Victor M. Toledo is a Mexican ethnoecologist and social activist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His work focuses primarily on the study of agroecological and knowledge systems. In this interview, Victor M. Toledo explains why co-creation of knowledge is an integral part of agroecology and discusses the changes that are needed for this form of agriculture to gain ground in the global
arena. He argues that agroecology is in itself a major shift in our relationship with knowledge.

Interview > Cantave Jean-Baptiste is a Haitian agronomist and rural development practitioner with more than three decades of experience supporting sustainable agriculture and strengthening peasant organisations. He is Executive Director of Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL) in Haiti, and a founding member of Groundswell International. Farming Matters asked Mr Jean-Baptiste how family farmers can build resilience in Haiti, a country where an estimated 80% of the population lives in poverty.

Interview > Olivier De Schutter – “Agroecology is really common sense. It means understanding how nature works, to replicate the natural workings of nature on farms in order to reduce dependency on external inputs. Agroecology preserves the ability for future generations to feed themselves. I believe we should teach more about agroecology and encourage exchanges between farmers. We cannot continue in this impasse of an oil dependent food production system.”

About 23 years ago, in Santiago del Estero, a province in the north of Argentina, the Peasant Movement of Santiago del Estero Via Campesina (MOCASE -VC) was established. One of its leaders is Deo Sumaj, an impressive peasant woman of the Vilela indigenous people. “Peasant family farming could provide many answers to the crises that humanity faces.”

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.

Interview with Medius Bihunirwa, head of the Farmer Enterprise Development Unit at Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), Uganda. Medius works with smallholder farmers, enhancing the quality of their produce and improving their access to markets. Read more

Entre 1990 y 2005, Norman Uphoff, profesor emérito de Gobierno y de Agricultura Internacional en la Universidad de Cornell, se desempeñó como director del Instituto Internacional de Cornell para la Alimentación, la Agricultura y el Desarrollo Read more

Interview with Norman Uphoff, Professor Emeritus of Government and International Agriculture at Cornell University, former director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD) from 1990 to 2005. Read more

Berkeley’s Miguel Altieri, an associate professor of insect biology in the College of Natural Resources, has a world-wide reputation for his alternative solution: “agroecology,” or sustainable agriculture, which respects the knowledge of indigenous peoples, protects the environment, and promotes social equity.