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Farming, Food Justice And Land Rights

/Farming, Food Justice And Land Rights

 

10 12, 2025

Accelerating Women’s Climate Solutions in the U.S.

2025-12-10T01:29:49-05:00Tags: |

As written on the Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) webpage, the “U.S. Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders” was designed to “catalyze the critical efforts of women leaders who have stepped forward to protect our families, communities, and ecosystems from environmental and climate threats.” The U.S. Accelerator supports a diverse group of women leaders across the United States to deepen their strategies for impact and design action plans; build alliances within and across movements with leaders in their sector; and gain skills in professional development, leadership, entrepreneurship, advocacy, communications, and technical solutions. The 2023 cohort of U.S. Leaders included 25 women from various U.S. states and territories working on projects related to regenerative agriculture, food justice, autonomous health and reproductive justice, and traditional lifeways. Ebonie Randle from Cleveland, Ohio, is the Founding Director of Shalom & Tranquility Garden Network and works as Lead Farmer at Shalom & Tranquility Community Garden. She joined the 2023 cohort through her project to transform neighborhood spaces and use gardening to educate, unify, and improve community wellness. Michelle Crisostomo, another member from the 2023 cohort from Guam, is the President and Co-Founder of Guåhan Sustainable Culture (GSC) and joined the Accelerator based on her project to help her community seek food security through local farmer education and collaborative partnerships that involve plant and poultry farming, while also distributing produce to food-insecure families. The WEA U.S. Accelerator Leaders work at the intersection of issues including climate, conservation, economics, education, energy, food and agriculture, health and safety, indigenous lifeways, waste management, and water. Women’s Earth Alliance believes that by investing in women leaders to create and lead solutions for change, they are creating conditions for an inclusive, safe, and thriving world.

16 10, 2025

When the floodwaters rise: Putting women at the center of Climate Adaptation in Cameroon

2025-12-10T01:24:53-05:00Tags: |

The disproportionate damage that climate disasters have on women was evident in the aftermath of the devastating floods that hit Cameroon’s Far North region in 2024. Many of the women residing in affected cities rely on either public transportation which was halted by the waterlogged streets, or traveling by foot which was made more dangerous by unlit walkways and power outages. Furthermore, women in the affected regions report more feelings of danger in public spaces and face the greatest risks of displacement due to insecure land rights. However, an ongoing Sustainable Cities and Land Project funded by the World Bank and supported by the Global Center on Adaptation has proposed a variety of gender-responsive climate adaptation measures that focus on urban resilience, women’s land rights, and women’s safety. For example, in order for the climate adaptation project to take into consideration women’s safety following flood disasters, GCA recommended that beyond drainage improvements, the project also integrate solar lighting that can remain functional regardless of flooding. In Douala and Yauondé, only 24% of land titles in Cameroon are held by women, a framework that places women more at risk for displacement following climate disasters. In response, the climate adaptation project taking place will also prioritize strengthening legal clinics, leading awareness campaigns, and conducting training programs to guide women through land registration procedures. 

24 08, 2025

The Woman Holding Chinese Mining Giants Accountable

2025-12-11T13:50:54-05:00Tags: |

Upon learning that 50 million liters of waste from a Chinese copper mine in Zambia had flooded farms, communities, and water sources, Jingjing Zhang became involved in planning a lawsuit against Sino-Metals Leach Zambia. The mine’s pollution wiped out an entire year of crop yields for residents living downstream. Water meant for drinking, fishing, and irrigation became contaminated with acid and heavy metals. During her preliminary meetings with community members, Zhang emphasized that for state-owned Chinese companies like Sino-Metals, Western-style advocacy would not work. Zhang has a long background in confronting companies that pollute or displace communities in Global South countries for profit. Having grown up near chemical plants and steel mills, she experienced extreme air pollution at a time when environmentalists in China were severely oppressed. Despite this, she persevered and took part in China’s first environmental class-action lawsuit against a chemical company that contaminated water sources in Fujian Province. She has repeatedly witnessed the Chinese government prioritize profit over people’s livelihoods and has seen this model replicated in countries already deeply indebted to China, such as Zambia. When working with affected residents in Kalusale, she centered community leadership and lived experience, supporting community-led research initiatives and educating residents on their rights. This was essential in the face of Sino-Metals and government officials who not only deflected requests for information but claimed the river water quality was unaffected. Despite numerous barriers, including constant surveillance by company officials and feeling unable to return to China, she remains committed to fighting for climate justice and environmental rights.

8 07, 2025

Seeds of Change: Women farmers in Yemen grow food, income, and confidence

2025-12-04T00:52:58-05:00Tags: |

As of March 2025, Yemen’s food insecurity crisis and famine had reached 18.2 million people, impacting more than half of its population. The food shortages have been attributed to ongoing conflict, high inflation, extreme drought, and groundwater depletion. This article follows a woman named Bushra through her struggles and leadership as she supports her family through gardening and selling produce. CARE and WFP co-launched a home gardening capacity-building initiative in Bushra’s town, where they gave participants vegetable seeds, irrigation systems, and training related to harvesting and planting. The training was purposefully structured so that the women involved would become the teachers by the end of the program so that they could lead the project at every level as is their right. The intervention was targeted towards confronting both the scarcity of resources and the high cost of food and materials at markets. Now, women in this rural sub-district in the hills of Taiz Governorate are growing, eating, and selling their own vegetables. Bushra reported a noticeable difference in their living conditions and in the sense of community around her. She specified being able to buy her children school supplies, having more involvement in decision-making in her home, and cultivating stronger relationships with neighbors and community members as they tend to their gardens together and share seeds and advice.

1 07, 2025

Renewable Energy: A Boon for Women Farmers in Cambodia

2025-07-13T19:36:00-04:00Tags: |

For Im Heng, a farmer in the southern Takeo province of Cambodia, diesel-powered water pumps were once a central tool in maintaining her farm. However, these diesel-powered generators came with several negative side effects—from the weight of the generators, which had to be carried across long distances by women like Heng, to the detrimental impacts of emissions on the environment. Heng eventually replaced her diesel-powered water pump with a solar-powered pump. This pump not only reduces the emissions of harmful greenhouse gases but is also easier to transport and has significantly lowered her electricity bill. For female-identifying farmers in rural communities, the upfront cost of technologies like solar-powered pumps is often a significant barrier when transitioning to safer and more environmentally-friendly tools that support their farms. These challenges are compounded by the added difficulty women often face in obtaining loans for such equipment, making the transition to renewable energy technologies even more difficult. Heng was able to purchase the solar-powered pump with financial support from the UNEP’s EmPower project. EmPower has uplifted 473 women entrepreneurs like Heng to sustainably expand their businesses. Duek Da, another farmer in the Takeo province, also transitioned to using a solar-powered water pump and has experienced great benefits. Da’s community is severely affected by extreme weather events such as flooding and droughts. Thanks to this pump, she has a reliable source of power to support her farm.

9 04, 2025

Not waiting for the government, Myanmar’s Karen people register their own lands

2025-04-09T19:40:17-04:00Tags: |

Kathmandu-based journalist Sonam Lama Hyolmo writes about the Karen people's efforts to advance their struggle for self-determination by mapping and documenting their ancestral lands. This initiative, led by the Karen National Union (KNU), follows a long history of armed struggle between the Indigenous Karen people and Myanmar’s central government. So far, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other tools, over 3.5 million hectares have been mapped, thanks to the active participation of local communities. Although the Karen traditionally view land as communal, the land title certificates that have emerged from this effort have provided villagers with a new sense of security against land grabs by the government, megaprojects, and extractive industries. Viewing their relationship with the land as reciprocal and themselves as its stewards, the Karen emphasize their desire for decentralized autonomy. With military aerial attacks forcing many communities into displacement, biodiversity is further threatened as demarcation and documentation efforts are delayed. Displaced communities find themselves forced to clear areas within the Salween Peace Park, a local biodiversity hotspot, to build shelter and cultivate crops. Despite these challenges, the demarcation efforts have successfully brought communities together, allowing them to analyze the data gathered in groups. Historically, the Karen have resisted the 1948 laws stating that all natural resources belong to the government, and they have taken up arms to defend their territorial rights. Since the beginning of their territorial mapping efforts, the government has expressed interest in studying land administration and governance practices from the KNU.

31 03, 2025

The Forced Sterilization Of India’s Sugarcane Farmworkers

2025-12-09T23:36:59-05:00Tags: |

In Beed, Maharashtra, countless female sugarcane farm workers are being forced into dangerous and exploitative medical procedures. A 2018 NGO survey revealed that 36% of women in Beed had undergone a hysterectomy, compared to a national average of just 3%. In many villages, nearly one woman per household had her uterus removed, with the procedure being carried out for a variety of reasons. These surgeries are rarely by choice: women often seek help for treatable issues such as infections or irregular periods but are misleadingly told by doctors that their uterus is supposedly 'damaged' or that they might 'catch cancer' without surgery. A government committee later confirmed that over 13,500 hysterectomies had been performed from a survey of 80,000 women, and warned that the true number could be much higher. Women such as Bhanubai Madhulkar Shinde and Shailaja Gandhle were deceived into having their uteruses removed to meet the demands of Maharashtra’s massive sugar industry. Contractors and doctors exploit them to ensure uninterrupted labor, since menstruation or pregnancy could reduce productivity. Activists such as Trupti Malti and Usha Balasaheb Awhad are exposing how this exploitation is deepened by the combined effects of capitalism and climate change. Rising temperatures and droughts worsen working conditions, pushing women’s bodies beyond their limits. In the pursuit of profit and productivity, their health, dignity and autonomy are compromised, revealing the deep intertwining of gender, labor and climate injustice in India’s sugarcane fields.

22 01, 2025

Women Agricultural Workers Demand Social Security Benefits

2025-12-15T20:46:01-05:00Tags: |

Written by Dhouha Djerbi, a Tunisian doctoral candidate, the article addresses the importance of implementing Decree No. 4 of 2024, which aims to establish a social protection program for women working in the agricultural sector. This protection includes economic inclusion, social security coverage, and ensuring women’s access to decent work. Maroua Ber-Regueb, a farm worker, traveled from Medenine to Tunis to present a manifesto to the Tunisian General Labor Union calling for the implementation of the decree, which had been celebrated by many women across the country. A 2023 study on the conditions of women working in the agricultural sector, a group comprising over 521,000 individuals according to 2017 statistics, revealed that 92 percent of respondents had no form of social security and instead faced exploitative conditions such as low wages, gender-based violence, and harsh working environments. Ber-Regueb recounts the dangers faced by uninsured women, including barriers to accessing proper healthcare in the event of work-related accidents, unsafe transportation to and from workplaces, and the lack of regulation surrounding pesticide exposure. Coverage for the program will be managed by the National Social Security Fund, to which most Tunisians contribute, while the state will cover or subsidize the contributions of women in the agricultural sector for the first three years. The women’s syndicate emphasized the significance of this decree for achieving food sovereignty in Tunisia.

11 12, 2024

Women, Girls Hardest Hit By Malnutrition

2025-12-04T01:31:59-05:00Tags: |

Gender injustice, one of the main drivers of malnutrition and hunger among women and girls, is deeply entrenched in domestic spaces, with inequalities being evident at the household level through food distribution inequality. Women and girls are often provided with less nutritious and inadequate food. They also suffer disproportionately from the effects of extreme weather events and climate-induced natural disasters. Reforms are needed at all levels, from individual to systems change, and from formal mechanisms to informal social and cultural change to integrate gender justice. Greater investment in promoting youth inclusion, gender equality, climate and food justice is necessary to guarantee the right to adequate and healthy foods to all people. Breaking the cycle of hunger requires community driven solutions, inclusive policies and climate resilience. Youth and marginalized groups must be empowered to design and govern food systems, ensuring no one is left behind.

18 10, 2024

How the Navajo Nation Is Reclaiming Food Sovereignty

2025-04-09T19:25:17-04:00Tags: , |

Mobile cooking classes, educational farms, and social media are transforming the food deserts that have long affected the Navajo Nation. For generations, residents of the Navajo Nation have struggled with food insecurity and limited access to fresh, unprocessed foods. This issue traces back to colonial history, when Indigenous communities were denied their food rights and forcibly displaced from their lands. The situation worsened after the Navajo people were returned to their lands following their imprisonment at the Fort Sumner prison camp in the late 1800s, where they became dependent on food rations provided by the US government. The impacts of systemic discrimination and slow violence have shaped food infrastructures within the Navajo Nation ever since. As a result, processed foods have become embedded in daily life, and health advocates are concerned about their negative effects. The prevalence of processed foods, compounded by poverty and the erosion of traditional knowledge around growing and foraging local foods, has contributed to rising rates of diabetes and other health issues. Women like Denisa Livingston, elected as the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor, are leading efforts to combat these challenges. Livingston advocates for a junk food tax specific to the Navajo Nation and promotes increased nutritional diversity through traditional food practices. Rather than shaming individuals for consuming processed foods, especially in the context of poverty and limited access to whole foods or kitchen appliances, Livingston and other advocates emphasize the need to resist the colonial mindset that has left many feeling powerless. The goal is to empower communities to reclaim their food sovereignty and health through education and cultural revitalization.

