Each year, the annual report sums up the progress our organization has made in countries around the world. 2020 was a year plagued by hardships and crises, yet we were still able to partner with grassroots organizations to bring agroecological principles where resilience to hunger, disease, and poverty was needed most. Here are a few highlights from the 2020 Annual Report In Haiti, Groundswell is working with Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL) to scale farmer-led agroecology to … [Read more...] about Groundswell’s 2020 Annual Report: Highlights
Catalyzing Resilient Seed Systems in Mexico during COVID-19
In southern Mexico, the loss of native seed varieties is a crisis undermining indigenous communities and cultures. We at Groundswell International are facilitating a collaborative action-learning process with eight local NGOs to strengthen farmer’s capacities to recover, improve and distribute quality local corn, beans, wheat, and amaranth seeds. This reverses the loss of biodiversity and improves food production and resilience to climate change. Seed production is essential, not only to … [Read more...] about Catalyzing Resilient Seed Systems in Mexico during COVID-19
Improving the resilience of rural communities in the Sahel through pro-equity agroecology interventions
Systematic transformation is essential to tackle inequity and build resilience In the Sahel, the vast gap in food security between poor and wealthy households shows that economic growth benefits are not reaching the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, within rural communities. Evidence indicates that to improve resilience, a progressive transformation of the entire Sahelian farming system to address climate change and land degradation is essential. The primary way to … [Read more...] about Improving the resilience of rural communities in the Sahel through pro-equity agroecology interventions
Groundswell’s COVID-19 Response: People-Centered Solutions for Community Health, Food Security and Resilience
COVID-19 is spreading to developing countries, where high levels of poverty, inequality and inadequate healthcare infrastructure make controlling the virus even more challenging than it is in developed nations. Almost three billion people across the developing world do not have access to clean water, and hundreds of millions do not have access to adequate healthcare and live in crowded conditions where social distancing is all but impossible. Without urgent action, the COVID-19 pandemic will … [Read more...] about Groundswell’s COVID-19 Response: People-Centered Solutions for Community Health, Food Security and Resilience
The Most Important Innovation for Agriculture in Africa: Democracy
The front page headline of Ghana’s Business and Financial Times for January 17, 2020 reads: “National Well-being wins over foreign interests as the gov’t ditches GMOs.” The article quotes a dramatic statement from Ghana’s Agriculture Minister Dr. Akoto Owusu Afriyie, rejecting the need for GMO seeds in Ghana. “I’m a scientist,” said Minister Afriyie. “I believe in science. GMO is a method of science. But it’s like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Ghana does … [Read more...] about The Most Important Innovation for Agriculture in Africa: Democracy
Groundswell International Publishes Brief: “Scaling Agroecology in the Sahel: Elements of Good Practice – A Guide for Civil Society”
“There is a lot of learning that still needs to be done about how to scale or amplify agroecology,” says Peter Gubbels, Groundswell’s Director for Action Learning and Advocacy in West Africa. “Some valuable principles have been identified, but there are not a lot of good, practical examples of how to do this. What are the steps and pathways? It is a crucial area of learning because we have to scale agroecology effectively to transform and fix our global agricultural and food … [Read more...] about Groundswell International Publishes Brief: “Scaling Agroecology in the Sahel: Elements of Good Practice – A Guide for Civil Society”