The collaborative or ‘co-management’ of natural resources – whether between states and local communities or amongst and within communities themselves – is a process of collective understanding and actions by local communities and other social actors. The process brings about negotiated agreements on management roles, rights and responsibilities, making explicit the conditions and institutions of sound decentralized governance. At heart, co-management is about sharing power.

A participatory case study together with the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) Cetap (Centro de Tecnologias Alternativas Populares) in Brazil and farmers with the objective to describe and evaluate the process of agroecological transition with the aim of improving it. An important conclusion of the study is that agroecology is an approach and a process instead of a steady, defined state.

This little book is a example of a new understanding of agriculture and its role as an activity ecologically, economically and socially viable for rural producers. It is also an anthology that selects and synthesizes articles published in LEISA Magazine, which are always concrete experiences from the field.

The benefits deriving from the use of compost, including restoration of soil fertility, are well illustrated in this assessement. As a result of this successful approach is that between 2003 and 2006 grain yield for the region almost doubled from 714 to 1,354 thousand tonnes.

This paper describes key principles and approaches of sustainable agriculture, particularly at local community level, as a key alternative to GM crops and industrial agriculture systems. This is followed by an account of the successes of sustainable agri-culture practices in some parts of developing countries, illustrated by three case studies.