9 10, 2024

Dolores Huerta Is Still Fighting to Keep Democracy Alive

2025-12-09T22:27:18-05:00Tags: |

Zoe Loftus-Farren, the managing editor of Earth Island Journal, interviewed Dolores Huerta, a leading environmentalist and activist from the United States of America. The interview, held shortly before Huerta’s 94th birthday, discussed how varying justice movements are fundamentally interconnected. Huerta has dedicated her life to women’s rights, farmworkers, labor, and environmental movements, pushing for improved working conditions, fair wages, and a farmworker’s collective organization. Among her decades of community organizing, she played an integral role in the establishment of the United Farm Workers Association and spearheaded the Dolores Huerta Foundation to engage marginalized communities through educational initiatives and civic engagement. She recognizes that farmworkers are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, facing deep marginalization and systemic violence, while simultaneously stewarding the land, feeding our world, and sowing the foundations of some of the most powerful and engaged organizing across movements. This is exacerbated in both regards for women farmworkers who face unique struggles but are consistently leaders fighting for cross-sectional justice. Looking to the future, Huerta implores environmentalists to organize at the community level, with some calls to action including engaging more closely with labor organizations, recognizing the importance of monitoring climate funding, and fulfilling their obligation to reject fascism at the ballot box. Huerta shows us the transformative potential of collective action in the creation of significant outcomes.

29 08, 2024

Resilient women farmers in Chad battle climate challenges and social barriers

2025-12-15T20:50:37-05:00Tags: |

Despite women constituting more than 60% of Chad’s agricultural workforce, they are frequently denied land ownership and autonomy over agricultural work. Chad has been experiencing rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and deteriorating soil quality which have caused crop failures, insect infestations, and food insecurity. As a country where agriculture employs approximately 80% of the labor force, the consequences of the climate crisis are particularly powerful. Many women interviewed have recounted how climate change has affected their crop yields, cultivation plans, and economic livelihood. At the same time, it is still common for women to be expected to be especially responsible for childcare while simultaneously working as farmers and while being excluded from inheritance. This is an example of the nuanced challenges facing women’s rights that may seem separate from climate justice, but that provenly exacerbate climate change’s gendered effects. Addressing it requires prioritizing women’s experiences in order to avoid prescriptive approaches that may misinterpret sociocultural values through a purely Western lens. The AgriJob Booster Chad project (AJB-C) is an ongoing initiative with some potential. Georgine Néloumta, a leader of CELIAF, reports the intervention successfully removes practical barriers by providing participants with otherwise scarce and expensive resources, such as seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural equipment. Through eliminating these obstacles, the project supports women in growing and selling their own produce, which subsequently has caused them to become more included in household decisions regarding finances. The project nonetheless has imperfections and limitations. While it can be considered a start, it’s not enough. A multifaceted process that 1.) places women’s leadership at the forefront, 2.) coordinates with community leaders to change societal attitudes, 3.) encourages policy enforcement that center protection of women’s rights, and 4.) enables women to invest in their farms and businesses is required to build upon the successes and shortcomings of smaller-scale projects such as these. Resilient women farmers in Chad battle climate challenges and social barriers

28 08, 2024

Women in Chad defy discrimination and violence to assert their rights to own and control land

2025-12-15T20:55:47-05:00Tags: |

Following the story of Milla Nemoudji, a young woman from a village in southern Chad who divorced her husband due to abuse, this article outlines the struggles women face in sustaining their livelihoods in communities where access to land is controlled by men. With customary law often applied over statutory law, many women are excluded from inheritance and land ownership. These processes are regulated by village chiefs and depend on annual payments and the mediation of male relatives. For Nemoudji, this situation changed when she joined N-Bio Solutions, an initiative founded in 2018 by Adèle Noudjilembaye. Noudjilembaye, an agriculturalist and activist from a neighboring village, has since established five village collectives aimed at supporting women by negotiating with village chiefs and facilitating the leasing of land from other residents. While these collectives are constrained by limited financial resources and the potential risks women may face for participating, they have already begun to transform agricultural practices in Binmar, where women have adopted more sustainable methods such as crop rotation and organic farming.

14 08, 2024

Indigenous women explore how to adapt to climate change in Asal regions

2025-04-09T17:47:08-04:00Tags: |

A group of women from Kenya, organized by the Samburu Women Trust and supported by the Defenders Coalition, gathered to discuss strategies for adapting to climate change. Arid and semi-arid regions have been especially hard hit by drought, and new challenges are emerging, including human rights violations and land tenure issues. These Indigenous women and human rights defenders are working to advance the rights of pastoralist communities, as well as Indigenous women and girls, with the goal of reducing harmful practices that deepen their marginalization. Many of the women have experienced forced evictions from ancestral lands and now face the threat of seizure of unregistered lands or disputes caused by overlapping title deeds. They also highlighted limited access to climate finance in the ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) regions, along with the lack of resources, capacity, and information that grassroots communities need to leverage such financing. Additionally, women are often excluded from decisions about the use of natural resources. Jane Meriwas, executive director of the Samburu Women Trust, emphasized that women are frequently discouraged from speaking out due to cultural norms, making the collection of their voices and testimonies a milestone in itself. Kamau Ngugi, executive director of the Defenders Coalition, stressed the importance of this gathering to identify gaps and assess progress in the rights of Indigenous and pastoralist women, with the goal of developing unified, strategic responses. According to the participants, a coordinated and holistic approach is urgently needed—as they are already witnessing loss of life from climate-related disasters, compounded by a lack of government preparedness.

13 08, 2024

Ivory Coast: Women cooperative for vegetables transforms rural village

2025-03-09T23:48:57-04:00Tags: |

In Fapaha, a village on the northern Ivory Coast, women have formed a cooperative to grow and sell vegetables and legumes with a goal of gaining financial independence without relying on handouts. Supported by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP), which provided farming tools and market access, the women now sell produce to the local school canteen and a local market garden. This initiative has empowered them to play a more significant role in the village’s traditionally male-dominated society. More women work in agriculture on the Ivory Coast than any other sector, making up 42.9% of the agricultural workforce. However, they face persistent land ownership challenges, with only 8% owning land, compared to 22% of men. Initiatives such as this cooperative are changing this narrative and providing pathways for women that benefit entire communities.

9 07, 2024

Iraq: Women Win Leadership of New Farmers Union

2025-04-18T17:27:03-04:00Tags: |

In May 2024, agricultural workers in Iraq’s Hawija district formed the Farmers’ Union under the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI). For the first time, women were elected to key leadership positions, including president and vice president. The union’s formation was followed by training where workers, especially women, learned about their rights and the power of union organizing. Facing wage exploitation, unsafe working conditions, gender-based violence, and a lack of social protections, many women saw unionization as a pathway towards fair treatment. Climate change has further worsened working conditions, with extreme heat and desertification threatening agricultural livelihoods, making unionization even more important. Hawija, once a prosperous agricultural hub, suffered immense damage during the ISIS occupation but many residents have since returned to farming to rebuild their lives after the land was reclaimed.

6 06, 2024

Major land rights win for Indigenous Peoples over forest area the size of Hong Kong in Southwest Papua

2025-04-09T19:16:19-04:00Tags: |

Four thousand Indigenous Papuans from the Knasaimos peoples have recently received legal recognition of their customary rights over 241,000 acres of tropical rainforest in Indonesia’s Southwest Papua province. Before this, these Indigenous Papuans were largely ignored by the Indonesian legal system, while land concessions were given to loggers and plantation companies. As a result, much of the land was cleared and converted for industrial use. The land now recognized under customary rights is held by local clans, each with collective traditional titles over territories that include sago groves, food gardens, and housing. Outsiders are allowed only to rent land within the customary area. This recognition is particularly significant for women, many of whom rely on the land for their livelihoods. Duketini Marlina Youwe of Bentara Papua, a local organization, emphasizes that the traditional forests are integral to the Knasaimos' identity and serve as sources of food, building materials, and medicine. Many women collect food and medicinal plants, provide them to their families, and also generate income by selling produce. While this legal recognition represents an important step forward, many Indigenous communities continue to lose their land, forests, and biodiversity to corporate interests. Campaigners from Greenpeace Indonesia highlight that full legal protection and recognition of Indigenous forests are necessary for lasting solutions. Kiki Taufik, Global Head of Greenpeace Indonesia’s Forest Campaign, stresses that this recognition must be extended to all Indigenous peoples to truly protect their lands and cultures.

26 05, 2024

Celebrating Women’s Impact in Food Policy

2025-04-18T17:39:12-04:00Tags: |

Women have played a critical role in shaping food policy, driving change, and advocating for equitable access to nutritious food. From grassroots activists to policymakers, their leadership has been essential in promoting food justice and sustainability. Women such as Marion Nestle, a renowned nutritionist and author, have pioneered vital reforms in food politics, advocating for transparency and public health accountability. Karen Karp, founder of Karen Karp & Partners, has advanced urban agriculture and local food economies, while Frances Moore Lappé, the author of Diet for a Small Planet, has inspired shifts toward sustainable diets and environmental stewardship. Grassroots leaders like Sheryll Durrant and Karen Washington have tackled food justice and sovereignty, uplifting marginalized communities through urban agriculture and community gardening initiatives. Leaders like Danielle Nierenberg, founder of Food Tank, and Helena Bottemiller Evich, creator of FoodFix, have shaped public discourse on food systems through media platforms. As more women take leadership roles, addressing ongoing inequities and amplifying diverse voices will be essential in advancing inclusive food policies.

16 05, 2024

Mothers of Papua: The Relationship of Indigenous Women with Nature in the Land of Papua

2025-04-09T21:06:04-04:00Tags: |

Workers of the World Resource Institute Indonesia reflect on the special role of women in the Papua province of Indonesia, with a particular focus on their contributions in West Papua. Women in Papua play a crucial role in ensuring food security for their families, upholding and supporting traditions and ceremonies, and leading environmental protection efforts. Through groups like the Bersaudara Forest Farmers Group, they are actively engaged in reforesting their land to secure future access to water. Other women’s groups organize collective gardening efforts to preserve nature and protect the soil. This knowledge positions women as vital participants in mapping processes, conflict resolution, and their communities’ fight for the recognition of Customary Forests. In tribes such as the Kamoro, women are entrusted with managing natural resources and preserving traditional knowledge about the tribe’s history, as well as medicinal and agricultural practices. Their production of food and artisanal crafts—often sold at markets—also contributes significantly to household financial security. Papua’s distinctive context plays a key role in all of this, especially under the “special autonomy law,” which calls for maximum public participation. Nonetheless, as the authors point out, the target of a 30% quota for women’s representation in local governance remains unmet, currently stalled at just 15%, despite women holding many crucial roles within their communities. This underrepresentation is also evident in the 2021 local Gender Empowerment Index, which scored only 62.17 for West Papua Province—15 points below the national average. Although the Papua province scored slightly higher, it too remained below the national average. For Papuan women, this gap is visible in the everyday inadequacies of infrastructure and health facilities.

29 04, 2024

Palestinian Women Speak Out: The Drying of Jordan River, Depleting Water and Livelihoods

2025-04-18T11:32:06-04:00Tags: |

In the face of Israel's ruthless exploitation of the Jordan River, Palestinian women are elucidating the horrific manipulation of water as a tool of brutal warfare, revealing a longstanding strategy epitomized by Israel's deliberate destruction and weaponization of Palestine's natural resources. Megan Awwad's childhood encounter with the degraded river, once a symbol of vitality and history, starkly illustrates the ecological devastation wrought by occupation. Jan Selby's analysis underscores the pivotal role of water in Israel's colonial agenda, used to dispossess Palestinians and fuel territorial ambitions. Amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the plight of Palestine's natural environment and its people's rights is more apparent than ever. From the Nakba to the present day, Israel's manipulation of the Jordan River has caused irreparable harm, displacing communities and erasing cultural heritage. Abdelrahman Tamimi's poignant reflection highlights the river's significance to Palestinian identity, now threatened by deliberate desertification and displacement. As Palestinians endure systemic injustice and engineered food insecurity, Laura Alajma's testimony exposes Israel's exploitation of water resources to sustain illegal settlements. The weaponization of the Jordan River mirrors Israel's broader colonial project, epitomized by ongoing devastation in Gaza. Despite promises of environmental stewardship, Zayneb alShalalfeh's critique, as part of the Palestinian Women Water Practitioners Network, reveals Israel's greenwashing tactics, underscoring the urgent need for a political solution to address Palestine's ecological and humanitarian crisis.

