with my mother. She taught me so much about farming, and I developed a deep passion for it. She always explained the importance of producing our own food instead of relying on purchases when we had access to land. This is where I truly learned and developed my love for farming.

I got married in 1982 and had three children—two boys and one girl. Now, I have almost eleven grandchildren. Although they live with their parents, I support them, particularly with their education. As a grandmother, I cannot let my grandchildren struggle—I want to ensure they have a bright future. They live in the surrounding area, about 30 kilometers from Chirumhanzu, but they often visit during the holidays. During these visits, we spend time together on the farm.

After retiring, my father returned to Zimbabwe and worked in Harare for a short period. Eventually, he retired fully, but he became ill and passed away, leaving us with our mother. My mother is still alive today—she is now 93 years old. I am currently staying with her in Shurugwi because she is unwell. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with her and take care of her.

The Beginning of My Journey in Environmental and Food Sovereignty Activism

My journey began in the 1990s while my husband was still working as a police officer. At the time, we were living in Masvingo, in a police camp called Zimuto Camp. In this camp, we had a women’s group called Quezon Women’s Club, a club for the wives of police officers. We formed this club to share ideas and work on small projects to sustain ourselves as women instead of relying solely on our husbands.

One day, we were approached by three individuals who had identified our women’s club. They were from an organization called the Association of Zimbabwe Traditional Environmental Conservationists (AZTREC). The main objective of this organization was to revive cultural norms and values, particularly traditional farming practices, while promoting environmental conservation and respect for Mother Earth.

During one of their visits, I was chosen to represent our women’s club in this organization. I was approached by Nelson Mdzingwa, Mr. Shamu, and Cosmas Gonese, who was the director and founding member of AZTREC. As I attended their meetings and workshops, I was eventually elected as the chairperson of the organization. AZTREC included spirit mediums, chiefs, war veterans, and ordinary people like myself.

This organization taught me so much—about taking care of the environment, how our ancestors managed soil and natural resources sustainably, and how they produced food without using herbicides, chemicals, or synthetic fertilizers. I was truly happy to be part of AZTREC and to learn from its work.

Then, in 2002, during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, our organization, along with others under the PELUM Association, selected a few farmers to attend. I was among those chosen from AZTREC. At this summit, I learned more about activism. We met farmers from different countries who were also activists, and I started to realize: What we are doing now is activism. We are fighting for our rights, for social justice, and for the environment. That experience deepened my interest and commitment to activism.

As a result, I became involved in the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF), which was formed during this period. When we returned to Zimbabwe, we also established ZIMSOFF (Zimbabwe Small Organic Farmers’ Forum), though at the time, we were not yet registered. Our work was rooted in activism—amplifying the voices of the voiceless, advocating for women’s access to land, and filling the gaps that the government was not addressing.

In 2007, ZIMSOFF officially became a registered organization. By then, our activism had become even stronger, focusing on land rights, sustainable farming, and environmental conservation. I continued to lead ZIMSOFF, and in 2008, I was elected chairperson of ESAFF, a position I held until 2011. From there, I continued leading efforts in Zimbabwe and across the region, strengthening small-scale farmers’ voices in policy and advocacy.

My Involvement in La Via Campesina and Global Activism

In 2011, I stepped down as the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Small Organic Farmers’ Forum because our organization had joined the global peasant movement, La Via Campesina, through the Eastern and Southern Africa region. However, becoming a member of this global movement was a process—it took us two years to complete the necessary procedures and requirements.

During this time, we had the opportunity to host members of La Via Campesina, who visited Zimbabwe from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. They came to see our work even before we were officially recognized as members. When they arrived, they were particularly interested in the discussions around the land reform program, as we were deeply involved in reclaiming land. This marked the beginning of our journey with La Via Campesina.

In 2013, I was elected as the General Coordinator of La Via Campesina, representing Africa. This movement is a global peasant movement that fights for food sovereignty, agroecology, and the rights of peasants, including access to land, seeds, and food. I took over the coordination from Indonesia, where the movement had previously been hosted. I served as the General Coordinator from 2013 to 2021, completing my term of office.

During this time, I was also actively involved in advocacy work at the United Nations (UN), especially with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). We represented peasants in high-level meetings across different countries, including Geneva, pushing for the recognition of agroecology and food sovereignty—issues that were not even acknowledged at the UN level at the time.

Through La Via Campesina’s tireless efforts, we played a key role in the development and adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). I was deeply involved in the process, and I was proud to see this declaration finally adopted in New York. This was a historic moment, as it formally recognized the rights of peasants at an international level. Even after completing my term with La Via Campesina, I remain an active activist because this is my passion—this is who I am.

Our activism gained momentum after attending the World Social Forum, where we were encouraged to create our own independent platforms to amplify the voices of farmers. Before, we had no opportunities to attend international conferences or workshops; the secretariats of our organizations were the ones speaking on our behalf. Yet, we were the ones working on the ground, experiencing the real challenges. This realization pushed us to form our own peasant-led organizations, ensuring that farmers could represent themselves in global discussions.

Reflecting on my journey—from where I started to where I am today—feels incredible. It’s a story I want to share, even with my grandchildren, so they understand the struggles and victories that shaped our movement.

In 2016, I was honored to be nominated as a United Nations Special Ambassador for the International Year of Pulses, representing Africa. This made me reflect on what I wanted to achieve beyond my role in La Via Campesina, knowing that my term would eventually come to an end. As a woman, I also recognized the deep connection between women and seeds—the foundation of food sovereignty.

With this vision in mind, I co-founded the African Women Collaborative for Healthy Food Systems, which I am leading today.

Challenges and Achievements in Advocacy for Food Sovereignty

I will focus primarily on Zimbabwe because we were fortunate when it came to land access and land rights. As you know, we fought hard for our land, and this gave us a significant advantage in our advocacy efforts. We did not face major challenges in engaging with the government because we organized dialogues with parliamentarians and presented our concerns. Many of them were supportive of what we were advocating for—particularly regarding access to land. While Zimbabwe had a land reform program, it did not benefit the majority, especially women and young people.

Our main argument was that women need their own land, and young people also require land to build their futures. Fortunately, this was not a major obstacle in Zimbabwe, as these issues were being addressed. In fact, between 20% to 25% of women in Zimbabwe have received land under their own names. I am also among those women who hold land titles in my own name—not under my husband’s name, but my own. My land certificate is registered in my name.

Even though my husband and I worked together on the farm before he passed away in 2019, he always recognized that this was my land. He also had his own piece of land, and we decided to allocate it to our son. Meanwhile, we stayed and developed our land here in Sherwood, Mvuma (correcting possible misspellings: “Shershe in Mershrigo”). Our goal was always to practice sustainable agriculture.

However, in many other African countries, small-scale farmers, especially women and peasants, still struggle to access land. In some places, men still dominate land ownership, making it difficult for women to secure their own land to cultivate. Many African governments are aware of La Via Campesina and the global peasant movement, but challenges remain.

I remember when we were discussing UNDROP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas) before it was adopted. We engaged with African governments in Geneva and New York, and when the time came for voting, Africa voted as a bloc, with the majority supporting UNDROP. To me, this showed that our governments understand its importance and what it stands for.

However, the main challenge is implementation. Not all African governments have started implementing UNDROP, despite being part of the process. We continue to work together to push for its implementation, ensuring that peasant rights, land access, and food sovereignty are respected and upheld.

Joining AFSA and the Push for Agroecology and Food Sovereignty in Africa

Our path to joining AFSA as an organization was driven by our shared commitment to food and seed sovereignty. As a grassroots organization, ZIMSOFF, which advocates for the rights of smallholder farmers, we saw AFSA as a very important platform that enables us to amplify our voices and collaborate with like-minded organizations across Africa.

ZIMSOFF joined AFSA to strengthen our advocacy efforts on key issues such as farmers’ rights to land and seeds and to promote agroecological practices, which we see as the only solution to climate change.

Through AFSA, we have engaged in campaigns and dialogues to address issues that were not being tackled, particularly the barriers to food sovereignty, while ensuring that smallholder farmers’ voices are heard at national, regional, and international levels. Our membership in AFSA has also allowed us to contribute to and benefit from collective action, especially on climate justice and the rights of women and youth in farming communities.

The widespread adoption of agroecology among farmers is about promoting sustainable farming practices that help communities increase their resilience to climate change while enhancing food security and nutrition. We know that these aspects have been lacking because of the industrial farming systems that have been promoted.

We have seen that soils are no longer able to produce enough food due to these industrial systems. This is why we are strongly advocating for agroecological farming across Africa.

One of the key achievements I do not want to leave out is the lobbying of governments—particularly to recognize and support agroecology. Right now, in Zimbabwe, agroecology is in the hands of policymakers. This is very important to us because it shows that grassroots movements can drive systematic change.

I am very proud—proud of myself and of my organization—for the role we have played in empowering farmers to speak for themselves, both nationally and internationally. AFSA has given us the space to amplify the voices of the voiceless, including small-scale farmers, indigenous people, and small fisherfolk.

Being able to engage directly with decision-makers—especially in spaces where we were previously excluded—is a huge accomplishment. This has helped us ensure that our needs and priorities are being addressed. These accomplishments also reflect the power of collective action and the resilience of our farming communities.

Reclaiming the Right to Produce and Decide What We Eat

Food sovereignty is about having the power to decide what we eat and how we produce it. No one should come and tell us, “You must produce maize.” Is maize our staple food? No.

Africa has a diversity of food crops, which our ancestors have been cultivating for generations. But because of colonization, we were made to believe that maize is the only staple food. As a result, we have abandoned our own traditional crops.

But true food sovereignty means embracing our own diverse food crops and rejecting imposed food systems.

Africa Can Feed Itself

I want people to understand something very important about Africa: Africa is a rich and diverse continent, blessed with an abundance of natural resources. We have fertile lands, vast water bodies, and a favorable climate for agriculture.

Yes, we face climate change and systemic inequities, but African agriculture holds immense potential. We must reject the narrative that Africa is hungry. The idea that millions of Africans are hungry is their own narrative—it is not our reality.

The truth is, Africa can feed itself. This is the message I want people outside Africa to understand. And it is a message that our young people must also recognize.

Right now, we are aware of debates about new farming technologies, where people want to introduce IT-based farming solutions. But we know what we want and how we want to produce food.

We are not rejecting technology, but we understand its role. Our youth can use IT and digital tools to help farmers—especially in areas like market access. But we must ensure that technology serves the people, not controls them.

Strengthening Agroecology Movements Across Africa

For agroecology to succeed, civil society organizations in Africa must unite. Many African governments prioritize industrial farming because it serves the interests of multinational corporations.

These governments undermine agroecology and local food systems, even though they know where they come from—they grew up eating food from these very systems. But due to greed, they are allowing multinational corporations to dictate policies.

