Farming Matters | 31.1 | March 2015
This issue of Farming Matters presents the experiences of farmers who are working successfully, together with others, to improve the health of their soil and their lives. The stories on these pages show that healthy soils increase farmers’ autonomy and long-term productivity. And, healthy soils also contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
We see that farmers are making use of local resources to build soil carbon, and in the process they are reducing their dependence on external inputs.This issue makes a call to listen to farmers and learn from their experiences on the land.
FEATURES
Global
Bolivia
Traditional fallows support resilient farming on semi-arid sandy soils by Alejandro Bonifacio Flores
Nigeria
Nigeria
Global
Belgium
TABLE OF CONTENTS
From slash and burn to ‘slash and mulch’ by Georges Félix
Opinion: Catching up with farmers’ knowledge in the IYS by Pablo Tittonell
Organised communities build healthier soils by Sara Delaney, Denis Garcia, Audrey White
Mind! Books and films on soils by ILEIA
Opinion: Healthy soils are essential for healthy lives by Marcela Villareal
Videos inspire farmers to experiment by Jeffery Bentley
Organic waste for land restoration by Frank Löwen
Perspectives: Restoring our soils by learning from history by Roland Bunch