If you’ve read about sustainable food systems, you’ve likely seen the terms agroecology, regenerative agriculture, organic farming, and permaculture. These approaches often overlap, using practices like composting, intercropping, cover cropping, and limiting synthetic chemicals. They all emerged as alternatives to industrial agriculture, striving to grow food in ways that respect both people and nature. However, each one has its own focus, values, and limitations. Understanding those differences … [Read more...] about Agroecology vs Regenerative Agriculture, Permaculture & Organic Farming: A Comparative Guide
Agroecology
The Women Farmers Reviving Unused Land in Nepal with Agroecology
Radhika Mahato is a smallholder farmer in Sarlahi, Nepal. For years, she farmed the way most people around her did: one crop at a time, with chemical pesticides from the local shop, and she would buy most vegetables at the market. Most farming decisions were made by male family members, and she used to travel a long way to her field to farm every day. That started to change when she joined hands-on training sessions run by our local partner RWUA (Rural Women's Upliftment Association). The … [Read more...] about The Women Farmers Reviving Unused Land in Nepal with Agroecology
Joining Forces to Support Resilient Food Systems in Haiti: Acceso, PDL & Groundswell International’s Partnership
With the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Groundswell International, Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL), and Acceso, have been working on a 3-year program (April 2024 - March 2027) to strengthen connections between smallholder agroecological farmers and local market access in Haiti. The program is one of the initiatives of the Haiti Food System Alliance (HFSA), a network of 15 organizations working to transform Haiti's food systems. Together, we are producing results that … [Read more...] about Joining Forces to Support Resilient Food Systems in Haiti: Acceso, PDL & Groundswell International’s Partnership
In Nepal’s Terai Region, Women Farmers are Taking Back Control of their Seeds
In Sarlahi, a district in Nepal’s Terai region, women farmers are rebuilding control over their food supply by taking back ownership of their seeds. Their work is helping to protect generations of agricultural knowledge at risk of being lost forever. Until the 1990s, Nepal was a seed-exporting country. Today, it imports 90% of its vegetable seeds, and of the 4,300 rice varieties its farmers cultivated over decades, only around 150 remain. The shift began in the 1980s, when hybrid seeds … [Read more...] about In Nepal’s Terai Region, Women Farmers are Taking Back Control of their Seeds
“These Tools Have Changed The Way We Farm”: Appropriate Tools Are Making Farming Dignified Again in Ghana’s Savannah Region
Abdul Latif Issah, a 38-year-old farmer and respected community leader in Mahamuripe, Central Gonja District, is a husband and father of five. He serves as Secretary of the local community's Agroecology Committee*, coordinating learning sessions, mobilizing farmers, and documenting community progress. Farming has always been central to life in Mahamuripe, providing food, income, and cultural identity. Yet, like many rural communities, Mahamuripe has faced challenges that threatened productivity, … [Read more...] about “These Tools Have Changed The Way We Farm”: Appropriate Tools Are Making Farming Dignified Again in Ghana’s Savannah Region
The Women Who Feed Us: 15 Youth-Led Films Honoring Women Farmers
What does a woman farmer's day look like in the hills of Nepal? What does it mean to save seeds in Central America when decades of industrial agriculture have displaced traditional knowledge? What does it take to challenge a patriarchal tradition, and bring about social change? For the past three weeks, these are the questions youth from smallholder farming communities have been answering on film. Their short films premiered at our Field to Film Festival, an annual youth-led event showcasing … [Read more...] about The Women Who Feed Us: 15 Youth-Led Films Honoring Women Farmers