This is why agroecology movements in Africa must not work in isolation. We must unite under AFSA—not divide ourselves into AFSA West Africa or AFSA Southern Africa. No, we need one AFSA, a strong and unified network that represents us at all levels.

One major challenge is convincing farmers to transition from conventional farming to agroecology. The problem is misinformation, particularly from media houses, which spread the false narrative that agroecology cannot feed the world.

This is a bad narrative, and the media plays a role in reinforcing it because they do not engage with the farmers on the ground. Instead, they promote industrial agriculture without understanding agroecology’s real potential.

To African governments, my message is clear: Work closely with civil society organizations and small-scale farmers. When policies are being formulated, we must be included in the decision-making process. If we are left out, then no one will advocate for agroecology. Many policies are being created without consulting the people who actually produce food. This must change. Governments must engage with farmers at every level. We know what we want. We know how to feed our people. Africa can and must feed itself.

Message to African Youth

Working with young people is a big challenge because many of them want quick money and a quick life.

Through La Via Campesina and many other organizations, we have managed to establish youth platforms where they can have their own space to articulate their issues. We advise them on how to address their challenges, bring their thoughts to the elders, and find solutions together, particularly regarding food production and marketing.

Many young people think that farming is not important, but we try to show them the reality—that food is important for everyone, young and old. Money is on the ground. You cannot just rely on working for someone, thinking, “I will wear a white shirt, a tie, and a jacket.”

No, no, no

Young people must understand that they should work for themselves and create their own jobs. Farming is also a business—you can create jobs in agriculture and earn a lot of money. There are markets waiting for farmers’ products, but if young people refuse to produce, how will they ever have enough resources?

They must work hard, come together, share their challenges, and develop strategies to move forward.

This is the only advice I can give to young people. I know that not all those who have degrees are working. In Africa, we have so many educated young people who are just roaming around without jobs. If we do not build their capacity, advise them, and encourage them to take an interest in farming, then we are failing them as a generation.

I urge all young people in Africa to stand up, work together, and find strategies to fight hunger in Africa. They are the generation we are looking to—the ones who must create a healthy world without hunger or unnecessary challenges. 

A message I would like to send to people outside Africa is this: Africa is not just a continent of challenges—Africa is also a continent of solutions.

Farmers across the continent are leading innovative efforts to protect their resources. We are able to feed our communities as Africans, and we are also able to contribute to global sustainability through practices like agroecology.

So, we cannot accept the narrative that Africa cannot feed its people. No.

What I Wish to Be Remembered For 

I want people to remember me as a woman who was committed and dedicated—a woman who cared deeply about the well-being of smallholder farmers, women, and young people.

Even now, as I am at home, I continue to work closely with youth and women, educating them about agroecology and sustainability.

I want to be remembered for my commitment to the sustainability of our country and our continent.

The Agroecology Fund is proud to know Elizabeth and to support the inspiring work of African Women’s Collaborative for Healthy Food Systems. If you’re interested in learning more about this work or how to fund this work, reach out to Daniel Moss, Co-Director, at daniel@agroecologyfund.org.

Driving Agroecology and Climate Advocacy Through Participatory Research: IPA-Global Grants

The Agroecology Fund (AEF) is thrilled to announce the first IPA-Global initiative round of grants (IPA means “Investigación Participativa en Agroecología” or Participatory Research on Agroecology), aimed at strengthening advocacy and participatory research for resilient food systems. This grant call, “Strengthening Climate Resilience by Scaling Up Agroecology: Collaborative Research and Advocacy to Advance Food Systems Transformation,” focuses on empowering civil society organizations and social movements to champion agroecology as a key climate solution. Thanks to the Waverley Street Foundation’s funding, 22 grants, with awards of up to USD 190,000, will support collaborative initiatives for up to 24 months on four continents. Additional grants will be made next year and in subsequent years.

Research for Policy Changes and Food Systems Transformation

IPA-Global seeks to catalyze change by supporting multi-stakeholder collaborations, which bring together farmers’ organizations, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, academics, and climate justice networks. By combining grassroots activism with participatory research, these collaborations will craft and implement advocacy strategies that elevate agroecology to the forefront of climate policies. In many instances, there is close collaboration with governments, from local to national. This initiative continues the highly successful IPA-LAC initiative (focused on participatory action research in Latin America and the Caribbean). It offers a crucial next step in scaling advocacy for agroecology and climate solutions across new regions.

By aligning advocacy and participatory research, collaborative initiatives will shape and influence multi-level policies—national, regional, and international—while also influencing sub-national policies. Key focus areas of the initiatives include policy advocacy to adapt to and mitigate climate change via agroecological practices and Indigenous knowledge, such as seed and biodiversity conservation and reducing agrochemical input dependency. The initiative also underscores the inclusion of youth and gender perspectives in agroecological transitions. 

Selected collaborations will explore critical questions such as: What policy opportunities exist to scale agroecology in each region or country? What changes are needed to create an enabling environment for resilient food systems? 

Advocacy campaigns will be supported to bolster creative communication strategies, including visual media, workshops, and interactive learning exchanges. New tools, such as agroecological curricula and observatories on public policies and socio-environmental conflicts, will also be developed. The data generated will be translated into actionable communications products such as policy briefs, reports, and multimedia content aimed at influencing policymakers and civil society alike. 

 IPA-Global Learning Community 

The Agroecology Fund has invited awarded collaborations to join the IPA-Global Learning Community, which promotes the co-creation of a cross-learning agenda amongst collaborators, with inclusivity and diversity as key principles of the learning process. The wide variety of experiences and shared passion for impactful advocacy set the stage for a rich learning opportunity. On Dec 4th, all IPA-Global collaborative partners gathered online to discuss a common agenda for 2025 and the functioning of this Learning Community. 

Advocacy through Participatory Research 

At the heart of the IPA-Global initiative is Participatory Action Research (PAR). This approach involves grassroots communities in identifying research questions that address gaps in public policy and in documenting effective strategies for advancing agroecology and climate justice. The research generated through this initiative will support advocacy efforts to influence national and regional policies, including their effective financing and implementation. It is rare to have the opportunity to conduct advocacy, reflect on lessons about impacts, and adjust strategies accordingly. This inclusive approach fortifies grassroots power, mitigates power imbalances, and strengthens community ownership over advocacy processes. By integrating lived experiences into research, PAR ensures advocacy efforts are credible, legitimate, and impactful, fostering collaboration and trust among diverse stakeholders. PAR generates robust, actionable insights to inform advocacy campaigns and fortifies networks critical for holding governments accountable for advancing agroecology, an intersectional solution increasingly present in national food, climate, and development strategies.

Global Reach and Impact

IPA-Global grants are tailored to organizations and networks working in 12 countries across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and one broad region (the European Union). Funded activities will include research, advocacy campaigns, policy dialogues, and learning exchanges among collaborative networks. By the end of the grant period, the initiatives will deliver research-informed policy recommendations, actionable advocacy roadmaps, and creative and publishable communication outputs, driving agroecology as a transformative climate and food systems solution.

The IPA-Global initiative reflects the Agroecology Fund’s commitment to fostering agroecological research and turning that research into real-world impact. By building bridges between research and advocacy, this initiative will help shape the future of food systems policy at a time when climate action has never been more critical.

IPA-Global Geographic Coverage

IPA-Global Initiatives and Collaboratives’ Lead Organizations

AFRICA

Ethiopia

  • Ethiopian Sustainable Food Systems and Agroecology Consortium (ESFSAC) – “Collaborative Research and Advocacy to Advance Agroecology-Based and Climate-Resilient Food Systems Transformation”

Kenya

  • Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA Kenya) – “Strengthening Climate Resilience by Scaling Up Agroecology: Collaborative Research and Advocacy to Advance Food Systems Transformation”
  • Ogiek Peoples Development Program (OPDP) – “Research and Advocacy to Advance Food Systems Transformation Among Indigenous Hunter-Gatherer and Pastoralist Communities in Kenya”

Nigeria

  • Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) – “Strengthening Climate Resilience Through Agroecology Research and Advocacy”

South Africa

  • Biowatch South Africa – “Strengthening Climate Resilience by Scaling Up Agroecology: Collaborative Research and Advocacy to Advance Food Systems Transformation in South Africa”

Regional: Nigeria, Kenya, Togo, and Uganda

  • Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) – “Connecting Young Agroecologists and Climate Advocates for Transformative Food Systems”
Youth Summit organized by the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), one of the IPA-Global collaborative partners. AFSA’s participatory research initiative focuses on the critical role of youth in policy advocacy for food systems transformation and climate action.

AMERICAS

Argentina

  • Mesa Agroalimentaria Argentina (MAA) – “Territorial Plan for Participatory Research and Policy Advocacy Action”

Brazil

  • Articulação Nacional de Agroecologia (ANA) – “Agroecology Networks Against Climate Change: Action Research From the Ground Up”
  • Via Campesina Brazil – “Resilience in Peasant Territories in Response to Climate Change in the Amazon”

Colombia

  • Corporación Grupo Semillas (CGS) – “Policy Advocacy to Strengthen Agroecology, Agrobiodiversity, Peasant, Family, and Community Agriculture in Response to the Climate Crisis in Colombia”

Mexico

  • Instituto Agroecológico Latinoamericano – México (IALA México) – “Design Territorialized IALA Mexico’s Epistemological and Curricular Approaches as a Tool to Bolster Climate Resilience and Advocacy Efforts and Strengthen Agri-Food Systems”
  • Xilotl Asociación para el Desarrollo Social A.C. (Xilotl) – “Resilient Tlaxcala: Agroecology and Participatory Action Research in Defense of Native Maize for the Transformation of the Food System”

USA

  • National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) – “The Bedrock of Resilient Food Systems”
  • National Black and Food Justice Alliance (NBFJA) – “Agroecology and Black Agrarians: Unsung Climate and Culture Catalysts”
  • MinneAg Network – “Policy Design to Strengthen Agroecology Among Small and Medium-Scale Producers as a Pathway to Climate Resilience”
  • Pesticide Action Network – PAN North America – “Policy Learning From a Multi-Stakeholder Process to Enact a Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Roadmap in California, With Lessons for Other States”

ASIA

India

  • Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) – “Kisan Mitra: Building Policy Ecosystem for Scaling Up Agroecology-Based Food Systems”
  • National Coalition for Natural Farming (NCNF) – “Participatory Action Research for Strengthening and Scaling Agroecological Transitions”

Indonesia

  • Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI) – “Developing Food Sovereignty Areas to Strengthen Climate Resilience Through Collaborative Research on Agroecology Practices and Advocacy on Agroecology-Based Public Policy to Advance Food Systems Transformation”
  • Koalisi Kampus Untuk Demokrasi Papua (KKDP) – “Understanding the Food System Transformation and Resilience Strategy of Indigenous Papua”

Regional: India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, and Thailand

  • Focus on the Global South – “Agroecology and Climate Justice: Strengthening Social Movement Collaborations in Asia”

EUROPE

France

  • Confédération Paysanne – “Survey of Water Management on Small-Scale Farms to Reinforce Advocacy on Sharing of the Commons”

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Empowerment, Community-Connection and Self-Reliance: Women Farmers Transition to Agroecology in India

Agroecology Fund grantee partner, the Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM) and a key network to which it belongs, the Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM, Forum for Women Farmers’ Rights), support women—primarily single women with little or no access to land, and sugarcane workers—to transition to agroecology. This work emphasizes the strengthening of local food and agricultural systems with the use of local seed varieties, no chemical inputs and drawing on women’s knowledge. Since its inception in 1991, SOPPECOM has worked at the intersection of water and rural livelihoods. Since 2015 they have been advocating for women’s land rights and their status in rural Maharashtra, with an emphasis on women from farmer suicide households. Over 557 farmers died by suicide in the first half of 2024 alone in five Maharashtra districts, many by poisoning themselves with agrochemicals. In 2023, nearly 3000 farmers in Maharashtra took their own lives amid worsening financial distress, and more than 100,000 farmer suicides occurred across India in the last decade. Some of the key issues faced by the women left behind by these devastating circumstances include: stigma and social exclusion; lack of land titles and poor access to credit; no incentives to make an exit from the chemical-based farming that led to farm suicides; and increasing indebtedness, especially from local money lenders and micro-finance institutions. 

