September 2015 The wisdom of water(test) download | past editions | subscribe | Call for articles test

Adivasi communities in India have come together to collectively represent their cultural, agronomic and climatic calendar as they know it. Youth have been using the life cycle to reflect on the effects of climate change and people’s responses to it. This is a case of collective learning that reflects indigenous worldviews. Dialogue amongst the different … Read more

Harvesting the monsoon: livelihoods reborn’, published in the March 2000 edition of LEISA Magazine, documents how in Rajasthan, India, traditional water harvesting was revitalised and local rivers were transformed from ephemeral to perennial. Rajendra Singh, chairman of the NGO which started the initiative, talks about his next steps – launching World Water Walks. He recently … Read more

Small-scale farmers depend largely on their animals and need to feed them well. Technology based innovations have been the mainstream solution to improve the fodder problem. But making farmers find relevant information and networks appears to be as much effective for innovation. Fodder makes up 70 percent of livestock inputs and is crucial to the … Read more

Olivier De Schutter is the United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food. He aims to inform people at the highest political levels about the role that smallholders play in the world’s food production systems. He hopes that this will make decision-makers more sensitive to their needs and rights. Politicians and policy-makers now frequently … Read more

Recent evidence from India suggests that rearing indigenous poultry rather than focusing on commercial breeds that give a higher yield can significantly contribute to the self-sufficiency and cultural wealth of rural communities – as well as boosting their income. Over the last decade, high demand has caused the poultry sector to expand, globalise and consolidate, … Read more

Animals are a part of farming systems everywhere. In this issue, Farming Matters focuses on how small-scale farmers manage their animals, how they link animal husbandry with other activities, and what their livestock means to them. An integrated perspective on the role of farm animals is crucial in overcoming simplistic assumptions on the opportunities and … Read more