15 04, 2024

Climate Change, Conflict, and Gender Inequality in the MENA Region

2025-12-15T21:00:51-05:00Tags: |

As not only one of the world’s most gender-unequal regions but also one of the most water-stressed, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region sees women disproportionately affected by poverty: 70 percent of the region’s 1.3 million people living in poverty are women. Although women make up over half of the agricultural workforce, they remain underrepresented in natural resource decision-making and are frequently denied land ownership, holding less than 5 percent of agricultural land across the region. This exclusion is driven by the complexity of land registration systems, limited access to information about land laws and national policies, and practices of coercion and land retention by family members. Women employed as casual agricultural workers often have little social security and are rarely protected in the face of climate-related disasters. At the same time, many head households or serve as primary breadwinners, placing them at heightened risk of losing their livelihoods. Refugees are especially affected, as agriculture is often one of the few sectors open to them. In Lebanon, for example, an estimated 50 percent of Syrian refugee women are employed in agriculture, many of whom have since lost their jobs due to heat waves, while men are more likely to migrate to urban centers in search of alternative employment. Across the MENA region, women perform 4.7 times more unpaid care work than men and face additional restrictions on their mobility due to fears of sexual and gender-based violence. Yet despite intensifying environmental stressors and mounting social pressures, MENA countries spend an average of 4.2 percent of regional GDP on the military, double the global average.

11 03, 2024

Behind the glossy International Women’s Day pictures, women are still excluded in agriculture

2025-04-18T21:06:17-04:00Tags: |

Despite progress towards gender equality in agriculture, there are still significant disparities. Statistics reveal that family farms are still predominantly inherited by sons, leaving many women in farming families to be overlooked. Women in agriculture face systemic barriers such as a lack of access to resources and limited representation within the agricultural services industry. This leads to their contributions often being unrecognized and unpaid, even though they perform a significant portion of the labor. The article's author, Gabrielle Chan, calls for meaningful changes to support women in the sector properly, such as pay raises, board representation, and larger shares in business ownership. Without substantial reforms, the celebrations of women’s achievements remain superficial, failing to address the ongoing challenges faced by women in agriculture.

15 02, 2024

Sowing Resilience: Women Leading the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library

2025-04-18T10:45:53-04:00Tags: |

Amidst Israel's ongoing assault on Palestinian people and traditions, the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library (PHSL) stands as a beacon of resilience, preserving not just seeds but the very essence of Palestinian identity and connection to the land. Founded by Vivien Sansour in 2014, the library carries forward ancestral agricultural practices while serving as a testament to Palestinian perseverance in the face of unimaginable adversity. Through the dispersion of seeds and the sharing of stories, the PHSL defies attempts to erase Palestinian culture and heritage. In a world where traditional livelihoods are under siege, planting heirloom seeds becomes an act of defiance, symbolizing a commitment to survival and continuity. As Palestinians and their lifeways endure profound challenges, the seed library offers a living archive fostering dynamic relationships between humans, nature, and the land. In these seeds lies the hope for a future where resilience triumphs over oppression, and where ancestral wisdom guides us through uncertain times.

15 01, 2024

EACOP in Uganda – How a heated oil pipeline leaves women and children in despair

2025-04-09T15:35:45-04:00Tags: |

In a podcast hosted by the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Onke Ngcuka reports on her research into the impact of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) on local communities—particularly women and children. Ngcuka, a climate and environmental journalist for the Daily Maverick, found that the pipeline, which runs from Uganda to Tanzania and spans approximately 1,500 km (932 miles), has led to the displacement of communities both at its extraction point in Uganda and along its entire route. Among those displaced, women are bearing the brunt of the impact, as they are often not the official titleholders of the land they cultivate. As caretakers of land, families, and communities, the women interviewed shared that they frequently received little to none of the compensation paid to their families. For many, their ancestral lands are all they’ve ever known. Concerns are growing around food security, as local food systems—already strained by colonial legacies—face additional disruption. There is also fear that Indigenous, climate-resilient crops could be lost or replaced. Ngcuka warns that what’s happening now may be a microcosm of the region’s future, and she praises the campaign against EACOP for its efforts. While some movement leaders have had to relocate to neighboring countries for their safety, the campaign’s significance and momentum continue to grow. It was recently recognized with the Copenhagen Conference People’s Award and highlighted by 350 Africa, helping to draw more young people into the movement.

7 12, 2023

We Must Shut Down Factory Farms To Protect Clean Water And Environmental Justice

2023-12-07T17:44:57-05:00Tags: |

Gloria Reuben is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance, a global advocacy group network that protects the world’s waters. She brings attention to the impacts of factory farming on environmental justice. The way food is currently being produced is wreaking havoc on ecosystems and on people’s livelihoods. This is particularly true for animal agriculture, with concentrated animal feeding operations being the most damaging. In the United States, waste and discharge from these farms are largely unregulated, leading to pollution of both water and air. This has catastrophic downstream effects as drinking water becomes contaminated and river ecosystems and fisheries collapse, resulting in economic losses that cost billions annually to repair this damage. Additionally, pathogen-filled water and polluted air poses public health risks, predominantly in the form of respiratory disease and infection. This issue is also an example of environmental racism, as these farms are predominantly located in rural locations near communities of color, whose health will be negatively impacted the most. To combat this social and ecological issue, Reuben urges for proper enforcement of existing legislation like the Clean Water Act and passing of new legislations like the Farm Reform Act in order to transition away from these harmful practices towards sustainable food production by legitimately independent actors. Furthermore, those who can, are encouraged to avoid buying from companies that perpetuate this devastating factory farming system.  Photo Credit: Vuk Valcic/Sopa Images/Lightrocket via Getty Images 

18 10, 2023

In Rural Tanzania People and Ecosystems grow stronger together

2025-05-24T21:50:31-04:00Tags: |

The Mazingira Group (Swahili for ‘Environment’) is Tanzania-based established in September 2020, comprising 8 men and 16 women. The group has collaborated with the CARE-WWF Alliance to implement several key initiatives spanning environmental conservation, demonstration farms, reforestation, riverbank improvement, and the depositing and lending of money. They have been working across several villages to replant water-friendly riparian trees to stabilize banks and clean the river which significantly impacts the local community, especially women and girls who gather water. Additionally, the group uses beekeeping to produce honey as a source of income for several villages. The demonstration farms operated by the Mazingira Group are part of a community education initiative to spread environmental farming knowledge and techniques.

13 09, 2023

How science can help feed the future

2025-04-18T20:17:23-04:00Tags: |

Professor Eugénie Kayitesi’s career was shaped by personal experiences with food insecurity. Born into a family fleeing Uganda's civil war, she spent her early years in refugee camps where hunger and malnutrition were devastating realities. Today, as an Associate Professor at the University of Pretoria, Kayitesi’s research revolves around enhancing the nutritional value of traditional African crops through techniques such as combining crops and fermentation. Kayitesi intends to expand her project throughout Africa and worldwide, adapting ingredients to locally grown crops. Believing in the power of open access publishing, Kayitesi wants to help communities become self-reliant, as she sees sustainable food solutions as key to feeding the future with a growing population.

6 08, 2023

In Zambia, an all-female farm nurtures the climate leaders of the future

2025-02-21T18:10:14-05:00Tags: |

On donated farmland, 150 young women work on the Chinsali farm, which focuses on increasing the potential, independence, and economic resilience of rural Zambian women. The expansion of sustainable farming knowledge, techniques, and seed banks are important steps in building climate resilience, as climate change increases both droughts and storms across southern Africa. The farm fights against poverty, hunger, and deforestation, while providing education to fight child marriage. Chinsali operates across beekeeping, crop cultivation, poultry, and fish farming with a key focus on climate adaptive farming techniques, tended by young women. Agroecology techniques are employed, such as the planting of drought-resistant and short-cycle crops like millet and sorghum. The women have sights to keep inspiring more farmers, with scalable teaching methods, and a similar project taking root in neighboring Zimbabwe. They teach demonstrations in surrounding villages and schools, using agricultural education to support women and smallholder farmers across the region. Chinsali’s success across education, farming, and sisterhood highlights the power of community projects like this one, which focus on both social inclusion and climate resilience.

29 07, 2023

Women plant seeds of resilience

2025-07-29T18:26:31-04:00Tags: |

In the North West province of South Africa, Helen Moloto leads a group of women embracing resilient farming practices. At her smallhold farm in Kgabalatsane village, where environmental conditions are harsh—marked by extreme heat and dry soil—traditional crops are proving more resilient in the face of climate change. Moloto is part of the Hebron Mango Tree Owners Cooperative, which is affiliated with the GenderCC Southern Africa–Women for Climate Justice initiative. Through technical assistance, training, capacity building, education, and advocacy, 6,000 smallholder farmers are expanding their approaches to climate adaptation. They are implementing gender-responsive and climate-smart practices through eco-friendly land use and resource management techniques such as hydroponics and aquaponics. As extreme weather and climate vulnerability compound issues like water scarcity, food insecurity, and economic hardship, projects like this are vital in a changing climate. Diversified enterprise development and sustainable farming practices form the backbone of the cooperative, enabling the women to create viable, local solutions.

29 07, 2023

A New Food Bill of Rights: Why Representation Matters

2025-07-29T18:07:46-04:00Tags: , |

Women and Girls Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on women and girls of African descent in the food system. WANDA has launched a national survey to help shape a new U.S. food bill of rights, aiming to address racial and gender inequalities by advocating for representation and equity across the food system to ensure healthy production and consumption. Less than 3% of nutritionists and only 1.5% of U.S. food producers are Black, with far fewer being women, largely due to discriminatory policies. WANDA's initiatives include national surveys, support for “food sheroes,” and Sisterhood Suppers that foster dialogue and build community. Founder Tambra Raye Stevenson emphasizes the importance of Black women’s inclusion in policymaking for a sustainable food future. The organization also advocates for addressing food apartheid and sees the fight for food justice as deeply intertwined with the fight for racial justice. WANDA collaborates with organizations like the NAACP to elevate these issues in policy discussions and celebrates WANDA Week, beginning on Juneteenth, to honor Black women’s contributions to the food system.

19 06, 2023

Planting Azolla empowers Jordan’s women farmers

2025-02-21T18:13:59-05:00Tags: |

Azolla is allowing Jordanian and Syrian women to take care of their families and engage in sustainable agricultural production. Azolla, the climate adaptive crop, is being grown, harvested and used in al-Makeefta village, of the Mafraq governorate, a water-scarce region of northern Jordan. The town's population nearly doubled after the influx of Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war and taking shelter in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp. Both the local and displaced women are working together to operate agricultural co-ops using green houses and small-scale farming to cheaply and sustainably feed livestock such as chickens, sheep, and pigeons. Arid countries like Jordan are already experiencing the impacts of climate change including prolonged droughts and water scarcity. The water intensity of crops like hay and corn mean that 90% of animal feed in Jordan is imported and bought, rather than grown locally. Learning sustainable farming techniques and resource management allows these women to save on both water and fertilizer, whilst protecting natural bodies of water. The Azolla cultivation affords the farmers stability and agency in a landscape of climate and economic challenge.

16 06, 2023

On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities

2025-02-21T18:18:13-05:00Tags: |

Chicago local Naomi Davis is a visionary and grassroots activist whose drive for urban environmental justice underpins her work, advocacy, and climate action. She is the founder and CEO of Blacks in Green (BIG), uplifting Black neighborhoods through environmental revitalization. BIG fights economic, social, and health collapse in Black neighborhoods through socio-environmental revitalization projects. Harnessing creativity and the green revolution as a path out of poverty, BIG programs cover job training, educational programs, and community gardens. Given that communities of color are disproportionately affected by industrial pollution, these projects prioritize building power through localized environmental justice. BIG is gaining traction, with grants to expand programs to create healthier, cleaner, and safer neighborhoods across the Midwest. Davis’s approach continues to build equitable and sustainable cityscapes through grassroots organizing and green revival.

