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Youth Storytellers: Empowering Advocates for Agroecology and the Future
In a world grappling with environmental degradation, food insecurity, and social inequities, the narrative of agricultural sustainability and resilience emerges as a beacon of hope. Our Youth Storytellers program stands at the forefront, empowering young voices from seven countries worldwide to illuminate the transformative power of agroecology. Through captivating videos and profound narratives, these global youth ambassadors unveil the profound impact of agroecology on their communities, advocating for sustainable practices that resonate far beyond local boundaries. They shared these powerfu …
What Fertile Ground Teaches Us About Scaling Agroecology
It is increasingly clear that the rules by which we have organized our broader economic and political systems, with our agricultural and food systems at their center, are generating overlapping economic, environmental, social, and political crises. Our general ‘operating system’ is broken and has led us to what many are now referring to as a ‘poly-crisis.’ Industrialized agricultural and food systems are major drivers of climate change, environmental destruction, the dangerous erosion of biodiversity, persistent global hunger and poverty, the displacement and migration of millions …
Year in Review: Progress and Action in 2023
2023 marked a significant year for Groundswell International, our partner organizations, and the communities in our programs. It brought a series of ongoing triumphs and remarkable displays of resilience within the communities we support. Furthermore, this year witnessed our message about the pivotal role of agroecology in cultivating robust agricultural and food systems starting at the grassroots level, reaching more people than ever before. Help us continue our vital work today, for a better 2024. Youth Storytellers and the 2nd Annual “Field to Film: Youth Storyteller Film Festival” Launched …
Recapping the 2023 Youth Storytellers with a Festival: Field to Film
In 2021, we launched an innovative program called Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso and Honduras. Our goal was to create a people-centered, agroecological counter-narrative opportunity for young storytellers to capture the experiences and daily lives of smallholder farmers. In 2023, thanks to generous support from funders and donors, we were able to expand the program to include more youth from more countries. The 2023 Field to Film festival included Burkina Faso, Honduras, Ecuador, Nepal, Haiti, Guatemala, and Senegal. Through the Youth Storytellers Program, Groundswell International and our …
Women Farmers and Climate Change in West Africa
By: Dioma Komonsira Already weakened by gender inequalities and socio-cultural norms, women farmers in West Africa face new challenges in the context of climate change. Due to the dependence of West African agriculture on rainfall, extreme weather events such as prolonged droughts, flash floods, and bushfires are becoming more frequent in the region and have a direct impact on harvests and, by extension, on the food security of farming households, especially women. Difficult access to water, arable land, and financing makes them particularly vulnerable. It exposes them to economic, food, and n …
Field to Film: Youth Storyteller Film Festival 2023
In 2021, we launched an innovative program called Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso and Honduras. Our goal was to create a people-centered, agroecological counter-narrative opportunity for young storytellers to capture the experiences and daily lives of smallholder farmers. Our program allowed the young people of Burkina Faso and Honduras to document the strategies and techniques that farmers in their communities use to achieve success and how they share universal elements with farmers from around the world. Moreover, these stories highlighted the use of agroecology, which has improved the re …