The páramo, where water is born

San Isidro is an indigenous community in Ecuador’s central Andes that collectively built and manages an irrigation pipeline. The pipeline has brought life back to family farming and created more space for the community to protect the páramo, a source of water and life for farming communities and urban residents alike. This story proves the strength of longstanding models of community organisation allied with the national indigenous movement.

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Struggle and success in an inter-regional water conflict in the Peruvian Andes

Large hydraulic projects that aim to capture and control water flows are increasingly entering territories of local Andean communities. This is a story of pastoralists in the region of Huancavelica, Peru, who stepped up in defence of their local wetlands, pastures and water sources. After more than a decade of protest, alliance building and negotiation they have established themselves as the crucial actor in inter-regional water governance.

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A watershed evolving

Intense watershed management and water harvesting in the state of Tigray, northern Ethiopia, have transformed the area beyond recognition and increased food security and enhanced resilience to floods and droughts. A new way of thinking about watershed management and the efforts of local farmers have contributed to the success of a number of initiatives.

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Climate change in the Fertile Crescent and implications of the recent Syrian drought

There is evidence that the 2007−2010 drought contributed to the conflict in Syria. It was the worst drought in the instrumental record, causing widespread crop failure and a mass migration of farming families to urban centers. Century-long observed trends in precipitation, temperature, and sea-level pressure, supported by climate model results, strongly suggest that anthropogenic forcing has increased the probability of severe and persistent droughts in this region, and made the occurrence of a 3-year drought as severe as that of 2007−2010 2 to 3 times more likely than by natural variability alone. This study concludes that human influences on the climate system are implicated in the current Syrian conflict.

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Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina

Our Solutions to the COP21 – New Notebook La Via Campesina – La Via Campesina is pleased to present study booklet number 7: “Peasant Agroecology for Food Sovereignty and Mother Earth, experiences of La Via Campesina”, which is the result of the collective efforts of various organizations from diverse regions including Africa, America, Europe and Asia. These groups make up part of our worldwide movement. From their distinct territories they shaped their experiences in agroecology training, organizing, production and marketing of healthy foods into 10 articles. This set of experiences represents a dynamic range of practices and knowledge, both for training within our movement and as a mechanism for additional knowledge exchange and rural-city dialogue.

This book also seeks to provide visibility of advocacy for Food Sovereignty which creates space for reflection, with examples from academic institutions, political allies and friends. We propose Peasant Agroecology as a way of production for rural communities, where Food Sovereignty constitutes a principle of life.

The document is available also in French and Spanish

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Report of the International Forum for Agroecology

“We are pleased to present the report of the International Forum on Agroecology, held at the Nyéléni Center in Sélingué, Mali from 24th to the 27th of February, 2015. This represents the first joint vision of Agroecology from the shared viewpoints of all kinds of small-scale food producing peoples, seen from the perspectives of our social movements. This is the first common statement across constituencies, of the pillars and principles of Agroecology. Read more

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Climate Change and the Agriculture Crisis : Agroecology as a Solution

What exactly is the climate change crisis ? How does it affect us ? Are we causing it ? How ? How is it going to affecting our land, water, food and lifestyle ? Can we anything about it ? How ? Why is the practice of agroecology so important in addition to clean energy ?

Should we wait for global agreements on mitigating climate change or act locally, intelligently and consistentl ? Small and marginal farmers must adapt their practices to deal with changing temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. These adaptations must first and foremost build resilience within the agroecosystem, increasing its ability to continue functioning when faced with unexpected events. How can this be made possible ?

“Climate Change and the Agriculture Crisis – Agroecology as a Solution” throws light on these pressing issues. It is an important addition to our work on small-holder agroecology series of publications. Read the book to understand how agroecology farms hold immense mitigation and adaptation potential and therefore are better suited to deal with the climate crisis.

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Future farmers in Europe

“Go for it. Reclaim the fields!” All around Europe, young people with no agricultural background are setting up farming initiatives. Despite the many difficulties these new farmers face, their systems are innovative, viable and sustainable. They are a response to Europe’s emptying countrysides, and their numbers are growing. Why and how did they make this radical choice? What do they gain from their hard work? What did they learn? This short video portrays 8 ‘future farmers’ from France, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

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