With grant support from the Agroecology Fund, in 2023 SOPPECOM led more than 200 of these women from across six districts in the Maharashtra state of India to transition into agroecology and away from the detrimental industrial model. Chemical intensive agriculture is commonly practiced in these regions, and the main crops cultivated are often grown as monocrops, such as Bt cotton, soybean and pigeon pea. These crops, in addition to being unprofitable and highly vulnerable to climate changes, are not a source of food for these women and their families. The harsh realities of this model have contributed greatly to the farmer suicide epidemic. 

The primary efforts of SOPPECOM’s work in this region for the grant cycle included providing women farmers with seeds and gender-appropriate tools easy for women to use on their own, and training and capacity building to support their sustainable farming practices. One of the most important unplanned components of the work that emerged was the natural formation of collectives among women farmers, where learning and exchange now occurs alongside advocacy for local governmental support. Also, farms have been diversified beyond monocultures to include up to 30 different crop varieties, many of which are now consumed locally. Some women were even able to cultivate enough to sell, which provided them with extra financial stability. 

“By doing this kind of farming, we got to eat and to share. If there is only cotton farming, there is nothing to really share as all of it goes only to the market”. – Anita Tai, farmer 

An early success, this initiative provided communities with the confidence to consider expanding the program to new districts and to deepen engagement in the current areas. It has also fostered leadership skills among women farmers, many of whom have taken on roles as village-level agroecology champions mentoring others to drive agroecological transformations within their communities. 

This collaborative effort set out to challenge both existing social structures (caste, patriarchy, ethnicity) and the corporate-controlled chemical intensive agrarian paradigm. To document these efforts, SOPPECOM and MAKAAM interviewed some of the women participants to share first hand their experiences and knowledge. In Women Farmers Lead the Way, the six part video series below, you’ll hear from a ‘lower caste’ or Dalit woman from Beed who shared her sense of pride when upper caste women asked her about her farm and requested seeds from her; a farm widow who saw respect in the eyes of her father-in-law who once scorned her and blamed her for his son’s suicide; a husband who derided the agroecology model but now respects his wife and joins her in her endeavor; and an Indigenous woman who became so convinced about the potential of agroecology that she increased the area of farming with this approach from half an acre to 12 acres, and then influenced others to do the same. 

This video explores the hardships women face just for being women, and their commitment to challenging the common male-dominated, market-oriented agriculture model by promoting agroecology which has resulted in a diverse, climate resilient, multi-crop farming model.

This is the story of farmer Anita Kubade who shares what it was like to transition from cotton and soy monocropping to vegetable multi cropping, and how that impacted her profitability and food security.

This is the story of Anita Waghmare and other migrant women who work on sugarcane plantations and were able to transition to their own production with support from SOPPECOM.

This is the story of Vaishali Devtale, a widow whose husband died by suicide. She shares how she is now part of a group of women whose production and quality of life has improved as a result of agroecology.

This is the story of Sumitra Jadhav, a widow with five children, who shares how experimenting with agroecology has enabled her to make a living under very difficult circumstances.

This video features the plight of women sugarcane cutters, recorded by them. They share personal stories about the challenges women face working under extremely harsh conditions.

These stories share common themes—empowerment, community connection and self-reliance—all made possible through the cultivation of the community-centric values of growing healthy food outside of the industrial food system. Access to knowledge, tools, and support can be life changing for rural women with little access to capital, land, or ways to make a living on their own. It’s always inspiring to the Agroecology Fund to see how even small investments into grassroots agroecology movements can result in huge impacts on a local level, and even set in motion the mycelial-like growth of community networks required to scale agroecology. Learn more about how  SOPPECOM and MAKAAM are building power in rural communities across India to scale grassroots agroecology movements that advance food security, gender equity, and climate resilience to local communities.

Food Security and Drought Mitigation in India’s Thar Desert

The Thar Desert region of India in the State of Rajasthan is the most densely populated desert ecosystem in the world. This region experiences extreme weather conditions and water scarcity that has severely impacted the lives of the population, who are largely dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry for survival. While perennial droughts have always been an issue that people living in deserts have faced, climate change has manifested in the unpredictability and shifts in the rainy seasons in recent years. Fortunately,  desert peoples’ local ingenuity offers food security solutions despite the drought.

Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS), is a non-governmental organization working in the states of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India, to bring change by pioneering innovative need-based development models and committed partnerships with the Government, non-profits, and community-based organizations (CBOs). GRAVIS strives to raise the standard of living of communities by offering local solutions that blend traditional community knowledge with modern science and are financially viable and sustainable in the long run. 

A Q+A with GRAVIS 

Agroecology Fund had the chance to explore grantee partner GRAVIS’s work a bit more deeply in a recent interview. Learn more about their compelling work in the following Q&A:

How does your work on drought mitigation impact food security? 

Since its inception in 1983, GRAVIS has been working to support marginalized communities by building their capacities to resolve community challenges and enabling them to take charge of their own lives.

The Thar Desert is one of the most challenging climatic zones in the country. Inhabited predominantly by farming communities largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture and related activities, the desert has witnessed recurrent droughts, acute water shortages and food scarcity. Whereas extreme weather conditions are not new to the desert, the occurrence of climate change has aggravated the extremities, making it impossible for communities with limited resources to lead a healthy life with sufficient food, water and nutrition. Extreme variabilities in rains and weather have resulted in reduced ability of farmers from the region to produce sufficient food with land degradation, rapid groundwater depletion and decreased soil quality.

Solutions rooted in nature can restore land as well as resolve issues around natural water storage. GRAVIS’ program strategy focuses on nature-based solutions to improve the living conditions of people in the region and strengthen their ability to respond to recurring droughts and changing climate while safeguarding the biodiversity, improving health outcomes, and bolstering food as well as water security. Simple and low-cost technology is employed effectively to enhance water storage and utility for mitigating negative impacts of droughts. Some of the areas of intervention introduced by GRAVIS include:

Fostering rainwater harvesting systems to enhance water and food security

Community ponds or naadis are surface based rainwater harvesting basins that can store between 700 cubic metres and 40,000 cubic metres of rainwater and provide water for up to eight to 12 months of the year. The revival and maintenance of community-based resources is extremely important to ensure accessibility and availability of water for all residents, including children, women, older persons, and others belonging to the poor and vulnerable sections of the region. In the long run naadis contribute immensely by recharging the groundwater supplies as well as providing water to the livestock for drinking purposes. Considering this, GRAVIS has worked towards desilting of the ponds and building embankments around the ponds to ensure safe and secure storage of water. The naadis have emerged as an important lifeline for the residents and livestock of the Thar and have empowered them to be self-reliant, self-sufficient and climate resilient.

It becomes extremely important to capture rainwater and store it in a clean and safe manner in regions hit by frequent droughts. Taankas or underground water storage tanks are useful, easily constructed, accessible and sustainable storage units that can store up to 25,000 litres of rainwater. A single harvest of rainwater can be stored for as long as four months and the water stored in these units can be used for fulfilling domestic needs of communities. 

The Taankas are built at an elevated level of one foot and are also equipped with a fool-proof locking mechanism to ensure that it is safe from any form of infestation. These units have been extremely useful in ensuring convenient, uninterrupted access to clean water. Built very close to the households of the beneficiaries, women do not have to spend hours of their productive time securing water. Extracting water from Taankas becomes less laborious and less time consuming, enabling women to devote the additional energies and resources towards themselves, their families, and the community. Most importantly, this intervention has also contributed to enhanced household savings, which can be utilised for health care, education and other important priorities. Taankas help ensure water security and quality for households. The chances of contracting water borne diseases has been significantly reduced with the establishment of these structures.

Enhancing food and nutrition security by rejuvenating the barren desert lands:

Relying extensively on traditional knowledge, wisdom and techniques to ensure food and water security, GRAVIS has promoted the construction of khadins or farming dykes. A khadin is a traditional earthen embankment made out of soil at the end of an upland plot of land to prevent water run-off, that serves as a method of collecting water. This method was developed in Jaisalmer hundreds of years ago; however, it continues to be an effective and sustainable method for improving soil moisture. In the absence of adequate and consistent rainfall, khadins serve the dual purpose of retaining moisture from rainfall, however scanty it may be, while also protecting the top layer of soil from run-off water. The technique has restored several barren lands and has transformed them into cultivable lands, paving way for a viable source of livelihoods. 

The construction of khadins has ensured nutritional security, especially for those belonging to the poor and vulnerable sections of the Thar. Another important component of this multi-dimensional strategy is the establishment of AHUs (Arid Horticulture Units). In lands where agriculture is no longer viable, AHUs are a very useful alternative as they are not labour intensive, require very little maintenance, promote self-reliance, are self-sufficient and sustainable.  The AHUs are similar to small kitchen gardens that can be used to grow nearly thirty plants in one season and offer a myriad variety of benefits for families, with its fundamental objective being to achieve food and nutritional security, combating the nutritional deficiencies especially in children, women and older people. A typical AHU promotes the use of local seed varieties, which is crucial to climate adaptation and building climate resilience. The plants grown in these lands follow inter-cropping practices, require small quantities of water and are grown entirely using bio-pesticides. These units have changed the food and nutritional security situation in the Thar region for the better by making a diverse set of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and greens available. These fruit and vegetable crops can survive extreme weather, can be grown with limited water and are affordable sources of nutrition. 


