A publication launched by the African Alliance for Food Sovereignty, showcasing the huge potential of Agroecology to feed Africa, fix broken food systems and repair damaged landscapes, providing abundant healthy and nutritious food sustainably while increasing incomes and improving climate resilience. The publication also illustrates 15 case studies.

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has helped people address the challenges of food insecurity and environmental degradation while conserving wildlife and other natural resources. COMACO is one of the few programs that operate at the scale of an entire ecosystem—contributing to increased wildlife numbers, better protected habitats, improved food security, and better incomes.

This case study was produced by the Oakland Institute. It is copublished by the Oakland Institute and the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa AFSA). A full set of case studies can be found at www.oaklandinstitute.org and www.afsafrica.org

On the 17th of January, to coincide with the UN Year of Family Farming and the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (17. – 26.1214), French-German filmmaker and sociologist Nils Aguliar released his award-winning film, Voices of Transition, on DVD. The documentary highlights pioneering examples from France, England and Cuba which show that we can feed the world: by re-localising agriculture and freeing it from dependence on fossil fuels. The international DVD (with subtitles in 15 languages) will be released on the 21st of March. For more information and to be informed about the international DVD release, please go the Voices of Transition website. Please click here to see the trailer of the film, in English, German and French

[10 March 2014] GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, today called for the world’s food systems to be radically and democratically redesigned to ensure the human right to adequate food and freedom from hunger. “The eradication of hunger and malnutrition is an achievable goal. However, it will not be enough to refine the logic of our food systems – it must instead be reversed,” Mr. De Schutter stressed during the presentation of his final report* to the UN Human Rights Council after a six-year term as Special Rapporteur.

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Family farmers and the many ways in which they contribute to food security, healthy landscapes and thriving rural communities can be supported in a number of ways. These are some initiatives from around the world.

Holly Whitesides and her husband are trying to go “against the grain” of industrial agriculture in the United States. They use their family farm and their work on saving seed to convince other farmers and groups of the importance of a sovereign seed stock.

Even in the International Year of Family Farming there is confusion about family farming. What is it, and what distinguishes it from entrepreneurial farming or family agribusiness? Read more

In a first part, this publication gives technical feedbacks and analysis on Sustainable Rice Based Farming Systems in the Philippines. The book concludes that Organic farming is undeniably, one of the best broad-based development strategies that can be employed to revitalize the agriculture sector. Read more

In this working paper by Jose Luis Vivero*, the very nature of food as a pure private good is contested and subsequently reversed in order to provide a sound foundation for the transition towards sustainable food systems. Read more

The High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Food Security and Nutrition has officially presented its 2013 Reports in front of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) stakeholders, in June 2013. The two reports Investing in Smallholder Agriculture and Biofuels and Food Security are now available here.