Initiated by scientific network ENSSER, the meeting convened politicians, activists, officials, seed breeders, a small number of farmers and interested citizens. The variety of initiatives that were shared, on farming with nature and on farmer-consumer/citizen initiatives in Europe, was quite overwhelming.

What stood out was the consensus on the need to move from a ‘productivist’ to a ‘sufficiency’ paradigm, to cross-fertilise agroecology with food sovereignty and to co-create knowledge, especially with farmers.

In 2013, two learning routes took place on the themes of farmer organisations in Morocco and water management in Egypt.

ILEIA joined both Learning Routes, carrying out preparatory analysis of the main lessons in the host countries, and documenting how and what the participants (ruteros) learned during the actual route.

The final outcome of these Learning Routes is a 32 page booklet. This booklet presents the main lessons learnt during the two Learning Routes. It first provides short summaries of the initiatives that were visited in Morocco and Egypt.

Next, the main lessons that ruteros identified during the two routes are presented. The final chapter focuses on the lessons drawn from the process of the Learning Route, showing the ways in which knowledge building using this method can be innovative.

The articles provide lessons and challenges relevant for professionals in the field of agriculture and rural development. The book is divided into four themes: water management & crop production, livestock, women empowerment and approaches to sharing knowledge. The hope is that this book serves as a source of inspiration for future initiatives.

Our analysis, and that of many communities and organisations across Asia, is that the CDM is an extension of the generalised approach to big project and energy intensive development that has systematically marginalised indigenous peoples and local communities and over- exploited the Earth. The “clean development mechanism” is, quite simply, a mechanism that allows polluters to avoid binding emissions reductions in one location, while shifting emissions to another location. At the same time, it allows corporations and state entities to reap additional profits from projects that are questionable in terms of sustainability, community benefits or even addressing climate change.