GRAVIS also promotes farm forestry practices that involve integration of trees into farming systems. This practice is beneficial to both farmers and the environment. It  improves soil health by reducing erosion, while increasing soil organic matter and nutrient availability. Above all, it supports the resilience of farming communities against climate variability and rampant environmental stresses such as drought and soil degradation.

GRAVIS was recently featured in Andrew Millison’s popular Permaculture video series on YouTube.

Water scarcity impacts lives and cultures in many different ways. How does it impact women specifically? How does Gravis’ work address the inequity? As climate change leads to more drought conditions, how are women farmers in the Rajasthani region working to combat the impacts? 

Land is the most important resource for communities inhabiting the Thar desert in the State of Rajasthan. While the land resources are abundantly available in the region, recurring droughts, scarcity of water, sand erosion and salinity add to the woes of poor farmers. When water is scarce and land is degraded, women, children and older people are often the most impacted. With minimal rain, water is insufficient even for household use, drinking and livestock, which leads to a large share of time spent by women in fetching water from long distances. The time spent fetching water limits their time on self-care and opportunity for education. For many women this non-stop drudgery starts when they are as young as four. Every aspect of their life, be it schooling, health, safety, economic opportunity, pregnancy and childbirth are impacted by the lack of access to clean water. These problems and challenges multiply in cases of older women as they continue to face years of oppression and gender imbalance deeply rooted in the social and cultural norms.

At GRAVIS we bring women of the Thar desert together and support them to lead a variety of drought mitigation and climate change adaptation initiatives. They are an integral part of the process of designing and implementing programs. With the backing of women-led community-based organisations like Self Help Groups (SHGs), Village Development Committees (VDC) and Intergenerational Learning Groups (ILGs) women are building community resilience and leadership through sustainable agriculture and water management practices, both are solutions that can work efficiently to reverse the impacts of climate change. 

GRAVIS also invests significant resources in developing the leadership skills and capacities of women by providing learning spaces on subjects like community development—highlighting the role of women and girls in disseminating information and awareness on health, education, menstrual hygiene, traditional agricultural practices, seed management, water storage and cleaning techniques, income augmentation, and more. This has contributed to a reduction in social hierarchies and inequalities that deprive women of control over fundamental resources, while restoring their self-respect and social status in the society.

Food Security and Drought Mitigation Efforts

The Agroecology Fund proudly supports GRAVIS’s food security and drought mitigation efforts. With our support GRAVIS has been able to implement:

Khadins (Farming Dykes) 

The construction of khadins in five drought stricken villages, benefiting 35 households (280 people) from the most impacted rain-fed farming communities. In  the first year this initiative has already achieved a 35-40 % yield increase including drought resilient crops like green gram (Moong), Moth beans (Moth), sesame (Til) and millet (Bajra), cluster beans (Guar), mustered (Sarson), chickpea (Chana), and sorghum (Jwar). The Khadins also support natural vegetation and many shrubs like melon, cucumber, citrus fruits and desert plums, adding to the region’s biodiversity. 

Community Seed Banks (CSB)

Availability of good quality seeds during the farming season is very challenging in drought prone villages. A CSB is a community facility in which all local farmers have deposited seeds and are provided seeds at the time of need. A total of 10 such CSBs (2 in each village) have been established. Seed banks ensure all community members can receive seeds on time even with no investment, with the agreement to return seeds post harvesting with an interest of ¼ of seeds produced. It has reduced the dependency of farmers on local vendors and money lenders. 

Agroforestry Units 

In an area of about 8 hectare, over 2,000 plants were planted and are managed through community norms. This unit will become an important source of vegetation cover, fodder and fuel for the entire community. The plantings included Gunda , Ber (ziziphus), Pomegranate, Drum sticks, Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) and Kumat (Acacia senegal). The survival rate of the planting was 80 %. 

Setting up Rain-fed Arid Horticulture Units (AHUs)

 35 AHUs were established, benefiting 280 people from 35 families.  This effort provided vulnerable communities with nutritious food in a sustainable manner. 

Technical Trainings and Learning Exchange 

Ten trainings were organized to enhance the technical knowledge of farmers on rain-fed and organic farming practices. Along with technical trainings, 10 women’s self-help groups (SHGs) and 10 Village development committees (VDCs) have been organized. These trainings focused on project leadership, monitoring and sustainability of the project. Women have also been training on financial literacy. 

Learn More

GRAVIS has a rich resource of research papers and studies documenting processes, learning, and practices that highlight issues, solutions and strategies as outcomes of its various multi-pronged interventions. These resources are shared to stimulate learning and to encourage replication in other arid regions of India and across the world. 

Building Social Movements for Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice in Pakistan

In honor of World Food Day—this year’s FAO World Food Day theme is “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future—we share an interview with Agroecology Fund grantee partners, Roots for Equity and Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT), in which we explore their work practicing and promoting agroecology and food sovereignty; demanding just and equitable land distribution; working with small and landless farmers with emphasis on women to build social movements for food sovereignty and climate justice in Pakistan, with a specific focus on their joint campaign against corporate control of dairy and livestock sector. 

The Agroecology Fund recognizes that true food systems transformation towards agroecology requires divestment from industrial agriculture. From pesticides to monocultures, deforestation to land grabbing, our fossil fuel dependent food system under corporate control and concentration, is a major contributor to the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity. Roots for Equity and PKMT are not only promoting food sovereignty, but they are also actively working to keep industrial agriculture models from replacing their localized food systems. 

Thank you to Azra Sayeed, Founder and Director of Roots for Equity and Wali Haider, Joint Director of Roots for Equity and the secretary of PKMT for sharing their experiences and inspiring efforts in the following Q +A  to thwart industrial agriculture from taking hold while there is still an opportunity to do so. 

Background

In recent years, the local dairy sector in Pakistan has been facing monitoring by Pure Food Law Authority, Punjab. Milk trucks were being stopped, tests were being carried out for milk contamination, and thousands of liters of milk were being wasted by the authorities. These acts are a threat to the livelihood and food security of small and landless farmers and others associated with the local supply chain. This led to Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) and Roots for Equity to investigate the situation. The result was a series of discussions with communities to understand the issue, as well as research to better understand trade liberalization and corporate capture of the livestock and dairy sector to support the launch of an awareness campaign. Learn more about these efforts here. 

Q+A

Please share about the impact that industrial agriculture, specifically in the dairy sector, has had on women farmers in Pakistan.

The livestock sector in Pakistan is integral to the lives of nearly 8 million rural families who derive 30-40% of their income from livestock. The sector is particularly critical for small and landless women farmers, with 52% of women working in the agriculture sector engaged in all stages of livestock management; women clean animals’ living space, collect and dry animal manure, make dung cakes, arrange, cut and prepare fodder, feed and milk the animals. Ownership of livestock guarantees household food security, and milk and dung sales are regular and consistent sources of income, even for landless women agricultural workers who have tenuous access to agricultural work. 

To date, Pakistan’s livestock sector largely remains in the hands of rural farmers; about 80% of the national milk supply is in the hands of 55 million small and landless farmers with small herd sizes who have conserved local breeds of milk-producing animals that can withstand the regional climate and have adapted to low-resource environments. Additionally, small herd sizes drastically reduce incidences of disease outbreak. 

However, women farmers’ role as custodians of livestock and dairy is facing threats from the   World Trade Organization that has paved the way for corporate encroachment in the food and agriculture sectors of member countries through legally binding agreements since its very formation.

At the local level, this is giving rise to pro-corporation and anti-farmer government regulations. On one hand, the Government of Pakistan is set on eventually banning the sale of unpasteurized milk through its mandatory pasteurization policy and emerging narratives and policies are targeted towards standardizing and centralizing milk production under the pretext of eliminating adulteration and contamination, as well as to improve productivity and reduce supposed ‘inefficiencies’ in the supply chain – all this means is that acquiring fresh milk from multiple small producers increases costs and cuts down on the profits of corporations. Inevitably, measures aimed at centralization and standardization will wrest control of the sector away from small and landless farmers and replace the current system with large-scale industrial dairy farms.  

The full impact of the ban on unpasteurised milk (which is up till now on paper only) is still to be determined. Yet, the women’s comparative experiences in the non-corporate and corporate milk circuits provide important insights into the future.  

Livestock ownership and land tenure significantly impact food security and income generation in rural areas. Women agricultural workers raise livestock for various reasons, such as selling cattle, selling milk and dung for daily expenses, or religious and cultural purposes. For the landless, owning livestock is often the only asset they possess. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, women could still earn money from milk sales when men’s wage jobs were reduced or lost. Households that owned land and livestock were less likely to experience food insecurity than those that did not. Those with access to land through ownership or leasing had more fodder to give to their livestock, which allowed greater milk yields and the capacity to multiply the herd. Women who own or lease agricultural land, are more food secure than those who don’t have land. Due to the pandemic, milk collectors stopped buying milk from women, but they converted milk into non-perishable dairy items like butter and ghee for their households, staving hunger at the household level.

Women foresee negative impacts on their nutrition intake and income sources following a ban on selling unpasteurised milk. Women livestock keepers sell milk to other households and milk collectors, who then sell it to shops, tea stalls, restaurants, and dairy companies. Women farmers get the highest price for their milk when they sell directly to nearby households, but they prefer selling to milk collectors because they pay monthly. A monthly payment allows them to manage large expenses better. Companies sell processed milk at more than double the amount women are paid for raw milk, but milk collectors and companies refuse to increase the rates paid to women, citing high production costs. A ban on the sale of unpasteurised milk would impact them by denying them the income derived from selling milk, causing financial distress. This would make it unaffordable to keep livestock and access dairy products for household consumption, negatively affecting their nutritional intake. There are no other avenues for alternative work to supplement the earnings of women, especially women landless, agricultural workers.  

How did Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) and Roots for Equity come to collaborate on this issue? What do you see as the biggest challenges, and which aspects of the campaign have been most successful?

In September 2019, Asia Pacific Women Law and Development (APWLD) initiated the Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) under one of their specific themes ‘Women Interrogating Trade and Corporate Hegemony (WITCH). Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) and Roots for Equity as members of APWLD took part in the FPAR, in order to carry out action research with various groups of women in Sahiwal district, Punjab province, who were involved in livestock breeding and caring. Sahiwal district has PKMT membership as well as is home to the Sahiwal cow, a well-known indigenous breed.  

PKMT and Roots for Equity participated in the research with a clear intention of exploring the impacts of the Pure Food Law, that the government of Punjab (later followed by all provinces of Pakistan) had initiated, and organizing and mobilizing women farmers/livestock care takers against the corporate capture of the dairy sector.   

