This article originally appeared on the La Via Campesina South Asia website.

Bengaluru: Early February this year Amritha Bhoomi – one of La Via Campesina’s agroecology schools in South Asia – and Agroecology Fund, a leading advocate of sustainable agricultural practices around the world co-hosted a training and learning exchange for social movements and NGO representatives coming from over 30 countries around the world, at the Fireflies Intercultural Centre, on the outskirts of the city. 

The exchange programme comprised joint workshops, panel discussions, working group sessions and visits to the fields of Natural Farming practitioners in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 

“Agroecology is not just about natural farming techniques for farmers in Karnataka; it’s also about reclaiming rights over our seeds, our food systems. It’s the transformation of our societies.”

— Chukki Nanjundaswamy, coordinator of Amritha Bhoomi Peasant School

During the course of the exchange program, participants visited agroecological farms near Amritha Bhoomi in Chamrajanagar, as well as those on the outskirts of Bengaluru city to understand Zero Budget Natural Farming and how it is helping farmers in Karnataka. Participants also visited Ananthpur district in Andhra Pradesh, where with help from the State government, Natural Farming techniques have been adopted by a large number of farming families. 

To read the full blog post, click here.