Farmer Madelyn Álvarez Díaz explains how the agroecological movement in Cuba has grown from aiming to improve soils to striving for farmers’ political self-determination. “My name is Madelyn Álvarez Díaz and I am a peasant. I also coordinate the agroecological peasant-to-peasant movement in the Cienfuegos province, in Central Cuba. On our family farm, we use … Read more

In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This is leading to depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases, crops hardly yield anything anymore. … Read more

Some may view indigenous communities as being conservative and backwards. However, the Kabekwa (Cabécar) in Costa Rica show that such communities can be adaptable and innovative. This indigenous community has been evolving constantly in response to changing circumstances, while maintaining much of their identity. The Kabekwa have developed agro-ecological farming systems that go far beyond … Read more