Based on the series of organizing processes carried out through PKMT, Sahiwal district has a strong women membership. At the national level, a mass mobilization campaign was developed under the title “Save our Invaluable Rural Assets: Campaign against Corporate Control of Dairy and Livestock Sector in Pakistan.” The campaign objectives are to resist the government-imposed regulations on natural pure milk, as well as the increasing trade liberalization and control of the corporations in the sector. The campaign will also build awareness amongst the farming community and the masses to stand up against the attack on their food, livelihood and the environment.  

The three-month campaign was carried out from March 8, 2023, International Women’s Day and culminated on June 22, 2023, commemorating the day a brave, peasant woman, Mai Bakhtawar was killed by feudal thugs resisting control over her community harvest in 1948. 

Public Assembly

The number of activities undertaken through the campaign were as follows:

  • National webinars/seminars on agriculture workers, livestock and dairy farmers;
  • Social media and print media sharing on the situation of livestock and dairy farmers and impacts of neoliberal policies;
  • Theater performances – using art and advocacy; 
  • Documentary;
  • Radio Messages.

Brief details of some of the activities:

Pamphlet Distribution: The goal was to distribute 500,000 one-page pamphlets developed for popular dissemination across the country. Through the pamphlet distribution we reached on foot more than 500,000 Pakistani citizens in 58 districts of four provinces making them aware of the insidious aims of the Pure Food Laws. These pamphlets were distributed in public places including at cattle markets (mandi), vegetable mandi, local markets, hospitals, railways stations, bus terminals, international days events and at other public points. All distribution was carried out by PKMT members; only in a few districts Roots staff assisted. 

Pamphlet Distribution

Many small town local news channels included coverage of the campaign, reporting on the public’s refusal of Pure Food Laws based on World Trade Organization agreements and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures & Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). A total of 11 Television channels and 15 Newspapers covered the campaign.

Pamphlet Distribution

Radio Messages: Three short messages of 45, 55 & 60 seconds were developed to highlight the advantages of fresh milk and indigenous breeds of cattle. These were broadcasted daily for three months.The total reach of Multan FM 103, the local station on which they aired, is 16 districts of South Punjab, reaching approx 34.7 million people.

Social Media: Social media has become increasingly important in today’s society, as almost everyone owns a mobile phone. We have shared campaign materials on social media at various times, which highlights how imperialist companies and agents are profiting off our valuable assets and imposing their values on us, while inducing the government to make and implement laws and policies that are allowing not only land grabbing but also eliminating genetic resources based in the plant and animal kingdom, while taking away these resources from small and landless farmers, who are the real custodians of this wealth.

Video Documentary: Save Our Invaluable Rural Assets is the second documentary that PKMT has produced with respect to the corporate capture of our dairy and livestock sector. The documentary demonstrates the critical role of traditional dairy and livestock rearing, as well as the environmental impacts of the industrialized dairy sector.

Save Our Invaluable Rural Assets Documentary

Though the campaign was successfully able to reach-out to small and landless farmers, the major challenge we face is in mobilizing and organizing fresh-milk sellers (retailers) not just in rural areas but also in the urban small towns. There are two main reasons: i) The enforcement of Pure Food Law in terms of destroying containers of fresh milk through inspection is quite harsh, and hence there is fear of the inspection teams. ii) In many of the districts, law enforcement is not present so people think it is not their issue.  

Currently, there is status quo; no major steps have been taken to implement the Pure Food Law. Their declaration that Lahore, the second biggest city of Pakistan, will be made into a pilot project only allowing sale of packaged milk has yet to be acted upon; however the law exists. It is speculated that given that 90% of the milk market is supplied by fresh milk, the dairy corporations are incapable of providing for the huge market. There is also the possibility that the corporations positioned to control the dairy sector sense that they will be challenged by local organizers, and hence are rethinking their strategy. There is still time to ensure small farmers and landless farmers maintain their livelihoods and ways of living. 

How will the corporate take-over of dairy in Pakistan negatively impact biodiversity and traditional and Indigenous knowledge?

It is important to mention that since the green revolution in the 1960s, agriculture production has been taken over by the corporate sector. The corporate sector not only dispossessed hundreds of thousands of traditional, local and indigenous seed varieties but also forced the farming community to adopt an unfamiliar agricultural production model which promotes mono-culture, chemical and pesticide and capital-intensive technologies. All of this negatively impacts biodiversity. The green revolution also impacted livestock – hardy oxen that were used for land plowing are now hard to come by, as most of the work is now done by tractors. The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has highly impacted small insects, including earthworm, butterflies, honeybees and birds. There is a lack of scientific assessment of the loss; however, visibly many birds, butterflies, beetles are rarely seen in rural areas. Even in the urban areas, the impact on insects and birds is very visible, as they are not seen anymore. The less diverse an ecosystem, the more susceptible it is to climate change. 

There are also attempts to take over livestock production with the same false lucrative offer to bring prosperity among livestock breeders. The traditional and indigenous process of livestock production is claimed to be outdated, and a need to promote an industrial livestock production system has been propagated by industrial countries and their corporations. Governments are also buying these ideas like they did for green revolution policies. 

“These cows eat five times more than our cows; their cow dung is like water and of no use. Please tell them to keep their cows to themselves, and leave our cows to us.” – A landless woman in Sahiwal, who breeds Sahiwal cows and vehemently opposes breeding of Australian cows such as Holstein Friesian.

Local and foreign corporations are capitalizing on these pro-corporate state policies to capture the dairy and livestock sector, at the cost of small and landless farmers. For instance, in an effort to improve the milk quality and quantity of local herds, the government is encouraging crossbreeding with foreign cattle. Favoring non-indigenous breeds reveals a policy bias towards large scale animal holdings that can only be financed and maintained by large-scale dairy farms. Additionally, imports targeted at corporate dairy farms (e.g. industrial milking systems, genetic material, calf milk replacers, premium fodder) are on the rise. Foreign corporations are increasingly turning towards our markets for supplying these commodities. It is clear that these policies do not recognize small and landless farmers particularly women farmers as key stakeholders and make no efforts to integrate them.

Similar to what we have seen happen with corporate control of plant genetic resources, the control of animal genetic resources technically produces more, but its much less nutritious and costs way more money to produce. The result of cross-breeding livestock is huge animals that give vast quantity of milk daily (40 liters vs 10-15 liters from indigenous breeds) but they are very expensive, need special cool living quarters (not adapted to hot, dry climates), eat at least five times more than traditional breeds, and they cannot walk well due to size. Therefore, they do not graze, and do not breed well. Additionally, their animal dung is watery so is a lost by-product as organic manure. On top of all that, the milk is low on fat and therefore mostly useless. Like the green revolution and GMO seeds – we are seeing lots of food but basically nutrition less, and harmful to the environment and biodiversity.

What is your vision for a food secure and climate resistant future, and how is your work helping to bring that to fruition?

In Pakistan, where feudal structure is so strong, just and equitable land distribution remains the primary solution to world hunger. Small food producers remain as society’s poorest and hungriest class because local elites, big transnational corporations, and imperialist powers continuously take away our lands and plunder our natural resources, exploit our labor, control almost all aspects of food systems, violate our rights, and destroy the environment. In order for us to sustainably produce food for all, we must end feudal control and imperialist exploitation in our own countries by taking back control over land and resources.  Currently, according to government data, 5% rich feudal families have control over 64% of land. Under new corporate farming ventures, the provincial governments are providing thousands of acres of land to corporate entities for growing cash and food crops, all destined for export.

Rural peoples directly bear the brunt of climate change impacts, which often translates to loss of lives and livelihoods. But instead of putting the brakes on capitalist profiteering, governments and international institutions are giving the green light to big corporations cashing in on the climate crisis through false climate solutions that will lead to more land grabbing and displacement of rural peoples.  

We must shift the future through (1) shifting the bias of policy making toward the peoples’ rights and aspirations, (2) shifting the control over lands and natural resources, and (3) shifting financing toward genuine food systems transformation.  

We propose implementation policies that will ensure adoption of agroecology-based production systems— based on autonomy and free from the shackles of agro-chemical corporations. Given the grave looming food insecurity situation, farmers must be provided free access to local indigenous seeds and organic inputs that would allow the country to ensure food security of its people.  

In terms of climate justice, again the political framework of food sovereignty and agroecology pave the way for claiming rights over land and productive rights, while also slowly revitalizing and enhancing our genetic resources and protecting biodiversity. 

There is an acute need to carry out education including practical application of agroecological methods. There is an acute need for advocacy on the issue and claim government support for agroecology practice.

There is also a need to heighten climate justice campaigns at the  local, national, regional and global levels to promote sustainable production and consumption, while sharply de-escalating fossil fuel use but also advocating for lifestyle changes of rich industrial nations and elites of both North and South.

Our work is built on all of the above actions: practice and promotion of agroecology and food sovereignty; demanding just and equitable land distribution; working with small and landless farmers with emphasis on women to build political and social movements for food sovereignty and climate justice.

Public Assembly
No to Corporate Capture of Our Dairy and Livestock
Community Organizing

About Dr. Azra Talat Sayeed:

As an activist with a focus on women’s and peasant rights, Dr. Azra Talat Sayeed has made an important contribution to building peasant movements in Pakistan and in the Asian region. She is the Executive Director of Roots for Equity, a Karachi-based organization working with small and landless peasants, the current Chairperson of the Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) and the International Women’s Alliance, and a Steering Council member for the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty Asia. Learn more about her work in this interview.

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Promoting Production and Consumption of African Indigenous Food for Health and Wealth Through Agroecology: A School Learning Field Day, Ugolwe Primary School, Siaya County, Kenya

Written by Agroecology Fund Advisor Milka Chepkorir
All photo credits: Milka Chepkorir

On June 21, 2024, the Agroecology Fund was invited to a school agroecology learning field day at Ugolwe Primary School in Siaya County, Kenya. The event was organised by Agroecology Fund grantee partner the Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE) Kenya, who are a beneficiary of the Agroecology Fund through the regional umbrella body, ReSCOPE. Milka Chepkorir, Advisory Board member of the Agroecology Fund, attended the event and shared her experience.

Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE) Kenya is a national capacity-building and networking organisation founded in 2014. The organisation works with schools’ communities, to promote practical ecological land use and management practices, through agroecology approaches, to address the challenges of food & nutrition insecurity, increasing poverty levels, environmental degradation
and biodiversity loss in Kenya. Currently, SCOPE Kenya network has a membership of 16 civil society organisations (CSOs), working with 133 schools’ communities in 13 counties in Kenya.

The types of garden designs in the school compound include a rabbit system, fruit forest, key-hold gardens, sack gardens, a food plant circle, and much more.

Food plant circles
Mixed vegetable garden

The gardens are set in front of the school classes and offices. This structure and design choice primarily give life to the school environment. This provides things to look at and admire as parents and visitors wait to be served at the school offices.

Gardens set in front of school administration buildings

At an early age, students are taught to be environmentally responsible by not using plastics either in the general school environment or in the gardens. This is a behaviour they have taken back to their homes to influence their villages. By working in the gardens together, the students learn to be tender and care for the plants in front of their classes and the school environment.

