These 19 organizations apply the ethics of permaculture to educate communities about becoming more self-sustainable and food secure.
Agriculture
Creating a Data Democracy in Agricultural Research
Could making agricultural data open and accessible to everyone open the door to greater impact and better food system solutions?
A Global Solution to Post-Harvest Food Loss
Switching out traditional raffia baskets with plastic crates when transporting tomatoes in Nigeria can save fresh, healthy food and have multiple subsequent effects on nutrition in the region.
Seeds of Resistance, Harvests of Hope: Farmers Halt a Land Grab in Mozambique
“If the associations are registered and the farmers have collective rights to some land, maybe the land grabbing can stop,” Zunguze told me. Association leaders planned to visit neighboring National Farmers Union cooperatives to learn how agro-ecology could help them grow more food for their families and communities.
Controlling Food: An Excerpt from Nourished Planet
The control over food often signifies power over others. While women make up the majority of the agricultural labor force worldwide, they retain little control over their lives. With more resources, female farmers have the potential to regain this control while bringing millions out of hunger.
Optimizing Information Provision for Smallholder Farmers
Dr. Christian Andres discusses how information delivery can be optimized for smallholder farmers.
Protecting the World’s Largest Rice Collection
“With this collection safely conserved, we can continue to use it to develop improved rice varieties that farmers can use to respond to the challenges in rice production, and to adapt to the changing tastes and preferences of consumers everywhere.”
New Report Analyzes Success of Agricultural Policies for Development
Over 45 years, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) tracked indicators in 117 countries to understand which policies benefitted agriculture and development. Now, their groundbreaking report has found that successful agricultural transformation in a country depends on the quantity and quality of land available, existing demographic pressures, and implementation of a mix of appropriate policies.
Oxfam America: “Hunger Is About Power”
Food Tank had the opportunity to talk with Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America about the right to food and lasting solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change and gender inequality.
Who Will Feed the Future?
These farmers, photographed by world-renowned photographers, upend the dominant story that industrial agriculture—dependent on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, pesticides, and drug cocktails in animal operations—is key to feeding a growing world population.
Flavor For All by Democratizing Better Seeds
On Food Talk, Dan Barber is breaking conventional plant-breeding wisdom: seeds can be bred to have great flavor, better nutrition, and high yield.
Aquaculture Improves the Livelihoods of Disabled Farmers in South Africa
INMED has received a grant from USAID for expanding its Adaptive Agriculture program. INMED will improve the livelihoods of farmers with disabilities through updating and installing aquaponics systems in Free State, South Africa.
Agricultural Intelligence: What AI Can Do for Smallholder Farmers
Farmers have always been natural data scientists, conducting experiments and collecting data in their fields. Now, with the advent of Big Data, there are new opportunities to create information systems like the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture that can make farming more efficient, profitable, and sustainable.
Fighting for Farm Workers’ Rights, “Boycotts Always Work”
On Food Talk, FLOC founder and President Baldemar Velasquez tells how migrant farm workers surmount harsh conditions as a union of families.
A Local Food Revolution in Puerto Rico
A year has passed since Hurricane Maria first made landfall in Puerto Rico, destroying homes, roads, and vehicles in its path—and taking thousands of lives. Using agroecology has allowed Puerto Rican farmers to envisage an agriculture system not reliant on external inputs.
Farming the Cities: An Excerpt from Nourished Planet
The majority of the world’s population will live in urban areas in the next 30 years, making cities central to the future of food production. Urban farmers play a key role in the development of innovative agricultural methods.
Ditch the Discounts This Coffee Day
National Coffee Day in the United States is September 29. Choosing more sustainable options can support farmers and help drive demand for sustainable coffee. This year, Fairtrade America and Conservation International suggests celebrating coffee in a way that honors the people and the work that goes into it.
Farming Better Isn’t Enough: We Need to Protect Land
Niman Ranch farmers Jan and Steve Petersen are breaking beyond what it typically means to be a farmer, inspiring conservation and sustainable practices in their community.
Re: Response to Fred Haberman on Making Organic Mainstream
“I was dismayed to read the article ‘Making Organic Mainstream.’ I am one of a group of old-time organic farmers who have been battling against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for allowing hydroponic, aquaponic, etc. to be certified ‘organic.'”
Opinion | The Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Organic Agriculture
Instead of investing billions of dollars in a model that doesn’t nourish communities or the environment, policymakers must redirect funds to incentivize organic and conservation agriculture — a far more effective approach to improving food security, environmental sustainability and human health.
