In a small farming village tucked in Nepal’s hilly countryside, women in pink and red saris crouch in tidy rows of plump tomatoes, their hands feeding the soil. Nearby, a group of women—the Jwaladevi Women Farmer Group—gather in a circle around a pile of green leaves to prepare biofertilizers. One of them chops aromatic herbs—nettle, neem, and bitter Artemisia—while another stirs them into a muddy mixture in a large plastic drum. Older women sit cross-legged, observing the process with keen … [Read more...] about This Women’s Group in Nepal is Restoring Soil Health with Biofertilizers
How Penda Turned a Dumping Ground into an Agroecological Urban Farm in Senegal
It's April. The temperature hovers at 104F (40°C). The ground feels hot beneath our feet, the wind is dry, and the air is heavy. Half-built buildings with brick and concrete walls line narrow sandy streets where women stride with heads held high and shoulders back, balancing fruit baskets atop their heads. The sky isn't as gray as in downtown Thiès or Dakar, but pollution still lingers, with faint smells of burning waste. Gray baobab trees, their branches bare, and a few thorny bushes are the … [Read more...] about How Penda Turned a Dumping Ground into an Agroecological Urban Farm in Senegal
Community-Led Responses to Conflict in the Sahel: Displaced Families Finding Refuge through Agroecology
Dakuyo Izoun, a 55-year-old butcher from Doumbala, Burkina Faso, was forced to rebuild his life from scratch when armed groups attacked his village. As the country grapples with one of the world’s most neglected polycrisis, thousands are fleeing their homes in search of safety in neighboring countries. But even in the Sahel, one of the harshest environments on Earth, communities are finding ways to care for each other, building powerful models of solidarity and resilience while providing refuge … [Read more...] about Community-Led Responses to Conflict in the Sahel: Displaced Families Finding Refuge through Agroecology
A Poem in Honor of Environmental Health Day, Written by Youth in Rural Honduras 🌿
"No more fires... Would you incinerate your own lungs?" This moving poem, written by youth from smallholder farming families in rural Honduras, reminds us that nature speaks—her groans echo the destruction we cause, but also the hope that we can protect her, and ourselves, by choosing a different path. "Care for the air we breathe as you would for yourself, every drop of water, every crop, every fruit, every medicinal plant." Our well-being is tied to the air we breathe, the water we … [Read more...] about A Poem in Honor of Environmental Health Day, Written by Youth in Rural Honduras 🌿
Young Voices from Mali and Honduras Celebrate Nature and Soil Conservation with Art
This month, youth from Mali and Honduras wrote, drew and spoke about their connection to nature in honor of World Nature Conservation Day and International Day for the Conservation of Soil. As participants in our Youth Storyteller Program, they document the transition to agroecology in their communities, filming, interviewing and photographing their families working in the field. Over time, they acquire essential farming skills, protect their land, and inspire rural youth to stay in their … [Read more...] about Young Voices from Mali and Honduras Celebrate Nature and Soil Conservation with Art
Agroecology in Senegal: Lessons from Mohammed’s Innovative Model Farm
Thiès is the third largest city in Senegal. It resembles a mini-Dakar: narrow streets of cement and unfinished buildings buzz with street vendors, unlicensed motorcycles, and corner cafés selling mostly Western food. While Dakar's coastline enjoys a fresh sea breeze in April, Thiès is engulfed in crushing heat that tastes like sand and smells like gasoline. But weather aside, the city is a marketplace of innovation and ideas, and a testing ground for innovative and sustainable farming methods … [Read more...] about Agroecology in Senegal: Lessons from Mohammed’s Innovative Model Farm