Grade 1-3 projects in front of their classes

Contribution to the current school curriculum

The youngest students, in grades 1-3, have been offered opportunities to put into practice the skills they learn from the Carrier-Based Curriculum (CBC)–a new Kenyan school curriculum in which students are guided to set up vegetable gardens at the front of their classes and encouraged to take care of them, water them and learn through doing.

Working with the larger community

In the spirit of inclusion and spread of agroecological practices into the larger community, the SCOPE project has invited parents to participate. As a result, a group of mothers are now a part of the project. They take up the role of nurturing the gardens when the students are on holiday, and work together on community workdays at the school garden. The group expressed how the project has informed their decisions to set up gardens and practice agroecology at their homes, thanks to their children’s influence and knowledge from school. The women’s group has also started agroecological enterprises resulting from their involvement in this project, including selling of organic foods and fruits even at the school field day event.

Women’s group displaying their enterprises

Performance and art

Different schools in attendance skillfully prepared and presented skits, songs, narratives, and poems (in Swahili, English, and Dholu, the local language). A group of three judges awarded scores to the performing groups and individuals. The best-performing groups had prizes presented to their schools.

Some of the performance pieces included:

  • A young boy from Sega Township Primary School presented a poem entitled Agroecology. In his poem, he pointed out the principles of agroecology and permaculture which included farming without chemicals, without altering or destroying the soil structure, and taking care of micro and macro-organisms like earthworms.
  • The host, Ugolwe Primary School presented a piece on agroecological activities, encouraging people to practice them and emphasised the benefits of Indigenous foods to human health. Some of the benefits of Indigenous foods highlighted by the presenters included good immune systems to support the body away from lifestyle diseases, and physical strength needed by community members to perform activities in their farms and community.
  • Lolwe Primary School presented a piece on Agroecology from an African perspective. The main points from the piece highlighted the fact that agroecological knowledge has been passed down through generations from the ancestors. They emphasized the need for the preservation of such knowledge. The piece was delivered with great African proverbs and phrases such as, “Listen to the whispers of cassava leaves on the secrets of the soil.”
  • There was also a narrative shared by a boy and a girl comparing two types of head teachers in their school. One of the headteachers proposed and pushed for the setting up of a school garden on agroecological principles while the other pushed for chemical farming in the same farm. They named the pro-agroecology teacher Mr. Mapinduzi, translated as Mr. Revolution. The narrative went further to describe how the school ended up dividing the land into two and the teachers piloted their preferred systems. The agroecological farm had higher yields and attracted attention from the students and other school stakeholders.

“It was impressive to see the interest of school administrations and boards of management to be part of these kinds of projects and to be eager to involve their extended school communities. The involvement of students, as key players in the project, draws such positive promise for the future of agroecology as this aligns their choices and actions around food production to the right and the most effective methods that take care of the planet. The knowledge mastered and shared by young boys and girls through the different arts; songs, poems, narratives, dances, drama, was a clear indication that agroecology and especially the consumption of African Indigenous foods is key in the general health of humans and the planet. SCOPE Kenya’s role in reaching out to schools in the country to engage more students in learning and spread knowledge and skills, contributes largely to the need for change that the world needs at this critical moment. While many agroecology actors are focusing on change of policy and strategies on paper, it is encouraging to see actors like SCOPE Kenya working with schools and their communities in the practical implementation and support of agroecological activities with youth, the next generation of change-makers.” – Milka

About Milka Chepkorir

Milka Chepkorir is a young Indigenous woman from the Sengwer peoples in Cherang’any Hills, Kenya. For the last six years she has been working with her community to address land tenure issues in their ancestral lands, the Embobut and Kabolet forests. Due to lack of recognition of her community land rights, the community has faced human rights violations through evictions by the government of Kenya, all in the name of forest conservation. Milka has a special interest in gender issues and has been working with women and elders in her community to ensure women are included in the community land rights struggles. Together with the women in Embobut forest, she helped develop a cultural centre where the community hopes to carry out indigenous education classes to educate the youth and children about the Sengwer indigenous knowledge and systems, most of which have been lost or are diminishing. She is currently completing her Masters in Gender and Development Studies at the University of Nairobi. Her specific focus is on gender relations in community forest conservation among Indigenous Peoples. Milka coordinates the “Defending Territories of Life” stream of work at the ICCA Consortium. She was previously the Coordinator of Community Land Action NOW! (CLAN), a Kenyan movement of communities working to register their lands as community lands under the Community Land Act 2016.

Supporting Community Seed System Learning and Exchange

Inisiatif Rizab Benih Komuniti (IRBK), which translates to “Community Seed Reserve Initiative”, is a seed-saving project of the Malaysian Food Security and Sovereignty Forum (FKMM), a discussion and action platform to strengthen food security and food sovereignty in Malaysia that is partially funded with support from Agroecology Fund. The primary goals of this seed initiative are to raise the visibility of farmers’ seed systems, to encourage the spirit and practice of saving, processing, sharing and exchanging seeds between farmers, to jointly care for and conserve agrobiodiversity, especially heritage or local seeds, and to jointly strengthen farmers rights. 

In addition to our annual global and regional grantmaking programs, Agroecology Fund is honored to provide support for participatory action and learning to leading organizations and networks in their territories. While shifting funding toward agroecology is our primary mission, creating space for learning, facilitating research and collaborating across geographies is also central to our work. When presented with the opportunity to support multiple grantee partners to attend FKMM’s Agroecology Conference on Community Seed Systems 2024 (AECoSS24) in Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, we were happy to contribute resources to enable further connection and collaboration within the network. The conference is part of the IRBK work that Agroecology Fund already supports. 

We followed up with both FKMM and grantee partners CREATE Trust and Seed Savers Network to learn more about their experiences at the conference—what they learned and what messages they want to amplify about the importance of community seed systems. Read each of their responses in the following Q&As to learn more about these initiatives and the important work they’re doing within their respective communities to create sustainable, just, climate-resilient food systems and the value of gathering in person to collaborate, learn, and connect.  

(The following answers have been edited for brevity and clarity)

Q & A with NurFitri Amir Muhammad, project leader of IRBK, FKMM

Please share a brief introduction about your collaborative work on seed systems.  

Inisiatif Rizab Benih Komuniti (IRBK), which translates to “Community Seed Reserve Initiative”, is a seed-saving project of the Food Security and Sovereignty Forum (FKMM), a discussion and action platform to strengthen food security and food sovereignty in Malaysia. FKMM was established in 2018 to advocate for farmers’ rights and policy changes toward agrobiodiversity through natural farming, permaculture, and organic agriculture. FKMM conducts theoretical and practical workshops on farmers’ rights, community seed systems, and GMOs. 

IRBK was launched in 2020 with the support of the Agroecology Fund to help create a seed inventory with rural seed guardians and offer an alternative to the formal (commercial) seed system. The formal seed system supports seed patents, which ultimately work against farmers and undermine agrobiodiversity. Our work to develop and maintain a seed reserve strengthens farmers’ rights and supports a more biodiverse, climate-resilient food system. 

Why did FKMM decide to organize this Conference? What were some of the highlights that stood out?

On April 26, Inisiatif Rizab Benih Komuniti and FKMM co-organized an Agroecology Conference on Community Seed Systems 2024 (AECoSS24) in Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, in conjunction with the annual International Seed Day. This event was created to be a platform where farmers from all over the world could convene to discuss strategic action focusing on food security and sovereignty, farmers’ rights, and seed rights. FKMM invited farmers and organizers from across Malaysia, many of whom are Agroecology Fund partners, including Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesia), Consumer Research Education Awareness Training and Empowerment (India), Seed Savers Network (Kenya), Nous Somme la Solution (Senegal), Rural Women Farmers Association of Ghana (Ghana, member of NSS), and MASIPAG (Philippines). A total of 200 individuals with more than 20 speakers representing 15 countries from Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America gathered for the event. The primary goal of the gathering was to bring together people from around the world to begin to illustrate the significance their practices hold for local and small-scale farming, the critical role they play in contributing to seed security for resource-constrained households, and for supporting biodiversity. The conference intends to build on its initial success to continue to raise awareness of the importance of community seed systems with an eye toward influencing government policies. 

What were the key learnings you received from the gathering? How are you thinking about them in the context of your work? 

Key Learnings:

  • Community and farmer seed systems promote partnerships and fairness through the co-creation of knowledge, citizen science, connectivity, and social and cultural values. 
  • Community seed systems promote genetic conservation and create opportunities for economic diversification.
  • Gathering in person promotes learning and facilitates connections that empower communities. 

These key learnings mirror what FKMM considers to be a crucial embodiment of agroecology and are essential for advancing a just transition toward a resilient food system—community, connection, and co-creation. We see the value of holding these types of conferences to bolster the strength and power of farmer collectives. 

What message do you want to share about community seed systems and the role they play in food sovereignty?

FKMM believes that recognizing the interaction and complementarity between formal commercial seed systems and community seed systems can lead to a more inclusive and sustainable system. So we urge all stakeholders to recognize and protect farmers’ rights to seeds, which include the protection of traditional knowledge, equitable benefit sharing, and participation in decision-making. These socio-cultural components need to be recognized and protected by international agreements like the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP). FKMM is committed to promoting the community system and advocating for farmers’ rights because we believe this is crucial for sustainable agriculture and food security. 

Additional stories about FKMM’s work can be read here and here.

FKMM

Q & A with Dr. P. Duraisingam, CREATE Trust, India 

Please share a brief introduction about your collaborative work on seed systems.  

CREATE Trust is working on the revival of traditional rice paddy varieties in Tamil Nadu and at the national level. The work focuses on three primary areas in building seed systems: mapping of native paddy seeds in different agroecological regions, conservation and experimentation, and exchange of seeds with farmers.  We organize training and capacity-building programs on quality seed production to help maintain genetic purity. We strengthen the community seed system by organizing annual seed festivals and seed fairs to create awareness and showcase diversity. As of now, we have revived and conserved more than 200 traditional paddy varieties, and they are conserved at the community level by farmers at seed banks.  These varieties are experimented with by farmers under diverse climate conditions and climate variations.

What were your primary reasons for wanting to attend the seed systems conference? What were some of the highlights from your time in Malaysia?

CREATE Trust was interested in attending the conference to begin to understand the global context of how community seed systems are working across the world. We learned about so many aspects of seed systems from this gathering, including new approaches and strategies for wider outreach, challenges and opportunities farmers face, civil society collaborative actions, contributions of other stakeholders, and what strengthening farmer capacities to become self-reliant looks like globally. 

What were the key learnings you received from the gathering? How are you thinking about them in the context of your work? 