12 05, 2023

Meet the women working to grow local food systems on US island territories

2025-04-18T21:23:32-04:00Tags: , |

Women across U.S. island territories have come together to enhance their local food systems and reduce impacts of climate change. In different areas, such as Guam and Puerto Rico, women have traditionally been community leaders and have been responsible for the food supply. However, today these territories heavily rely on imports—between 95 and 80 percent of food is imported by the US or other countries which makes them vulnerable to extreme weather events that impact international supply chains. In order to reconnect with traditionally grown vegetables and fruits and reclaim a cultural connection to food, Sibilly Brown—an elementary school teacher in St. Croix and the founder of the Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition—developed a project with her class to reintroduce local food into the school cafeteria. Crystal Díaz, a Puertorican resident, has co-founded an app called PRoduc where restaurants and residents can reach local small farmers on the island. Through their actions and efforts, these women hope to raise the visibility of the needs of territories and their communities while leading the way towards more grounded, connected futures. 

2 05, 2023

‘Seeds ensure our survival’: the women of Guinea-Bissau who keep vital plants and culture alive

2025-07-21T14:48:05-04:00Tags: |

The Urok Islands are a community marine protected area located within the Bijagós archipelago in Guinea Bissau, West Africa. Among the 3,000 people living there, the region is also home to a unique group of women, the “seed keepers”—farmers who work to preserve the ancestral grains of the Bijagós. Creole seeds have been passed from generation to generation and are essential for the survival of the Bijagó ethnic group. These are varieties of species, from corn to rice and peanut, that resist pests and a fierce climate, which is getting more intense due to phenomena linked to climate change (heavy rainfall, floods, heatwaves). Thanks to the Women Keepers of Agricultural Biodiversity Seeds project, more than 150 women have been trained by agroecology experts in seed care. In many African countries, including Guinea Bissau, women are the ones taking care of the land as well as responsible for ensuring the water supply and household energy. Although they make up 43 percent of the global agricultural labor force, women face significant discrimination when it comes to land and livestock ownership, equal pay, participation in decision-making entities and access to credit and financial services. This project has helped not only diversify food production but also reinforce female leadership and increase women’s financial independence.

28 04, 2023

Fighting Giants: Eco-Activist Vandana Shiva on her Battle Against GM Multinationals

2025-02-20T18:22:09-05:00Tags: |

Vandana Shiva, an indomitable force in the realm of environmental activism, has dedicated half a century to shielding seeds and farmers from the clutches of corporate agribusiness, dubbing them the 'poison cartel.' Recognized globally as an environmental luminary, she has confronted the devastation wrought by industrialization in India, championing causes from forest conservation to ecofeminism. Shiva's relentless advocacy against the monopolization of seeds and the hazards of genetically modified crops led her to found Navdanya in 1991, a movement dedicated to preserving India's native seeds. Her landmark legal battles against behemoths like Monsanto underscore her unwavering commitment to justice. Shiva's vision transcends mere resistance; she advocates for a return to sustainable, small-scale farming, rejecting the allure of chemical-intensive agriculture. While her legal battles against agricultural giants capture headlines, Shiva's heart lies in nurturing grassroots movements and preserving traditional farming wisdom, fostering a vision of agriculture that is regenerative, equitable, and firmly rooted in the earth.

7 04, 2023

Seeds of hope: Uplifting Vietnam’s Hmong People

2025-07-21T15:03:05-04:00Tags: |

The Hmong are an ethnic group native to several countries, including Vietnam. Many Hmong live in the northern areas of the country, where a combination of climate change and detrimental farming methods have contributed to a substantial deforestation of the region. In 2019, Khang A Tua and Mua Thi Mua launched a project called Ná Nả in order to reduce the impact of droughts, floods and landslides. Through the use of local traditions and knowledge, the project aims to provide effective solutions for these communities while generating sustainable sources of income, especially for younger generations and women. At the same time, Mua and Tua have also started a series of workshops on traditional practices and helped farmers to learn and employ more sustainable farming methods. 

6 04, 2023

Where Indigenous land rights prevail in Brazil, so does nature, study finds

2025-07-13T20:20:21-04:00Tags: |

Following two decades of struggle to reclaim a territory of nearly 7,000 acres, an official process of demarcation for Brazil’s Indigenous territories has commenced. Catarina Delfina, 73 years old, is one of the Indigenous leaders behind the reclamation of the territory and stresses that the so-called marco temporal must be declared unconstitutional, as it only entitles Indigenous populations to claim lands they occupied when the current constitution came into effect in 1988. While there are many obstacles to the demarcation process, including gas pipelines and a sand mining company, local populations are hopeful that this change will allow for independent work on the territory, including the opening of schools and reforestation projects. A recent study found that full homologation and demarcation lead to less deforestation in the Atlantic Forest, with some territories experiencing an increase in forest cover of more than 20% of the total area. The Atlantic Forest is the most degraded biome in Brazil, having been reduced to just 12% of its original area. While demarcation was not possible under former president Bolsonaro, Indigenous peoples such as the Pataxó have placed their hopes in current president Lula. Parts of their territory fall within the Monte Pascoal National Park, designated in 1961, though only certain areas are reserved for the Indigenous community. As of June 2023, twelve territories located in the Atlantic Forest are ready to be demarcated, with eight still awaiting a declaratory decree. In the meantime, many communities have begun restoring degraded areas and emphasize the importance of demarcation for their physical, dietary, cultural, and spiritual safety.

30 03, 2023

Agroecology as a transformative approach to tackle climatic, food, and ecosystemic crises

2025-07-29T18:19:55-04:00Tags: |

A multinational team of scientists discusses the transformative potential of agroecology, or ecological agricultural practices, and its role in building climate resilience. The article emphasizes that agroecology is a holistic and transformative approach to food systems, with growing evidence of its adaptive and mitigative potential in addressing climate change. It also supports human health and food security by improving nutrition and enabling the cultivation of more resilient, diverse, and nutrient-rich crops. Beyond environmental and health benefits, agroecology offers socio-cultural advantages, including the co-creation of knowledge with farmers, participatory design processes, and collective resource management. It enhances biodiversity, seed diversity, and ecosystem services—for example, by creating mineral balance in the soil through crop rotation, applying compost, using cover crops, and reducing reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The article also explores the potential to scale up agroecology through strategic planning, education, supportive policy frameworks, and continued research and experimentation. It highlights agroecology’s ability to strengthen communities, landscapes, and public health, especially in regions vulnerable to climate change.

13 02, 2023

Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective continues their journey of empowerment and agroecology

2025-07-29T18:15:43-04:00Tags: |

The Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective (TNWC) is dedicated to developing resilient agricultural practices to support local food security in southern India. Initially formed to combat gender-based violence, the collective has since expanded its focus to include agricultural education, production, and activism, particularly benefiting lower caste women. By embracing traditional agroecology practices such as intercultivation and mixed cropping, the women strengthen local food sovereignty, access, and nutrition. TNWC operates on three key principles: uplifting women to support their participation in agriculture, promoting democratic local governance, and advancing resilient agricultural practices for food security. Through the revival of millet-based farming, supported by the Millet Network of India (MINI), TNWC plays a vital role in enhancing food security. Millet’s high nutritional value and resilience under adverse climatic conditions make it central to their efforts. Founded by local Tamil Nadu woman Sheelu, the collective emphasizes the multifaceted role of education in addressing issues of gender, caste, and environmental justice. As Sheelu explains, their ecological initiatives “not only ensure food security at the household level, but also contribute to the climate-resilient community, which is an answer to today’s global problem of climate change.”

13 02, 2023

Sudan’s Water Crisis And The Women Fighting Back

2025-04-19T00:18:47-04:00Tags: |

In White Nile State, Sudan, rainfall is an unpredictable and increasingly rare occurrence. Nima Elmassad, a farmer in the Um Naam Um village, has seen first-hand the impacts of increasing aridity from climate change, conflict, and heightened water consumption from intensive agriculture. Having to travel longer distances to reach water has resulted in all but one of her children being forced to leave school to support the farm, the harvest of which is half what it was ten years ago. However, in 2018, the village established a development committee tasked with understanding the local impacts of climate change and brainstorming possible mitigation and adaptation methods. The committee was required to have at least 30% of the board represented by women. Projects were carried out to engage local women, including constructing a water reservoir to store rainfall in the wet season, planting drought-resistant seeds, and planting shady fruit trees. The women involved have expanded this work organically by spreading awareness of alternative methods of farming and drought-resistant seeds throughout the locality.

8 02, 2023

Indigenous women record age-old knowledge of bees in Colombia’s Amazon

2025-07-21T14:58:01-04:00Tags: |

Bees have always been extremely important for the Yucuna Indigenous peoples of Colombia because of their contribution to nature and humanity. However, deforestation and the widespread use of pesticides, such as glyphosate, have largely affected the region’s biodiversity. Since 2020, a team of 36 Indigenous Yucuna women from 12 reserve communities has engaged with elders from various areas to document and preserve the remaining oral knowledge on bees and their roles in the ecosystem, along with the traditional classification system of diverse bee species. The information collected will be compared with a team of biologists and printed in Spanish and Yucuna languages to share it with broader communities. The project highlights the role of local action in the protection of the environment, while showing how Indigenous traditional knowledge is a powerful instrument for environmental protection and restoration. 

27 01, 2023

We need native seeds in order to respond to climate change

2024-09-13T16:02:04-04:00Tags: , |

After the catastrophic wildfires, floods, and droughts in recent years across the United States, landscape restoration efforts are becoming more important than ever. In this article data journalist Kaitlyn Radde, reports how native seeds and habitats must play a central role in this endeavor, but in a new report experts warn that the US is experiencing seed shortages. Native seed banks and ecologists are fighting the clock to save native seeds given the dual threats of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. Seed diversity and supply issues are high barriers for land restoration efforts, according to both the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Native seeds are a powerful resource because they are locally adapted and more suited to specific biomes, making them more resilient and beneficial to local fauna. There is also a pressing necessity to keep expanding the storage capacity, expertise, and genetic diversity of the seed bank to meet the growing challenges of climate change.

26 01, 2023

Extreme weather creates a food crisis for California farmworkers

2025-07-21T14:52:48-04:00Tags: , |

California’s farming industry has been strongly impacted by extreme weather events, including severe rainfalls that triggered mudslides, flooded communities, and killed numerous people while stripping others of their main sources of income and possessions. The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that between 1.1 million and 1.9 million farmworkers and their family members face high levels of food insecurity. As a result of wildfires, heatwaves, drought and floods, various farm laborers are working fewer hours and their income has steadily decreased. Although the agricultural industry heavily depends on these vulnerable communities, farmworkers in California only earned an average $12 an hour, according to a 2015-2019 federal survey. Furthermore, many workers are undocumented and thus rarely qualify for unemployment, SNAP benefits, or state support such as the Calfresh Program. Farmworkers are part of the foundation of the United States and we must fight for their rights and lives.

26 12, 2022

Puerto Rico’s agriculture solution to climate change

2025-07-29T18:02:29-04:00Tags: |

Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, and storms are wreaking havoc on Puerto Rico — particularly its food production — worsening an already vulnerable economic situation. 40% of Puerto Ricans experience food scarcity, highlighting the need for more robust agricultural solutions that tackle climate and poverty. Local communities are embracing agroecology, small scale and climate resilient farming practices. This movement is improving food sovereignty for communities who rely on imported foods that vary in accessibility as trade and distribution infrastructure are destroyed. Agroecology practices increase organic matter in the soil composition, which beside healthier crops, lead to better soil structure and water absorption properties that are more resilient in both flood and drought conditions. Agroecology teaching programs and farms employ social and environmental justice frameworks and are expanding agroecology into agricultural and political realms. These forms of climate mitigation and adaptation are critical as extreme weather events become more frequent and severe. Estimates find that agroecology farms could serve up to two thirds of Puerto Rico’s food needs for its 3.2 million citizens in the future.

