Status report from the African Centre for Biodiversity asesses impact of harmonized seed regulations on small farmers

A new status report, researched and written by Linzi Lewis and Sabrina Masinjila of the African Centre for Biodiversity, reviews the seed harmonization efforts of the South African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC). Seed harmonization efforts focus on the regulation of seed laws … Continue reading “Status report from the African Centre for Biodiversity asesses impact of harmonized seed regulations on small farmers”

Revisiting the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa’s comprehensive report on Agroecology

Last year, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) published a full 88-page report on agroecology. The report provides a clear definition of agroecology and its effective application in various contexts across Africa. It features 15 case studies from farmers in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Togo, and Tanzania. Each provides … Continue reading “Revisiting the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa’s comprehensive report on Agroecology”

En La Lucha No Hay Fronteras (In the Struggle There Are No Borders)

By Kathia Ramirez, Organizer, CATA (Comite de Apoyo a Los Trabajadores Agricolas/ The Farmworkers’ Support Committee) Fifth in the South Africa-US Agroecology Exchange Article Series In October of 2017, I had the opportunity to travel with 7 other comrades on an Agroecology Exchange to South Africa. This Exchange was a continuation of a process that had … Continue reading “En La Lucha No Hay Fronteras (In the Struggle There Are No Borders)”

Restoring my Indigeneity: Reflections on South Africa Agroecology Exchange by a Queer Black Urban Farmer, Dean Jackson

First in the South Africa-US Agroecology Exchange Article Series Dean Jackson is Executive Director of Hilltop Urban Gardens in Tacoma, Washington In October I was honored to join seven other delegates on a US-South Africa Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Learning Exchange. As a Black queer and non-binary person who is working to remember and restore my … Continue reading “Restoring my Indigeneity: Reflections on South Africa Agroecology Exchange by a Queer Black Urban Farmer, Dean Jackson”

Justina’s Reflections on the US-South Africa Agroecology Exchange

By Justina Ramirez, Farmworker Association of Florida community leader in Homestead, Florida  Fourth in the South Africa-US Agroecology Exchange Article Series In October 2017, I represented the Farmworker Association of Florida in a delegation of seven African American, Latinx, and Mexican farmers and farmworkers from the US arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa to participate in the … Continue reading “Justina’s Reflections on the US-South Africa Agroecology Exchange”

Thoughts on Intimacy with Food, Land, and Women from South Africa: “Where there are women you can never go wrong.”

By Alsie Parks, Field Organizer for Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON) Third in the South Africa-US Agroecology Exchange Article Series Black women possess knowledge that comes from a deep place of knowing and nurturing. “Innate agrarian artistry is the womanist praxis of using deep-rooted knowledge as a creatively healing, ancestrally honoring, and community self-determination … Continue reading “Thoughts on Intimacy with Food, Land, and Women from South Africa: “Where there are women you can never go wrong.””

Farmworkers Resist and Organize: Connected Struggles for Farmworker Justice in South Africa and the US

By Edgar Franks, Organizer with Community to Community Development in Bellingham, WA  Second in the South Africa-US Agroecology Exchange Article Series This past October I was part of the delegation sent by the US Food Sovereignty Alliance to South Africa.  The delegation is part of a process to connect with groups throughout Africa with US-based Food Sovereignty … Continue reading “Farmworkers Resist and Organize: Connected Struggles for Farmworker Justice in South Africa and the US”

Blogs, Reports, Fact Sheets, & More: CAGJ/AGRA Watch at UN Conference on Biodiversity

In December, staff and members of CAGJ and AGRA Watch traveled to Mexico to present in a conference in Mexico City on the current state of genetic engineering, participate in the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Cancun, and organize a side event with our African and European partners on the Gates Foundation and philanthrocapitalism. The … Continue reading “Blogs, Reports, Fact Sheets, & More: CAGJ/AGRA Watch at UN Conference on Biodiversity”