From the presentations and interactions with participants, panelists, and the organizers, it quickly became clear that there are many similarities in the approach to building alternate seed systems with community participation. While CREATE Trust focuses only on paddy, many others who shared their stories at the gathering are building diverse crop seed systems. It was very useful to be connected to and learn from many seed savers with great experience and knowledge. A major highlight was meeting a university professor from Malaysia with whom I could exchange information about traditional paddy varieties. We’ve already started planning to widen our focus beyond paddy thanks to the influence and information from this gathering. In the coming years, we will focus on native millet and vegetables in our working area.

What message do you want to share about community seed systems and the role they play in food sovereignty? 

Farmers across the globe never consider seed as a commodity.  They consider seeds to be a community resource, and to nurture that tradition, they have historically had many cultural and ritual practices.  Many of these practices have been neglected with the advent of the Green Revolution. In the context of genetically engineered seeds with patent laws and its threat to genetic pollution and negative effects on agrobiodiversity, it is important that the community seed systems need to be strengthened across the world.  We can’t achieve food sovereignty without seed sovereignty.  Beyond community, it is essential that we establish community seed savers and system networks at National and Regional levels. 

Additional stories about CREATE Trust can be read here.

CREATE Trust

Q & A with Daniel Wanjama, Coordinator, Seed Savers Network, Kenya (SSN) 

Please share a brief introduction about your collaborative work on seed systems. 

Our work started 14 years ago as a response to restrictive seed sector laws in Kenya that prohibited farmers from sharing, exchanging, and selling seeds. Policies pushing farmers to adopt hybrid seeds and use chemical fertilizers and pesticides have increased food insecurity and pushed small-scale farmers deeper into poverty. 

In response to this, SSN has forged both local and international partnerships creating a network of more than 3 900 farmers organizations in Kenya and attracted technical and financial support from international partners like Agroecology Fund. Our grassroots activities are aimed to achieve food and seed sovereignty. 

What were your primary reasons for wanting to attend the seed systems conference? What were some of the highlights from your time in Malaysia?

I wanted to attend the seed systems conference in Malaysia because I knew there were possibilities of learning actionable models or techniques that could be useful in advancing the SSN agenda back in Kenya. The conference offered a platform to gain insights into successful seed systems from around the world, network with other advocates, and share our experiences. The level of diversity of the participants and topics for discussion also caught my attention. I took home implementation ideas shared by people, from farmers, researchers, and the private sector. That combination of diversity is rare in Kenya because most of the research is funded by the people who want to promote green revolution technologies. This conference created a unique learning opportunity rarely available. 

What were the key learnings you received from the gathering? How are you thinking about them in the context of your work? 

One of the key learnings I brought back from the conference was the use of microbial treatments for seed dressing. This technique offers a sustainable alternative to chemical treatments, enhancing seed health and reducing environmental impact. Another valuable method I learned was using paper and postcards for seed sharing, which can facilitate easier and more effective seed exchange among farmers. We are now considering how these techniques can be integrated into our existing practices to improve our seed systems. There is also a regulatory requirement to treat seeds with seed dressing chemicals for protection against pest insects and diseases. We have started conducting research on the practical implementation of microorganisms for seed dressing. 

What message do you want to share about community seed systems and the role they play in food sovereignty?

Community seed systems play a crucial role in achieving food sovereignty. They empower farmers to maintain control over their seeds, preserve biodiversity, and ensure the resilience of local food systems. By supporting community-based seed systems, we can enhance food security, protect the environment, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. These systems enable farmers to save, share, and exchange seeds, fostering a sense of community and resilience against external pressures such as fluctuations in seed prices and climate change. Supporting these grassroots initiatives is essential for building a sustainable and equitable food system.

Additional stories about Seed Savers Network here and here (scroll to #95).

Seed Savers Network

Chief Gutu’s community and biocultural diversity management

This story has been shared with permission from the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), one of the Agroecology Fund’s grantee partners based in southern Africa, and has been lightly edited for clarity.

Increasingly, Indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity are being put under pressure as the process of modernization is reaching every corner of Zimbabwe. Rapid changes are taking place in land use practices, farming methods, healthcare, and the cultural ethos and rituals of Indigenous Peoples. Fortunately, in recent years much work has been done by grassroots movements such as members of the ZIMSOFF Central Cluster in Gutu district, to come to a better understanding of Indigenous knowledge and its relevance to sustainable biocultural diversity management. Today, the products of Indigenous knowledge are better understood. Through farmer-to-farmer learning and exchanges, training along these concepts is ongoing.

Through the Nyamandi Agroecology Landscape restoration project, we [SKI] noted that local people often have rich and detailed knowledge of local plants, animals and ecological relations and have derived resources management systems appropriate to their local ecological and social situations. Biocultural diversity conservation or nurturing of resources is management of biological diversity; that is all flora and fauna being very much a part of Indigenous cultures and beliefs. Biodiversity management includes local strategies, institutions, and technologies of farming, herding, hunting, fishing and gathering.

Seed Diversity wheel in vernacular by Nesongano community in Gutu. © Nelson Mudzingwa/SKI

The philosophical understanding of biocultural diversity and ecological land use management

Indigenous knowledge systems

Within farming families and traditional institutions in Gutu district, the Earth is understood to be the source of all that is good. The belief is that local folklore warns of the misfortunes that befall those who fail to respect the Earth, water, wildlife and trees. These values and beliefs are learned from relatives and neighbors as part of childhood experience. They are embedded in the local language, including songs and stories, and reflected in art. The value given to nature is evident in decision-making in all spheres of life. ‘Making a living’ and ‘taking care of things’ are not separated from ‘conservation’, as is the case in the conventional mindsets.

The Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) is the local community-based knowledge system that is considered unique to the local cultures of smallholder farming families. It is not just a set of information that is in people’s minds, that can simply be recorded and applied. Indigenous knowledge covers a wide range of subjects such as agriculture, livestock rearing, food processing, institutional management, natural resources management, healthcare and others.

IKS is not often documented, but is stored in people’s memories and activities, and expressed in stories, songs, proverbs, dances, myths, beliefs, cultural values, rituals, community laws, local languages, agriculture and technology development.

Culture

Culture is the integrated pattern of knowledge within the farming families, their beliefs and behaviors that consist of language, ideas, beliefs, customs, taboos, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, artifacts, rituals and ceremonies. The development of cultures within these communities depends on the individual family unit’s capacity to learn and to transmit knowledge and practices to succeeding generations.

For the Shona people, the successful evolution and functioning of cultural values and beliefs on biocultural diversity management are anchored by the farming families’ shared values, social rules and systems of conflict management which have local legitimacy.

Cosmovision

The cosmovision of the Gutu district farming families and their traditional institutions includes the perceived relationships between the natural world, the social world and the spiritual world. They refer to cosmovision as the way the local population perceives the world or their cosmos. It describes the roles of the supernatural powers, the way natural processes are taking place, the relationship between human and nature, and it makes explicit the philosophical and scientific premises on the basis of which interventions in nature are made. The words of Headman Mupata below illustrate the Gutu district farming families’ cosmovision:

“Our relationship with the soil is something incredible. The houses that we live in are built from bricks made from the soil. We farm in the soil and the fruits that we eat are from the soil. If we work and get tired, we will rest by sitting or sleeping on the soil. When we die we shall be buried in the soil. We know that soil is something that we should respect, preserve and protect.”

-Headman Mupata

During the dialogues we held with four communities (Mupata, Nesongano, Maungwa and Magombedze) we noted that ceremonies and rituals based on Indigenous spirituality and cosmovision were/are key to the nurturing of natural resources for time immemorial. The art of doing was based on the dynamics of the local people’s wisdom and inspiration. According to the beliefs of the Shona people, the diagram below summarizes how human beings are connected to the spiritual and natural worlds, and how communication is facilitated between the living and the spiritual worlds.

The natural world contains the flora and fauna, the spiritual world contains all levels of the spirits and the social world contains the people, their spiritual and administrative leaders.

Biocultural diversity conservation

Within the four communities, the values of water, soil, seed and culture are enshrined in biocultural diversity conservation. This is the management of biological diversity that is all flora and fauna being very much a conscious part of Indigenous cultures and beliefs. The belief is that the spiritual world owns both human society and nature because this is where the spirits have their habitat. In order to implement successful biocultural diversity conservation, traditional institutions such as spirit mediums, chiefs, headmen and village heads are supposed to be respected and allowed to play their roles because they are believed to work with the spiritual world.

Key messages on cultural values and beliefs on ecological agriculture

  • The land and waters of a group (or coexisting groups) form the meso agro-ecosystem within which their ecological agriculture is practiced. In the agro-ecosystem, we are connected to the soil and water in many ways.
  • Kids role-play using soil to build houses and dolls. It is not uncommon to see pregnant women eating anthill soil. We know they say it is a craving caused by iron deficiency, but we think it also shows the value of soil – every living organism is dependent on it.
  • This is why the Gutu community says this relationship is just like the one between God and us, because without either, we could not survive. In the Bible, it says that God used the soil to create man – we are, therefore, the soil.
  • Water is the blood of the soil that must flow within it, not above it. A living soil should be moist, allowing for the germination of plants, and their growth. Water is also important in our bodies, as well as all other living things that respire or transpire. It is the most unique resource, created with characteristics that are difficult to understand. If boiled, water can change to vapor and disappear as it becomes air. But when cooled in the atmosphere, water can condense to form heavy clouds that can cause heavy rains, with thunder and lightning. These are powerful processes which can result in unpredictable damage and even possible loss of life.

Over 2,000 farming families within the four communities have embraced these values of soil and water to anchor decisions that encompass water harvesting, organic soil fertility management, maintaining wild species and their habitats in some parts of their territory, while altering habitats in other areas to favor the growth of local crops and livestock.

In weighing factors as they make farming decisions, family farmers take into account the nurturing of the soil and water (including the benefits of maintaining the habitats of useful insects). Agroforestry systems (the inclusion of trees in agricultural systems) are common, complex methods that are practiced. Such systems maintain trees among crops, creating successional situations where trees follow crops in a given field, or maintain forest patches separately from fields (where watershed management is a concern).  For example, wild species such as edible fruits, herbs and shades are often managed, insofar as their food plants and/or other habitat requirements are maintained within the agro ecosystem.

Practitioners within the four participating communities have developed a communication methodology for local laws and feedback that is leading to the recognition of resource over-exploitation. This methodology was designed in order to organize responses to afforestation or reforestation, water harvesting and soil fertility management. In other cases, the feedback is leading to taboos on the use of species or their exploitation.