14 12, 2022

Resurrecting climate-resilient rice in India

2025-07-29T22:57:17-04:00Tags: |

Climate-resilient farming practices are being strengthened by rice varieties that were selectively bred by ancient farmers. These traditional varieties offer enhanced food security in the face of accelerating climate change and increasingly irregular weather patterns, as many are capable of withstanding drought, flooding, and saltwater conditions. Rebecca George, the article’s author, is a journalist, activist, and documentary filmmaker who focuses on the impact of globalization on rural and Indigenous communities. For centuries, India’s local farmers were stewards of more than 100,000 distinct rice varieties adapted to the diverse bioclimates of the Indian subcontinent. These varieties were not only suited to local conditions, but also highly resilient and more nutritious, with higher levels of iron, zinc, and antioxidants. However, in the 1960s, India’s U.S.-backed Green Revolution introduced an agricultural model that promoted monocultures, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and new high-yielding varieties. This shift resulted in dramatic biodiversity loss and deepened debt crises for many rural farmers. Nutritious and climate-resilient rice varieties already exist, making it practical, ecological, and economically sensible to support their propagation. Patented, high-yield, and fortified crops are not equitable or sustainable solutions for smallholder farmers. Across India, local farmers, scientists, and activists are increasingly turning to agroecology to reclaim food sovereignty, improve nutrition, and build resilience in the face of a changing climate.

28 11, 2022

Vancouver Island Land Back activism by Indigenous Ma’amtagila Matriarch

2025-07-29T23:02:57-04:00Tags: |

The Indigenous-led Land Back movement on Vancouver Island is enabling the original stewards to reclaim and protect their ancestral lands from logging and deforestation. This frontline effort is led by Ma’amtagila First Nation matriarch Tsastilqualus Ambers Umbas, a lifelong activist for environmental justice, land stewardship, and Indigenous rights. On unceded Ma’amtagila territory, Umbas has been living and building a reoccupation camp to assert her people’s right to return to their Hiladi lands, translated from Kwak’wala as "The Place to Make Things Right." "This is where I am supposed to be. This is my home," she says. At 69, Umbas organizes peaceful direct actions from the Matriarch Camp, including locking herself to the federal fisheries office to protest industrial fish farming and protect wild salmon. A newly built bunkhouse will host queer, trans, Black, and Indigenous youth seeking refuge from urban life and space to reconnect with land and ancestors. With less than 3% of British Columbia’s productive forests remaining after 150 years of commercial logging, Umbas’ resistance confronts ongoing colonial extraction and environmental violence. Her personal story as a survivor of assimilationist policies and struggles with addiction speaks to the resilience at the heart of Indigenous resurgence.

22 11, 2022

Indigenous and Black Communities Find Common Cause for Land Justice

2025-07-29T17:54:12-04:00Tags: , |

Black and Indigenous communities in the United States are coming together in solidarity, drawing on parallel histories of dispossession to reclaim stolen land. They are engaging with land in ways that aim to build community economies and decouple economic development from exploitative and unsustainable systems of extraction, exploitation, and trade. Reclaiming land and securing reparations that heal and strengthen communities oppressed under colonialism, capitalism, and slavery are key pillars of climate justice. By extending Indigenous land care, stewardship, and governance over ancestral territories, the Indigenous-led land rights movement is creating sustainable systems rooted in cultural values. This movement is shifting land from market-driven ownership into models of collective care. Examples include the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust and the Native Land Conservancy. In Northern California, the Yurok Tribe is restoring timberlands that are both culturally and ecologically significant. Integrated land management systems, such as the Cultural Fire Management Council and the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, are also transforming the way land is cared for. For Black communities, the land rights movement is grounded in the reclamation of farmlands and the fight against racist policies that have long blocked land ownership, such as redlining and restrictive lending practices. In this collaborative fight for land rights, both communities must continue to embrace their parallels and act in solidarity.

9 10, 2022

‘The US Dammed Us Up’: How Drought Is Threatening Navajo Ties To Ancestral Lands 

2023-04-16T16:15:56-04:00Tags: |

Annette McGivney highlights the story of Candice Mendez, a Navajo woman who runs her family’s farm on the Navajo reservation in northeast Arizona. During her childhood, Mendez and her family were self-sufficient; however, by the early 1990s, nearby waterways began to dry up due to climate change. These changes in water accessibility now force Mendez to drive more than one hundred miles each week to haul water back to the farm for her animals, which have been tended by women in Mendez’s family for no less than five generations. Since the Navajo People were not considered US citizens at the time decision-making surrounding Colorado River agreements occurred, their communities remain excluded from water-use and continue to lack sufficient water infrastructure. The disproportionate impacts of climate change on the Navajo Nation make these conditions increasingly more difficult, especially as they experience even greater temperature increases than the 1.5 C increase that much of the southwestern United States has already seen. Mendez’s attempts to receive funding from the USDA to support her farm have been unsuccessful; loans like this require land ownership as collateral, and there is no private property on the reservation. Due to these significant hardships, Mendez continues to have serious concerns about her ability to maintain her family’s ranch. Photo Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images 

16 08, 2022

The Benefits of Berries

2025-02-21T18:21:20-05:00Tags: |

This article, written by Valerie Segrest, celebrates the timeless tradition of harvesting berries during the summer season, reflecting on its meditative qualities and the deep connection it fosters with nature. It highlights the historical significance of berry cultivation across cultures, emphasizing their nutritional value and medicinal properties. The article introduces various berries native to Turtle Island/North America, including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, and elderberries. We are reintroduced to these everyday berries, understanding the details of culinary versatility and health benefits. Additionally, we are given a recipe for making summer berry fruit leather, encapsulating the essence of summer berry gathering. Overall, the passage emphasized the profound cultural, nutritional, and sensory importance of berries in human history. Berries and planting, gathering, cooking and eating are ways for us to connect to the seasons, nature, and each other.

9 08, 2022

The Way Back

2023-05-26T15:24:36-04:00Tags: |

Georgina Johnson retraces lineages of connection between the Earth and the human body through sharing personal and historical narratives. Recalling bell hooks’ writing and lessons from her family, Johnson shares that a garden is a symbol of love, as it helps feed families, safeguard dignity, and learn how to appreciate the planet as well as give back to it. This mindset relies on a great respect for nature and the interconnection between its different components, including human beings. Johnson notes the abundant history of agricultural traditions in India to plant vegetation and flowers next to each other in order to protect their food and preserve biodiversity. However, the colonial development and spread of monoculture instigated loss of power of several communities due to its inherent exploitation of nature and native people for capital gain. This form of agriculture relies on the dispossession of wealth, the misuse of mass landscapes, and the degradation of delicate ecosystems. Therefore, Johnson highlights how it is crucial to rediscover and adopt practices that include the voices and stories of native land owners, who have been repeatedly ignored and erased as a result of colonialism and imperial ambition. Photo Credit: N/A

29 07, 2022

Resilience and Community Among Agroecology Farmers

2025-07-29T21:58:49-04:00Tags: |

In the wake of COVID-19, rural South African farmers—especially Black and poor communities—faced deepening hunger and economic instability, compounded by drought, crop failure, and the enduring legacies of land dispossession under colonial apartheid. In northern KwaZulu-Natal, many turned to agroecology and the work of Biowatch South Africa, which supports traditional farming practices rooted in local climate knowledge and isiZulu culture. Through techniques like intercropping, composting, water conservation, and ecosystem-based pest control, farmers are reviving resilient, low-cost food systems. Local women are at the forefront: Jabulile Gina, from Ingwavuma, now grows enough vegetables to last until the next planting season; Gugu Dlamini, from Jozini, used agroecology to feed ten family members during lockdown and sell surplus to a supermarket; and Sthandiwe and Wilson Dlamini, from Otimati, supply fresh produce to clinics and schools. These community-led efforts demonstrate how agroecology is rebuilding food security, improving health, and creating economic opportunities amid overlapping crises.

1 07, 2022

‘Talk with us, not for us’: fishing communities accuse UN of ignoring their voices

2025-03-24T23:06:39-04:00Tags: |

Small-scale fishing communities accuse world leaders of prioritizing corporate interests over protecting their livelihoods at the UN Oceans Conference. Small-scale fishermen and women in coastal nations provide more than half of the fish consumed worldwide; however, the international community fails to recognize their contributions to food security and ocean protection. Suzanne Njeri, Vice President of the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network, states that coastal fishing communities are sidelined in these discussions. She emphasizes that they must combat malnutrition while also protecting their communities. These communities witness firsthand the damage that corporate interests and climate change inflict on fish breeding grounds, yet policymakers are not listening. In 2022, fishing communities issued a global call to action, urging governments and international organizations to secure preferential access to and increase co-management of coastal areas, ensure the participation of women, and expand support for addressing climate change impacts on coastal regions.

16 06, 2022

Queering the food system

2025-02-21T18:25:25-05:00Tags: |

Hannah Breckbill founded Humble Hands Harvest, a community farm project in Iowa which is seeking to reimagine food systems to be more inclusive, slow, and local. The farm is a queer-run, LGBTQIA+ friendly space that is using regenerative agriculture and slow growing farming practices to heal the Earth while also creating an inclusive, regenerative social space. Breckbill shares that she “found farming an extremely rewarding way of cultivating change. Agriculture can happen anywhere; people need to eat everywhere.” Projects like this highlight the intersectionality of agriculture, social justice, and environmental sustainability. Given the enhanced barriers for queer and Black people to navigate land access and farming, initiatives such as Humble Hands Harvest are important in the fight for both food sovereignty and supportive social connection. The redistribution of resources and shelter to those in marginalized communities is essential, as they are disproportionately affected by issues such as by homelessness and food insecurity. This is a responsibility that some queer farmers are incorporating into the way they run, build, and manage their farms as spaces that rejuvenate and foster more than the land.

8 06, 2022

Indigenous agroforestry dying of thirst amid a sea of avocados in Mexico

2025-02-14T12:45:42-05:00Tags: |

Angahuan, a small town in the Michoacán state of México, is home to generations of P’urhépecha women, an Indigenous group known for their traditional medicine practices. Curanderas, or ‘tsinajperi’ (“the ones that make life grow”), are healers known for their use of herbal medicine. The women use traditional agroforestry systems to cultivate thriving ecosystems that benefit from one another. However, climate change induced water shortages and US-dominated agribusiness have put the entire system at risk. About 80% of Michoacán’s harvests are shipped to US grocery stores, with avocados being a notable output. Combined with longer drought seasons and drying soil, Curanderas began resorting to buying bottled gallons to hydrate their medicinal crops. Now, P’urhépecha healers are resisting the postcolonial system in avocado farms by regenerating forests in the high hills. The project will build up water resources, replenish medicinal crops, and support the development of a natural pharmacy business in town—allowing for ecosystem restoration, the preservation of traditional practices, and local economies.

3 06, 2022

An Indigenous Basket-Weaving Traditions Keeps a Philippine Forest Alive

2024-01-23T18:34:21-05:00Tags: |

Upland one of the Philippines key biodiversity areas, the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, sits the village of Kamantian, home to 65 traditional basketry cultural bearers. This article highlights the Pala'wan people who create traditional Indigenous baskets, or tingkep, using non-timber forest products. One basket weaver, Labin Tiblak, began basket weaving at eight years old and once taught young girls the practice on a weekly basis, before the pandemic. Not only does Tingkep serve functional, artistic, and cultural purposes, but this practice supports the conservation of the Pala'wan peoples ancestral Mantalingham forests. The COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, however, disproportionately affect the Pala'wan people by degrading Pala’wan land and resources, and disrupting traditional Pala'wan practices, like the ability to gather for basket weaving, putting the culture and the craft of Tingkep at risk. The article provides perspectives for the future, including insight from Minnie Degawan, an Indigenous Kankanaey-Igorot and the director of the Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program, who advocates for the government to fully recognize the right of the Pal’awan people to their territories and self-determination. Photo credit: Keith Anthony Fabro

3 02, 2022

Rematriating The Land With Corrina Gould — The Native Seed Pod

2023-04-16T16:05:15-04:00Tags: |

This episode of the Native Seed Pod highlights Corrina Gould, co-founder (along with Johnella LaRose) of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, Tribal Chair for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, and co-founder of Indian People Organizing for Change. In this episode, Gould discusses the importance of reinstating Indigenous women as stewards of the land and highlights one of the successful initiatives The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust has launched -- the Shuumi Tax. This tax allows people who live and work within the traditional territories of Lisjan to pay an honorary tax for using the lands, which supports the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. Gould also elaborates on the Himmetka program, an initiative that seeks to establish resources and community centers for gathering in times of crisis in multiple locations throughout the territory. These are based in areas that are vulnerable to crises due to lack of resources and protection from the city. Gould also underscores the importance of land to food security; it must remain accessible to those in the community who do not have fresh food available. The episode ends with Gould discussing some of her planned next steps which include founding a land fund which anyone globally can donate to in order to support the purchase of traditional lands. Photo Credit: Maisie Richards and Inés Ixierda

3 02, 2022

A Seaweed Mama’s Journey on a Vanishing Island

2025-04-19T00:05:59-04:00Tags: |

Hadija Nassor Mwalim, raised in Zanzibar, has been immersed in seaweed farming since childhood. Her coastal island community is at the frontline of climate change and its resilience is heavily tied to local methods of seaweed production.The island is deeply connected to seaweed with traditional aquaculture employing 25,000 people on the island, 80% of whom are women. This includes Mwalim's aunt, who inspired her to pursue economic independence in the industry. Dissatisfied with traditional farming's profitability, Mwalim joined Mwani Zanzibar, a nonprofit-turned-corporation specializing in seaweed-based skincare products. With extensive training, she transitioned to a farmer-artisan role, significantly improving her income and gaining benefits. Despite the challenges of being a working mother, Mwalim finds fulfillment in her work with the "Mwani Mamas” and her connection to the ocean's rhythms. However, climate change is threatening both her livelihood and the island's future. Filled with climate grief and uncertainty Mwalim acknowledges, “Maybe the island will vanish”—swallowed by rising sea levels and tourism overdevelopment. Despite it all, Mwalim remains determined and steadfast in her dream of owning a seaweed production business, embodying the resilience of Zanzibar’s women in the face of rapid climate change.

