In the Indigenous worldview, seeds are both biological entities and embodiments of immateriality: knowledge, culture and the sacred. Indigenous seed systems thus codify the human connection to nature. Yet such ‘informal’ systems, whether developed by Indigenous peoples or small-scale farmers, barely surface in policy debates. Krystyna Swiderska and Alejandro Argumedo seek...

The Paumari people of the Tapaua River are known as the ‘water people’. They belong to the Arawa linguistic family of the Western Brazilian Amazon, traditionally inhabiting rivers and lakes. Fishing is their strongest social and cultural representation. The Paumari’s aquatic skills have long been described in the literature, including...

Humans depend on a thin planetary ‘skin’ made up of life in all its diversity: biodiversity. Agriculture now covers the largest portion (46%) of the global land surface area; its ecological health and resilience in the face of changing climate is therefore critical to human survival. The biodiversity found within...

This article establishes how Indigenous and local knowledge could contribute to the building of resilient, sustainable and nutritious food systems in a way that is equitable.

La Oficina de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) para América Latina y el Caribe, realizó el miércoles 26 de abril a las 11:30 hrs., en el seminario regional “No hay buenos cultivos, sin buenas semillas”. En la instancia, se abordarán temas vinculados a...

The University of Vermont (USA) launches a new Institute for Agroecology (IFA) that works with and for farmers, Indigenous people, social movements, and communities who are driving change in Vermont and around the world. Through research, learning, and action, IFA mobilizes knowledge to nurture agroecology research, practice, and movements.

At IFAD we are actively engaging with Indigenous Peoples seeking ways to increase participation, expand the space for Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and perspectives and more effectively affirm the right to free, prior and informed consent. We are learning to better practice codesign as a way to identify the challenges Indigenous...

Coffee has long been an important economic activity for many Indigenous Peoples in Panama. Yet the lack of economic resources, technical assistance and market integration hinders the development of sustainable businesses. Learn how an initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with funding from the Japan Special Fund Poverty Reduction...

El artículo habla de las ventajas del pulque que es una bebida viva y compleja, que a pesar de casi 2000 años de historia de producción en México, ha resistido cualquier intento de ser embotellada y comercializada a gran escala.

Humans depend on a thin planetary ‘skin’ made up of life in all its diversity: biodiversity. Agriculture now covers the largest portion (46%) of the global land surface area; its ecological health and resilience in the face of changing climate is therefore critical to human survival. The biodiversity found within...

The Kitarasa Banana is an important element of food culture at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. This banana variety is used to make flour for porridge, to produce a traditional local beer and as mixture with traditional dishes. Nevertheless, Kitarasa producers are decreasing, due to changes in culture, lifestyle, poor...

State of the World's Plants and Fungi 2023 Our fifth report in the State of the World’s series lays out the current condition of the world’s plants and fungi globally, and is titled 'Tackling the Nature Emergency: Evidence, gaps and priorities' It is the second report that is accompanied by a full volume of expert-reviewed scientific...

En el artículo, el Dr. Alejandro Espinosa de Cibiogem habla de la necesidad de preservar los maíces nativos mexicanos para cuidar la diversidad biológica y nuestras tortillas, alimento principal de México.

Face aux enjeux de sécurité et de souveraineté alimentaires, couplés aux impératifs environnementaux, l’agriculture africaine doit se transformer pour s’inscrire dans une logique de durabilité. Das sa note d’analyse d’avril 2023, l’Observatoire de l’action climat en Afrique s'intéresse aux approches adaptatives conciliant savoir-faire locaux et approches exogènes.

Long before the sun rises above the towering trees of the Panamanian rainforest, Elizabeth Méndez, a Guna Indigenous Woman, wakes up to the sound of her rooster crowing. She lives in a house made of bamboo and thatch, nestled deep in the lush green forests. This is where she and...

Beyond the interplay of land, investment and migration over time in central Mali, this book tells the story of a special attachment to the place and people of one scholar’s foundational fieldwork experience, Dlonguebougou (DBG) – which the author visited over 35 years. Its pages intertwine technical topics with personal...

Tengo 62 años y sigo trabajando en la artesanía. Este es nuestro arte”, se presenta la agricultora y artesana María Posiva, del Municipio de San Antonio de Lomerío, en Bolivia. Desde los 10 años aprendió el oficio del hilado con su abuela y el algodón está presente en su historia...

La artesana paraguaya María del Carmen, 38 años, cree en el empoderamiento de las mujeres rurales por medio de la producción y la comercialización del algodón, además de generar una importante fuente de trabajo e ingreso a las familias que se dedican a la agricultura primaria o de pequeña escala. Su...

Desde su origen la humanidad ha utilizado a la flora y la fauna de diversas maneras, como alimento, bebida, medicina, ropa, materiales de construcción y combustible. No es de sorprenderse entonces que a una escala planetaria, la diversidad cultural de la especie humana se encuentra estrechamente asociada con las principales...

Declaración de Santo Domingo: Juntos hacia una Iberoamérica justa y Sostenible, aprobada durante la XXVIII Cumbre Iberoamericana de Jefas y Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno realizada el 25 de marzo de 2023. Las Jefas y los Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno de los países iberoamericanos, reunidos el 25 de...