Water harvesting pits in Gutu landscape © Nelson Mudzingwa/SKI
Agroforestry in Gutu © Nelson Mudzingwa/SKI

While the techniques and tools of biocultural diversity management are easily seen, and some aspects of traditional knowledge are not easily documented, the direct discussion of ‘resource management’ is not usually a productive way to understand local biocultural diversity management. Local people often do not view nature as a bundle of resources; in some cases there may be no translation of the term ‘resources’ in their language. Biocultural diversity management is visible and labeled in local languages. Cultural values that support it are being shared and passed on to younger people through songs, stories, ritual texts and other verbal communications in the local language. When other exotic languages were introduced into local cultures, new values emerged. These new values often do not support the old ways, but focus on increasing the market economy that has a profound indirect influence on local knowledge of conservation of resources through the transformation of non-monetary values into monetary values. This introduced the idea that land, labor and nature are commodities, instead of sacred heritage that binds the members of a community to one another.

Kelle Gregory: A Ghanaian Farmer’s View of Agroecology

For Kelle Gregory, a farmer in the Upper West region of Ghana, farming had become just plain hard. Kelle and his neighbors face parched and eroding soils, government policies inviting corporate GMO seeds, and low prices for their harvests.

“In the past decade, I have witnessed increasing trends of degradation in my community.”

– Kelle Gregory

Skidding towards hunger and poverty, they joined the farmers’ organization, CIKOD. They learned to mulch, intercrop legumes with grains, and apply agroforestry techniques. Now, Kelle and other farmers are restoring moisture to the Sahel soil and shifting away from chemically-intensive agriculture.

Funded in part by a grant from the AgroEcology Fund, CIKOD also allied with a coalition of Ghanaian NGOs to block pro-GMO legislation, enabling farmers to retain control over their seeds. By joining hands with the African Food Sovereignty Alliance, organized farmers seek to influence the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and spread agroecology across the continent.

Seed Sovereignty in Occupied Palestine

The Agroecology Fund recently collaborated with A Growing Culture on a set of episodes of their Hunger For Justice Series. Launched to highlight the inequities of the industrial food system exposed by Covid-19, these live broadcasts feature agroecology leaders from the AEF grantee network, and seek to amplify their grassroots community-led solutions for resilience. 

“The series is a chance to pull people with an environmental focus into the social aspect of the food movement. A lot of the people tuning in are familiar with regenerative agriculture and sustainability but not food sovereignty and agroecology,” says A Growing Culture’s Loren Cardeli. 

On May 21, 2021 the series featured AEF grantee partner, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Palestine. UAWC’s Fua’d Abu Saif, Do’a Zayed, and others were in conversation with A Growing Culture’s Dimah Mahmoud. 

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) was founded in 1986 to reclaim agricultural land, seed and water resources in occupied Palestine. The grassroots organization seeks to strengthen food sovereignty and reassert Palestinian farmers’ rights to their foodways. 

At the Hunger for Justice broadcast, Fuad Abu Saif, UAWC director, spoke of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as violence by Israeli forces escalates, exacerbated by the pandemic and increasing water scarcity in the region. (Palestinians are not allowed to drill new water wells, in addition to being denied access to the Jordan River and freshwater springs.) The UAWC supports several projects to increase the resilience of Palestinians farmers and herders, he said. 

In this context, sustainable water management is crucial for survival. UAWC supports farmers to rehabilitate existing wells, store rainwater, set up irrigation systems that conserve water, harness solar energy, and increase green cover to mitigate drought. Till date, they estimate that through their work, more than 2 million trees have been planted and 20,000 hectares of land rehabilitated. 

“We resist by preserving our agricultural culture and traditions and seeds.”

The Committee’s local seed bank is another project that is key to strengthening resilience. UAWC conserves and distributes scores of traditional seed varieties — radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, zucchini, sesame, sumac, melons, sunflowers, okra and others — each adapted to arid conditions and deeply connected to Palestinian heritage. During the pandemic and subsequent blockades, the seed bank helped farmers feed their families diverse healthy foods using agroecological practices, and to count on some additional income. 

“We work closely with youth and children to raise awareness about the importance of agriculture. We are trying to show them that they can plant, they can feel the soil, and regain a connection to their land, to their history.”

Do’a Zayed added that with hands-on exchanges, practical training and other capacity-building exercises, youth are encouraged to cultivate the land and steward the region’s natural resources. Through UAWC’s efforts, women, too, feel more empowered — their traditional knowledge is valued and preserved, and their seed-saving expertise helps build dignity, equity, and community outside the home. 

To ensure food security among the displaced and landless, in recent months UAWC has also helped set up rooftop kitchen gardens in refugee camps across Gaza and the West Bank. 

Because of their interventions, UAWC is constantly threatened with confiscation of their land and equipment, demolition of farming projects, policing of land access, and campaigns that brand them as “terrorists”. Despite these challenges, the organization continues to defend the rights of Palestinian farmers. As Do’a shared: “Every Palestinian is resisting in their own way. At UAWC, we resist by preserving our agricultural culture and traditions and seeds.”

Watch the full recording on YouTube:

Learn more about AEF’s Emergency Fund grantees here.

Photographs courtesy UAWC

Introducing the Agroecology Fund of the Yucatan Peninsula

In 2020, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was ravaged by intense drought, flooding from tropical storm Cristobal, hurricanes, and frequent pest outbreaks, in addition to the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. These events have taken a toll on food security and livelihoods, elevating the risk of hunger, especially among families of small-scale producers.

At this crucial time, we’re honored to announce the launch of the Fondo Agroecológico Península de Yucatán (FAPY) to support community organizations dedicated to recovering from a brutal hurricane season and promoting agroecology and food sovereignty in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Agroecology Fund of the Yucatan Peninsula (FAPY) is AEF’s first regional agroecology fund.

Our partners had suggested further decentralizing our grantmaking process to go deeper into territories and provide resources to small and agile local grassroots organizations doing essential work on the ground, when we gathered together for AEF’s learning exchange in India. We listened.

With funding from the WK Kellogg Foundation, FAPY will be managed by AEF’s local partner Túumben K’ooben, a cooperative of primarily Mayan women that supports sustainable community development in the Yucatan Peninsula. FAPY’s mission is to support innovative projects that focus on strengthening agroecological production, deepening agroecology research and knowledge, improving access to markets, and building a just and more climate-resilient food system in the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. The regional fund will identify and provide funding to projects led by legally constituted community-based organizations (cooperatives, civil associations, rural production societies, etc.) or community groups that have an allied organization legally constituted to receive funding. 

FAPY has just announced a call for proposals (in Spanish), and will give priority to community projects that demonstrate collective impact, are developed by organizations in a participatory manner, and integrate vulnerable populations, such as women, Indigenous people, youth, and the elderly without access to land.

Please welcome FAPY to the AEF community! Follow their Facebook page for updates and visit fapyaef.org/e7j to view the call for proposals.

Photographs courtesy Túumben K’ooben.

Women Peasants Change The World

The Agroecology Fund recently collaborated with A Growing Culture on five episodes of their Hunger For Justice Series. Launched to highlight the inequities of the industrial food system exposed by Covid-19, these live broadcasts featured agroecology leaders from the AEF grantee network, and sought to amplify their grassroots community-led solutions for resilience. 

“The series is a chance to pull people with an environmental focus into the social aspect of the food movement. A lot of the people tuning in are familiar with regenerative agriculture and sustainability but not food sovereignty and agroecology,” says A Growing Culture’s Loren Cardeli. 

On July 31, the series featured AEF grantee partner, the Korean Women Peasants’ Association (KWPA). The president of the National Federation of Women’s Farmers’ Association, Kim Ok Im and Kim Jeong Yeol, member of The International Coordination Committee (ICC) of La Via Campesina, shared their experiences fighting against injustice and gender inequity in South Korea.

“In Korean folklore, the mung bean, or nokdu, is symbolic of the resilient spirit of the Korean peasants. In the harshest conditions, nokdu sprouts and grows, feeding the hungry. In the face of domestic and international policies that have systematically undermined their livelihoods and depressed the countryside, Korean peasants and farmers are sprouting, growing, and inspiring Koreans and global citizens alike.”

In 2013, The Nation reported on the food sovereignty movement in South Korea. Its resilience is perhaps most clearly demonstrated by the Korean Women Peasants’ Association (KWPA), founded in 1989 “to empower and unite women farmers and resist neoliberal agricultural policies in South Korea.” “Free trade agreements allowed for cheap food that is not nutritious to enter the diets of the Koreans. Because of these imported foods, local food prices dropped,” said KWPA’s Kim Ok Im. In the ’90s, South Korean farmers carried out mass protests against imports of staples, particularly rice, both the symbol of Korean society and center of the country’s farming for thousands of years. 

As in other developing countries, small-scale peasants in South Korea could not compete with the subsidized commodities flooding their market. Many attempted to find additional work off-farm, many were driven to debt, bankruptcy and suicide; others had to abandon agriculture entirely. (The percentage of farmers in the population has dropped from 50% in the 1970s to less than 7% in the 2010s.)

Women peasants, who comprise more than half the farmworkers in rural South Korea, bore the brunt of these impacts. As South Korea’s industrialized food system damaged rural economies, it also contributed to eroding the traditional knowledge of the peasants, but particularly, rural women’s knowledge and by extension, their place in society. 

The KWPA, built while “carrying their children on their back”, empowered women peasants in South Korea to be more autonomous and advocate for food sovereignty, agroecology, and gender justice in a patriarchal society.

“Peasant women play a big role in farming, but were set aside for decades. The movement helped women to be more active in decision making,” said Kim Jeong Yeol. 

“Without agroecology, we cannot have food sovereignty.”

KWPA practices, promotes, and advocates for agroecological practices, rejecting the use of chemical inputs on their land. In an effort to preserve the cultural heritage of Korean native seeds, KWPA runs more than 20 indigenous seed production farms. Women, traditionally the stewards of seed biodiversity, share this work collectively. “Even if there is nothing to eat, we will have our seeds,” they said. 

Worldwide, farmer-managed seeds are fast disappearing; the women of KWPA are doing the important work of documenting and archiving the diversity they protect.

Through their My Sister’s Garden initiative, KWPA supplies urban consumers with seasonal baskets of produce they have grown from indigenous seeds on their  plots. For more than a decade, groups of women peasants have packaged and distributed these farm boxes to “show the face of the farmers who are producing healthy foods”; forging a closer connection between peasants and consumers. This Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model has empowered peasant women in South Korea, providing income and dignity despite the lack of equal rights and opportunities. “Even if women are small farmers, collectively we can make an impact,” shared Kim Jeong Yeol.

At the national level, KWPA advocates for access to land and credit and support for agroecology. The peasant movement actively participates in peace building efforts, and was part of the first reunification conference between North and South Korean farmers.

“We should remind ourselves we are the masters of our own production, and we have the power to change the world,” said Kim Ok Im.

As a member of the international network La Via Campesina, the women share their knowledge with other social movements around the world, and also collectively resist international policies that affect farmers’ rights. 

Watch the full recording on YouTube: 

Photographs courtesy KWPA.