17 01, 2022

Dolores Huerta: Workers Must Unite to Take On Climate

2025-04-18T11:13:24-04:00Tags: |

Legendary labor rights activist Dolores Huerta emphasizes the vital alliance between labor and climate movements to confront the escalating global climate crisis. Reflecting on pandemic-induced economic disparities, Huerta highlights the paradox of essential workers facing increased vulnerability despite economic prosperity. As co-founder of the United Farm Workers and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she extends her advocacy from workers' rights to climate justice. Huerta asserts that the labor movement's strength is crucial for addressing climate challenges, advocating for a transition to green energy roles and emphasizing the need for a living wage and support for workers during this shift. She urges relentless political activism to enact policies supporting both climate action and labor rights, emphasizing the role of strong labor unions in fostering a functioning democracy. Huerta's call for solidarity in labor organizing underscores the power of collective action in driving societal change, with a clear message: the future of the planet and democracy depends on the unity and activism of working people.

7 01, 2022

Soil – The Climate Fix That COP Forgot

2025-04-18T11:44:56-04:00Tags: |

In Andhra Pradesh, India, Vijay Kumar Thallam spearheads an innovative project aimed at helping six million farmers, predominantly women, transition to community-managed natural farming. This revolutionary approach eliminates chemical inputs, enhances agricultural productivity, and crucially, sequesters carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. Despite its demonstrated benefits for soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience, these agroecological practices were notably overlooked during the discussions at COP26, highlighting a significant gap in prioritizing sustainable farming as a pivotal climate solution.

5 11, 2021

Women are changing the rules of Australian agriculture

2025-04-18T20:34:06-04:00Tags: |

Olympia Yarger is an insect farmer dedicated to creating sustainable agricultural practices. Yarger pursued her passion despite discouragement and gender specific obstacles in a man-dominated industry. Today, she runs a successful insect farm in Canberra, Australia where she converts food waste into high-protein livestock feed using Black Soldier Flies and mealworms. Yarger’s work reflects a broader movement of women in agriculture challenging traditional roles. While women farmers face barriers like limited land access and gender biases, they are more likely to adopt sustainable methods, focus on quality and niche products, and generate transparency with their customers. Yarger’s circular farming process turns 40 tonnes of waste into one tonne of livestock feed weekly, helping reduce food waste, which emits high amounts of methane. Through innovative solutions, women like Yarger are transforming agriculture into a more sustainable and inclusive industry.

13 10, 2021

Food Sovereignty: A Growing Movement

2021-12-13T21:07:14-05:00Tags: |

In this episode of the All My Relations Podcast, idigenous women Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene discuss food sovereignty and colonised food systems with Valerie Segrest of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. A Native nutrition educator, Segrest uses her specialisation in local and traditional foods to touch on topics such as breastfeeding, food sovereignty activism, the issue with the term “food desert,” and systems of colonisation through food. Photo Credit: All My Relations Podcast

13 09, 2021

Eat Your Ethics: Rallying For Food Justice In Supply Chains With Lauren Ornelas

2021-12-13T21:26:52-05:00Tags: |

In this episode of the Amplify Podcast, host Sanchi Singh speaks with food justice activist Lauren Ornelas. Founder of the food justice nonprofit, Food Empowerment Project, Ornelas discusses her path to activism, whiteness in the veganism movement, and the ways in which COVID19 has greatly impacted food labor. Singh and Ornelas discuss the specific impacts of COVID19 food system disruptions in relation to low-income communities in both India and the United States. Video Credit: Amplify Podcast

6 08, 2021

‘It could feed the world’: amaranth, a health trend 8,000 years old that survived colonization

2023-05-26T15:19:13-04:00Tags: |

Over the last few decades, amaranth has gained popularity globally. It is an extremely resilient 8,000-year-old pseudocereal indigenous to Mesoamerica, but also grown in China, India, south-east Asia, west Africa and the Caribbean. As a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, amaranth is a nutritious source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and antioxidants that may improve brain function and reduce inflammation. This ancient cultivation was extremely important for Native People, such as the Aztecs and Maya. In fact, amaranth was not only a source of proteins but was also used for ceremonial purposes due to these communities’ strong spiritual connection to the land and plants. Beata Tsosie-Peña, an Indigenous woman from Santa Clara Pueblo, is a coordinator of the environmental health and justice program at Tewa Women United. She is part of several networks of women across North and Central America working together to reclaim Indigenous food systems, reconnect ancient trade routes, exchange seeds and share traditional knowledge as a way of regaining sovereignty and freedom for Native People. By overcoming the ban and struggles to preserve these seeds - the Spanish outlawed amaranth when they arrived in Central America, Mexico and the south-western United States - indigenous farmers contributed to their own self-determination and created an alternative economic system in order to protect their independence and control over the food supply. Photo Credits: Hitendra Sinkar/Alamy Stock Photo

17 07, 2021

The Rebirth Of The Food Sovereignty Movement

2021-07-17T18:50:51-04:00Tags: |

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a wave of backyard food planting and production. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their local and regional food systems, and are taking initiative to support local food sovereignty projects. Doria Robinson of the urban farming project, Urban Tilth, describes the importance of CSAs in this time. Debbie Harris of Urban Adamah in Berkeley, California, points out the vital sense community urban farms create and nurture throughout times of hardship. Food sovereignty activists hope the push for local and equitable food systems continue after the end of the global pandemic. Photo Credit: Wendy Becktold

17 07, 2021

Local Indigenous People Gather To Bring Back Food Sovereignty

2021-07-17T18:33:58-04:00Tags: |

In a recent screening of the documentary “Gather,” a film recounting Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives, members of the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes described their own local food sovereignty struggles. Hosted by Rhode Island’s first food gleaning project, Hope Harvest Rhode Island, the event featured Narragansett-Niantic speaker Lorèn Spears, the executive director of the Tomaquag Museum. Alongside other tribal members, Spears emphasized the radical power of food sovereignty initiatives to resist oppression by the dominant society through the reclamation of intergenerational Indigenous knowledge. Photo Credit: Gather

6 07, 2021

Small-Scale Women Seaweed Farmers Ride the Rough Tides of Climate Change

2021-07-06T15:01:13-04:00Tags: |

On the Philippine island of Palawan, traditionally, fishing has been the means of support for most inhabitants. Over the last twenty years, because of climate change and a variety of other factors, fish are no longer as abundant as they once were. Local women, who were previously largely homemakers, have responded to this difficult situation by taking up seaweed farming. The revenue offered by this endeavor has been a welcome addition to household incomes. But climate change is also already affecting the viability of seaweed farms. The women farmers are rising to the challenge by improving seaweed harvesting and drying methods, using better tools and developing early warning systems for typhoons. Photo credit: Mongabay

6 07, 2021

Meet Your Farmer: Brooklyn Grange, The World’s Largest Rooftop Urban Farm United States

2021-07-06T14:52:59-04:00Tags: |

In Brooklyn, New York, Michelle Cashen and Anastasia Cole Plakias manage and lead Brooklyn Grange, the world’s largest rooftop urban farm. Eleven stories above the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the farm produces greens, fruits, and other edible plants. Cashen and Plakias describe their commitment to urban farming and providing fresh food without using pesticides and herbicides. Photo Credit: Local Roots NYC

14 06, 2021

Pollen and Heat: A Looming Challenge for Global Agriculture

2023-05-26T15:21:58-04:00Tags: |

Numerous research studies have shown that prolonged climate extremes reduce crop productivity and weaken global food security. More recently, scientists have observed that extreme heat can reduce pollen production and viability and negatively impact fertilization in various crops - such as canola, corn, peanuts and rice. Pollination is essential for the planet and allows plants to reproduce. With climate change, extreme heat events are on the rise. As more areas of the planet are likely to be affected by extreme heat more often and for longer periods of time, researchers are trying to identify new ways and methods to help the pollen beat the heat. They are investigating genes that could lead to more heat-tolerant varieties and breeding cultivars that can survive winter and flower before heat strikes. They are also examining pollen’s specific limits and harvesting pollen at large scales to spray directly onto crops when weather improves. The main objective is to identify genes that are not only more resilient to high temperatures but also able to withstand cold. In fact, an early autumn-sown could allow these crops to pollinate successfully before a heat wave. Innovative technologies, investments in scientific research and political will are therefore crucial to avoid worsening the fragility of our food systems. 

1 05, 2021

Fannie Lou Hamer Inspired Me To Learn More About Food Justice

2025-04-18T21:02:35-04:00Tags: |

Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist born to sharecroppers in 1917 who grew up working on cotton fields, witnessed firsthand the intersection of race, class, and food justice. After fighting for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Hamer shifted her focus to land ownership and food justice and founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative (FFC) in the Mississippi Delta. The FFC provided Black residents the chance to cultivate crops and earn an income. Hamer started a "pig bank" to keep families fed, expanded land ownership, built affordable housing, and created scholarships and jobs for her community. Despite the FFC closing down after her death, Hamer continues to inspire many—including the author of the article, Brooklyn White—to grow food and develop a relationship with what they eat. Today, food injustice persists in places like Dallas, Texas—Brooklyn’s home—where nearly half a million residents live in food deserts. In these areas, fast food outlets dominate, while access to fresh, healthy food remains limited. The racial dynamics are clear: over 51% of Dallas' population are people of color and systemic racism continues to impact where and how these communities live and eat.

13 04, 2021

Women Environmental Defenders Condemn Systemic Abuses Before The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

2025-01-25T11:27:20-05:00Tags: |

This Earth Rights International (ERI) media release summarises the submission of a delegation of women environmental defenders from the Americas who testified before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The delegation condemned widespread and unjust criminalisation and repression against defenders of rights of land, territories, and environmental protection. The testimonies presented in this thematic hearing, which denounced instances of exceptional cases of attacks against environmental defenders, was led by Columbian human rights lawyer Julian Bravo Valencia, ERI’s Amazon Program Coordinator. Several women testified, including two women from Acción Ecológica, Esperanza Martinez Yanez and Ivonne Ramos, whose experiences highlight the sexism disproportionately affecting women defenders in the Americas. At a time when the interests of corporations and their impunity in committing rights violations is rife, the hearing aimed to produce a report which presents extreme examples of human rights abuses in Ecuador, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Brazil and the United States. Photo Credit: Earth Rights International

13 04, 2021

Panel Discusses Food Sovereignty, Justice

2021-04-13T17:22:41-04:00Tags: |

In Santa Barbara, California, the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network invited local environmental advocates to present a webinar on food sovereignty and food justice. The panel included Santa Barbara City Council faculty member Daniel Parra Hensel, environmental director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Teresa Romero, executive director of Lideres Campesinas Suguet Lopez, Community Environmental Councilmember Alhan Diaz-Correa, former farmworker Andrea Cabrea Hubbard, and Ana Rosa Rizo-Centino, a senior organizer for Food and Water Watch. A majority female panel, the panelists discussed women’s roles in food justice initiatives and local agriculture movements. They expressed gratitude for grassroots efforts and their hope to create institutional change through community organizing. Photo Credit: Courtesy Photos   

13 04, 2021

Sustainable Missoula: Food Sovereignty Is On The Line This Year

2021-04-13T17:20:19-04:00Tags: |

Based in Missoula, Montana, Indigenous ethnobotanist and Salish scientist Rose Bear Don’t Walk describes her personal relationship to Thanksgiving, while imploring readers to bring food sovereignty values to their own plates. She reclaims the settler-colonial notion of Thanksgiving by using the holiday to give thanks, spend time with family, and support her local farms— further forging a connection between herself, her family, and the land around them. Photo Credit: Missoula Current

13 04, 2021

Rebecca Newburn Garden In Richmond, CA

2021-04-13T17:18:26-04:00Tags: |

When she is not teaching middle school science and math classes, Rebecca Newburn tends to her expansive home garden in which she grows a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other plants. The co-founder of the “Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library,” Newburn understands the importance of saving and sharing seed among her close knit community of female gardeners in Richmond, California. She emphasises the stories plant varieties tell and the historical and cultural significance of seeds. Video Capture Credit: Edible East Bay

8 03, 2021

“Voices heard for the first time”: Women in coffee cooperatives

2025-03-09T23:53:42-04:00Tags: , , |

The coffee sector has traditionally been male-dominated, despite women being a significant part of the workforce. Women producers often have limited agency, but initiatives like Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC), Partnership for Gender Equity, and Café Femenino are driving a growing recognition of the need for gender equity. Barriers such as lack of land ownership and decision-making power are rooted in historical, cultural, and institutional factors. In order to overcome these constraints, organizations are establishing women-only coffee cooperatives, involving women in financial decisions, and promoting equitable operations. Support systems, including financial incentives from the Café Femenino Foundation and gender equity assessments from the Partnership for Gender Equity, are crucial for implementation. Respecting cultural norms is vital for success, with solutions being tailored to local contexts and involving all community members. Gender equity is foundational for sustainability in the coffee sector, providing long-term benefits for the entire supply chain.

20 11, 2020

Jilian Hishaw Wants To Help Black Farmers Stay On Their Land

2020-11-20T17:54:00-05:00Tags: |

Jilian Hishaw’s organisation, Family Agriculture and Resource Management Services (FARMS) is advocating for black farmer rights not only for today, but also for future generations. With only 2% of the country’s farm population consisting of black farmers, the services this organisation provides aids vulnerable farmers who often face discrimination by the USDA and who lose land at a rate of 30,000 acres per year. These services are available for all farmers from historically disadvantaged group in South Eastern states in the United States and their legal and technical assistance, including grant application help, fundraisers, agricultural law and foreclosure help, aid in retaining ownership of their land. Furthermore, the FARMS to Food Bank program aims to support farmers in selling surplus produce and meat at a reduced price to the food banks in their communities, thus also contributing to food insecurity solutions in these areas. Photo credit: Jilian Hishaw

23 10, 2020

Bija Devi : Navdanya’s Seed Keeper of 16 Years At The Biodiversity Conservation Farm

2020-10-23T22:52:30-04:00Tags: |

In an effort to push back against large agriculture corporations and establish seed sovereignty among local communities, renowned scientist Dr. Vandana Shiva and farmer Bija Devi collect seeds and run education programs at the Navdanya Biodiversity Farm in Uttarakhand, India. Bija has collected over 1500 varieties of seeds and details her seed collecting methods and practices throughout the video. Dr. Shiva argues that as the keepers of life, women need to be collecting seeds and leading the fight for food sovereignty. In critiquing capitalist corporations she explains there are only two options for the future: a woman-led “living” future or a corporation-led “toxic” future. Photo Credit: Seed Freedom

6 09, 2020

In California Wine Country, Undocumented Grape Pickers Forced To Work In Fire Evacuation Zones

2020-10-05T16:49:57-04:00Tags: |

Amid pandemic economic impact, many Latin American Indigenous immigrants have no choice but to do farm work in hazardous conditions during wildfires, increasing their vulnerability to COVID-19 due to their exposure to smoke. Movimiento Cultural de la Unión Indígena, an Indigenous workers’ group, is pushing for appropriate working regulations, in addition to providing economic and social assistance, especially to the undocumented suspicious of federal support. Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

27 08, 2020

COVID-19 warriors: How a woman in a tribal village shared vegetables from her kitchen garden

2024-09-13T15:44:30-04:00Tags: |

Krishna Mawasi is a farmer and resident of Kailhora village in central India’s Madhya Pradesh's Satna district. Living in an area with high malnutrition rates, she was motivated during the COVID-19 lockdown to share produce from her kitchen garden with those in need. The initiative quickly gained traction, with 15 families relying on her garden for food, and many others from neighboring villages also benefiting. Mawasi's kitchen garden, established five years ago as part of a malnutrition management project, inspired others in similar situations to share their produce for free, providing locally grown and nutritious food to malnourished children, pregnant women, and the elderly. In total, 232 families shared over 4 tonnes of vegetables with 425 families across several districts; the project has gained attention from state authorities, leading to further support and development for the village.

21 08, 2020

Meet Women Environmentalists Exploring New Ways to Protect Qiandao Lake in E China

2023-03-19T07:49:19-04:00Tags: |

Mu Quan is an environmentalist in eastern China who has devoted her work to protecting what is locally known as “the most beautiful lake in the world” or Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang province. After seeing the detrimental impacts of fertilizers and pesticides from the area’s prominent tea and farming community, she sought balanced solutions to protect the lake while also benefiting the local economy. Quan founded the Qiandao Lake Water Fund which now consists of a five member all female leadership team supporting pilot projects that promote sustainable agriculture and environmental education. Their ecological rice field pilot project has gained praise for decreasing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the soil while also improving irrigation, tea quality, and increasing farmers’ income. Photo credit: cnr.cn/Wang Haipeng  

31 07, 2020

Isabella Tree On Rewilding England & Regenerative Agriculture

2023-01-25T11:52:57-05:00Tags: |

Isabella Tree is a farmer in Britain who advocates for ‘rewilding’. Rewilding advocates believe that minimal management of green spaces kickstarts natural processes for flora and fauna to thrive and for nature to heal itself. This approach enabled the soil and forested area in her farm to heal and provided a space for endangered species to inhabit. Tree’s farm is one of Britain’s most significant areas for nature. Tree’s farm offers a model of self-sufficiency for other farmers, as she has been able to profit with an organic meat business, renting their barn for office space, and eco-tourism. Women like Tree are leading by example by providing models of farming that restores a healthier relationship with the Earth. Photo credit: Charlie Burrell/Atmos

24 07, 2020

Rice Production Necessitates Women Farmers

2020-09-18T17:28:40-04:00Tags: |

Women in Guyana are becoming a larger force in rice production, the country producing the most rice per capita in the world. When given access to the same resources as men, such as water and land ownership, these women farmers can help reduce poverty and improve nutrition.  In order to meet the increasing global demand for rice, it is imperative that climate change vulnerabilities and gender inequalities are simultaneously addressed. Photo credit: Tanja Lieuw

29 05, 2020

Gardens Have Pulled America Out Of Some Of Its Darkest Times. We Need Another Revival

2021-02-16T20:31:45-05:00Tags: |

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the United States’ economy, issues of food security have been magnified. Consequently, the importance of local gardens have been emphasized. From Victory Gardens during the first and second world war, to the emergence of urban vegetable gardens throughout US cities in the 1970s and 1980s, the United States has a rich history of local gardening initiatives. The pandemic has forced Americans to re-evaluate the many way local gardens benefit a community. In Richmond, California, Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth provides 227 families with weekly CSA vegetable shares. Serving low-income residents in a city with only one grocery store per 100,000 residents, Robinson’s work at Urban Tilth makes a great difference in the local community, especially in light of COVID-19. Photo Credit: Karen Washington 

23 05, 2019

How Black Farmers Are Trying To End Centuries Of Racism In America’s Food System

2023-11-08T12:36:18-05:00Tags: , |

Kiesha Cameron is part of a movement of Black farmers pushing for reparations and equal opportunity in agriculture. America’s wealth and power is due to the hard work of exploited enslaved people. Their work in tobacco and cotton fields in today’s terms would have been a multi-billion dollar industry. Now, systemic racism has pushed Black farmers to the margins of these practices through violence, lack of legal support, prejudice, and poverty—in turn, barring them from opportunities to create sustainable, wealth-building communities. Savi Horne, the director of the Land Loss Prevention Project, emphasizes the need for land rights to be central in reparations. This is a complicated process and there is much more work that needs to be done on governmental levels. Cameron, Horne, and many others are working to reclaim farming for Black communities. They are taking back power and control to combat centuries of exploitation and racism, instead replacing it with autonomy and healing. Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon/HuffPost

13 04, 2019

A Queer, Female Entrepreneur Is Taking Back Turmeric For Indian Farmers

2020-10-23T23:02:04-04:00Tags: |

Sana Javeri Kadri, a queer immigrant woman of colour, is challenging colonial trade practices with her Oakland-based company, Diaspora Co. Her company aims to support sustainable agricultural practices within the turmeric industry, provide fair compensation to Indian farmers (above ten times the market price), and empower marginalized communities. Diaspora Co. sources their turmeric from Kasaraneni Prabhu, a fourth-generation turmeric farmer working in Southeast India who uses traditional pest control methods involving companion crops. Javeri Kadri also hires queer, especially those of colour, whenever possible aiming to be radically inclusive in order to counter the social injustices and inequities prevalent in the food industry. Photo credit: Elazar Sontag

4 04, 2019

How A Female Fast Food Worker Became An Activist

2020-11-20T17:32:47-05:00Tags: |

Shantel Walker is a manager within the fast food industry and an organizer for proper living wages in NYC. After working over two decades at Papa John’s Pizza where Walker was paid a minimum wage of $7.50, Walker started working with organizations such as the Fight for $15, and Fast Food Forward campaigns to champion the 3.7 million Americans working in Fast Food. Walkers advocacy also addresses the disparities in healthcare coverage, workplace and scheduling policies. Photo Credit: Alex Swerdloff

8 03, 2019

The Women Refusing To Let Palestine’s Farming Roots Die

2020-10-10T20:18:03-04:00Tags: |

The Palestinian Heirloom Library, in its efforts supporting a Palestinian agricultural scene, stands not only as an act of resistance to Israeli occupation but as a source of cultural tradition and hope in amongst climate change impacts and agribusiness take-over’s. The brainchild of Vivien Sansour, the Heirloom Library was inspired into creation by stories of the succulent watermelon Jadu’I that used to flourish in Jenin. The melon, once a significant cornerstone in the daily lives of Palestinians, suffered (as did much of Palestinian agriculture) after the Israeli occupation. The goal of the Library aims to preserve ancient seed types as well as traditional agricultural practices and revive the heirloom varieties in the fields of the farmers. The Art and Seeds space showcases indigenous seeds and serves to teach the public about long-standing Palestinian farming practices. Photo credit: Vivien Sansour.

30 01, 2019

How To Break Down Discrimination Barriers For Women In Agriculture

2019-04-13T16:19:28-04:00Tags: |

New research is finding that gender discrimination across Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Americas, is being felt by at least half of the women farmers in agriculture. The survey involved 4000 women working in seventeen high-, medium-, and low-income countries in a range of roles and types of farming businesses. It aimed to understand the experience of women farmers today, their lives and their concerns, in order to establish a foundation from which to evaluate future growth. In order to break down the discrimination obstacles for women in agriculture, the results of the survey pointed to training female farmers to use new technologies, dismantling financial obstacles, improving academic education (in contrary to narrowly focussed training), and raising public awareness of the key role women play in agriculture, specifically as key actors in their communities and families in providing food and nutrition. Photo credit: Corteva Agriscience

28 01, 2019

How Three Black Women Use Food As Tools For Resistance

2019-04-13T16:33:22-04:00Tags: |

Monifa Dayo, Carrie Y.T. Kholi, and Binta Ayofemi are three women using food as a vehicle for social change. They are amongst a host of Black women exiting from the restaurant industry after experiencing racism and sexism in the workplace. Monifa Dayo runs her own supper club while consciously incorporating social justice into her business model. Similarly, Carrie Y.T. Kohli’s ‘Hella Black Brunch’ brings people together around food and the African diaspora experience. Binta Ayofemi’s ‘Soul Oakland’ focuses on Black urban sustenance and restoration. Each woman views herown work as a form of resistance to the current political climate, and seeks to inspire communities of color in doing so. Photo credit: Richard Lomibao

21 12, 2018

Overfishing Threatens Malawi’s Blue Economy

2020-10-05T17:08:23-04:00Tags: |

Despite once providing bustling profits for fishing families, Lake Malawi — one of Africa’s largest lakes — suffers from overfishing and women in Malawi are feeling the brunt of this. The fishing industry employs close to 300,000 Malawi workers and fishers, but fish are no longer being found in abundance. Stiff competition from fishermen is drastically depleting fish levels. The fish that are now being found are smaller and priced higher, reducing the profitability of a market that used to flourish in the past. Women who used to buy fish cheaply and trade it for more, are then forced to buy from fishermen, who have also been pushed out of business, at increased prices. Moreover, they are no longer able to provide local fish as a cheap protein to their families because overfishing has left women under tight restraint. Thankfully successful community efforts have been rallied around creating bylaws that would close down the lake for a temporary amount of time to promote lake health. And it appears these laws put in place were working — a man was hit with a hefty fine for fishing on the lake when it was close. Photo credit: Mabvuto Banda

18 11, 2018

Violence against women rooted in conflict over land

2025-03-27T16:51:12-04:00Tags: |

[TW: Sexual violence]. For the first time, on February 26, 2016, a Guatemalan court convicted two military officers of wartime sexual violence and the sexual slavery of 15 Maya Q’eqchi women 30 years prior. A report by ECAP presented the story of the women’s struggle in Sepur Zarco Guatemala in a book titled Clamor for Justice: Sexual Violence, Armed Conflict, and Land Dispossion. The report provided the background for the legal investigation that allowed the affected women and feminist groups to push forward. At its core, the political violence in the 1980s and 1990s was about land and inequalities. Currently, only 2% of landowners own half of all Guatemalan land. 45% of landowners own 3% of land, and women only own 16% of that 3% – a very small percentage demonstrating their struggle for land rights. In a military base near Sepur Zarco, troops committed countless murders and rapes, burned property, and forced women into both domestic and sexual slavery, leaving behind trauma and social stigma. Brave women pushed past the stigma and brought their case to the court. Through their efforts, two officers were sentenced to 120 and 240 years in prison. The work to bring justice to these women and their families continues. The courage shown by those women has propelled other women in other Latin American countries to come forward and fight for justice.

16 10, 2018

Gender Equality In The Cocoa Trade: Two Female Farmers From Cote d’Ivoire Readdress The Balance

2020-10-06T23:33:28-04:00Tags: |

Aminata Bamba and Traore Awa are two women leading the charge on gender equality in the cocoa industry in Western Africa. Both with senior positions in their cocoa cooperatives, Ecookim and CAYAT cocoa cooperative respectively, and having returned from a Fairtrade Conference, they defy the traditional gender roles prevalent in their country and help lift the taboo on women leadership. In a community where unpaid labour often mean that women working throughout the production chain are often not recognised and gender expectations result in a male-dominated industry, the Fairtrade Women’s School of Leadership is working to empower women to take the lead and has trained 413 women in Awa’s community. Their program provides guidance and business support and last year’s conference tackled the future of trade and systemic issues in supply chains. Photo credit: Tony Myers.

15 10, 2018

The Power of Rural Women To Reduce Global Food Insecurity And Cut Emissions

2020-11-20T17:58:24-05:00Tags: |

Santona Rani, President of the Rajpur Women’s Federation, is working to increase climate and community resilience in her flood-prone area of Tajpur, Lalmonirhat in northern Bangladesh. Climate change is increasing the detrimental effects on crops and productivity. Her organisation is made up of twenty groups that work to assist 500 vulnerable and marginalized women. It works alongside ActionAid’s Promoting Opportunities for Women Empowerment and Rights (POWER) to boost independence through sustainable agriculture that fosters climate resilience. They also work to address the unjust gender roles that exist within the society; aiming to increase income and recognise the amount of work women do, provide training around leadership, women’s rights, financial aspects, sustainable farming and communication skills, as well as endeavour to prevent violence against women. Their work is community based, and involves interactive theatre shows, informative leaflets, and a seed bank and grain store that protects against the damages of flooding or natural disasters. Photo credit: ActionAid.

12 10, 2018

Colombian Women Are Putting Their Lives On The Line For The Earth

2020-09-02T23:29:09-04:00Tags: |

The murder of Earth Defenders is on the rise, especially throughout Latin America, according to Global Watch. Nevertheless, Colombian women like Jackeline Romero Epiayu, Briceida Lemos Rivera, Isabel Zuleta, and Nini Johana Cárdenas Rueda continuously fight for the land and their livelihoods. Through community organization and outreach, these women are bravely resisting the expansion of mining industries and  infrastructure projects that have devastating impacts on the environment and local communities. But with such force comes danger as these four women are facing harassment from Colombian authorities, anonymous threats to their lives and loved ones, and have even escaped attempted kidnappings and murders. Photo Credit: Ynske Boersman

12 10, 2018

Across Mozambique and Tanzania, Women Show Us How To Improve Communities And Protect Our Planet

2018-10-12T17:11:52-04:00Tags: |

Women across Mozambique and Tanzania are organizing their communities to improve  local livelihood through sustainability and the protection of natural resources. This inspirational blog by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) explores  the stories of various community leaders building long lasting projects. Like the story of Alima Chereira, who formed an agricultural association that teaches women climate-resilient farming practices. Or entrepreneur Fatima Apacur,  who helped her community form a savings association that uses the ancient practice of group savings and pooling wealth to help community members invest in the future. Photo Credit: WWF/ James Morgan

5 10, 2018

Women In The US Food System Are Speaking Up About Domestic Abuse

2020-10-05T21:50:51-04:00Tags: |

From female farmers to female restaurant workers, women are consistently subject to sexual harassment at every level of the US Food System. Mostly depending on immigrant labor, the US Food System workforce is the lowest-paid and most exploited workforce in the country. The workers have little legal protections that are rarely enforced. For women, especially immigrant women, this means that sexual harrasment and unequal treatment on the basis of sex prevail. In recent years, initiatives such as the #MeToo movement, the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the Fair Food Movement, support and encourage women to fight against the patriarchal oppression they face. Photo Credit: Donald Lee Pardue

3 10, 2018

Hamari Roti, Hamari Aazadi Our Bread, Our Freedom: Diverse Women Of The World Resolve To Defend Biological And Cultural Diversity, Through Non-violence, Love And Friendship

2020-11-07T17:26:57-05:00Tags: |

Women in India have re-initiated a movement called ‘Our Bread, Our Freedom’ (Hamari Roti, Hamari Azaadi), in efforts to counter the corporate food system driven by new East India Companies which has led to an epidemic of farmer suicides and varying health issues.  Diverse Women for Diversity aim to reveal the pseudo food safety regulations and fake knowledge surrounding nutritionally empty and toxic food. The movement builds alternatives to the monoculture of chemical farming and through bread, reclaim not only their freedom but also their historical and cultural knowledge in producing diverse foods. In Doon Valley on the 2nd of October 2018 women gathered from 25 regions in India to cook breads typical to their state, including roti from Uttarakhand, Sathuu from Bihar and rice flour chila from Chhatisgarh. They pledge to rejuvenate their local cultures, cleanse from within as well as keep clean their external environment, spread food and nutrition literacy, and build sustainable food economies grounded in social justice, non-violence, and love. Photo Credit: Unknown

28 09, 2018

Olympia Auset Is Tackling Systemic Racism, One Vegetable At A Time

2020-10-10T19:27:42-04:00Tags: |

Olympia Auset is the founder of SÜPERMARKT, a low cost, organic pop-up grocery store which is addressing food inequality in southern Los Angeles. Auset sees food as a tool for liberation and seeks to free her own community from identifying as a food desert where people statistically live 10 years less than wealthier white communities. This reality steams from a history of white flight after slavery became illegal. Auset’s SUPERMARKT  is changing the local narrative and has plans to expand given her success and demand. Her model is also being replicated in food deserts across the country. Photo Credit: Sara Harrison

28 09, 2018

Olympia Auset is Tackling Systemic Racism, One Vegetable at a Time

2023-02-02T16:18:00-05:00Tags: |

Olympia Auset is the founder of pop-up grocery store SÜPRMARKT, which offers affordable and organic food to the South Los Angeles community. Although California is a major food-producing state, many of its residents live in food “deserts,” where fresh produce is expensive and difficult to access. Noticing that food insecurity persists because of structural racism in local policies, Auset established a supermarket that collaborates with local farms, buys wholesale, offers produce delivery, and regularly pops up in community centers and parks across underserved areas. With a team of local volunteers, Auset is transforming the neighborhood’s food landscape through social entrepreneurship and a community-based model, as well as a 501(c)3 nonprofit called SÜPRSEED that raises awareness about food injustice and raises donations to sustain the pop-up supermarket. Photo Credit: Civil Eats

18 08, 2018

The Grazing Expert Helping Farmers Build Resilient Ecosystems

2023-03-29T12:16:00-04:00Tags: |

Sarah Flack is a Vermont-based livestock grazing consultant and author who strives to improve the environment by making farms more sustainable through managed grazing. Her philosophy lies in individualization of livestock farms. Flack argues that the differentiated needs of the plants, animals and soil of each individual farm must be taken into account to create a system in which each farm will thrive on its own system rather than conforming to a more generalized system.  Flack’s advice on “grass-based livestock farming” has been found to yield healthier soil, more robust pastures, improved animal welfare and a more financially sustainable operation for the farmers. Photo Credits: Sarah Flack

6 08, 2018

PastureMap Brings a High-Tech Approach to Sustainable Grazing

2023-03-29T12:11:42-04:00Tags: |

PastureMap is a software platform developed by entrepreneur Christine Su that enables farmers and ranchers to raise climate-friendly animals. This software ensures regenerative agriculture by promoting strategic grazing to keep track of herd information and document grass and soil health. Given the increasing annual average beef consumption amongst Americans, PastureMap strives not only to improve farming practices that minimize the environmental impact of beef consumption but also to provide the ranchers with a competitive advantage amongst consumers. This article takes a deeper look into Su’s journey and the inspiration behind PastureMap. Photo Credits: Pasturemap

21 07, 2018

‘A Hitman Could Come And Kill Me’: The Fight For Indigenous Land Rights In Mexico

2020-10-10T20:29:50-04:00Tags: |

Isela Gonzalez, director of Alianza Sierra Madre, uses civic activism to fight for political change as a way to confront the vested economic interests of not only big corporations, but also narco-gangs and corrupt politicians, that violate indigenous land rights. In a country that is painted in violence, with assassinations as an answer to those who have a different vision than governmental or corporate agendas, standing up for environmental and social causes come with serious risks. Often facing threats to her life, which has resulted in armed guards, panic buttons and crisis training, Gonzalez is staunch in her battle to defend the Tarahumara’s rights. The three tribes who live among the pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre have a worldview that sees themselves as part of the land and it was this, as well as their way of life, that inspired her to refocus the direction of Alianza Sierra Madre on indigenous rights as the frontline for environmental protection. Photo credit: Thom Pierce for The Guardian.

10 07, 2018

Women Are Key To Fixing The Global Food System

2020-10-10T20:24:48-04:00Tags: |

Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, and Emily Payne, a food and agriculture writer, call for critically examining the traditional power structures in the food system and advocate the key role women play in creating a more sustainable, equitable, and economically viable agricultural scene. Given that female farmers make up almost half of the agricultural labour force worldwide, and in some countries up to 80%, they are responsible for important tasks such as seed saving and crop tending. If they were ensured equal access to resources that men have, they could help increase yields by up to 30% and thus, they are a fundamental part of ensuring global food security. Success stories linked to women’s efforts in agriculture involve workshops on climate-adaptive irrigation strategies in Jamaica to Women in Agricultural program in Nigeria that connects female farmers to vital services. Photo credit: Naimul Haq and Inter Press Service. 

3 07, 2018

Dara Cooper Is Reclaiming Black Foodways

2025-04-18T20:40:48-04:00Tags: |

Dara Cooper, co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, is focused on advancing food sovereignty, land justice, and racial equity in the food system. She challenges White-dominated power structures by redefining problems and creating community-based solutions. Cooper advocates for the end of “food apartheid,” usually discussed as “food deserts,” to highlight systemic violence against Black communities in food access. Her work addresses the historical and ongoing injustices that separate Black people from land and she promotes cooperative approaches such as land trusts and co-op grocery stores to reclaim agency. Cooper critiques capitalist food systems which prioritize profit over health and sustainability and calls for a reimagined food system that moves away from extraction, working instead towards a more community-centered and sustainable system.

18 06, 2018

The grazing expert helping farmers build resilient ecosystems

2025-02-21T18:30:06-05:00Tags: |

Sarah Flack, a Vermont-based livestock grazing consultant, has spent over two decades teaching farmers how to employ intentional grazing practices to improve their land's health. Her childhood experiences in Kenya and New Zealand, coupled with her upbringing in an ecologically conscious family, has inspired philosophies of interconnectedness of all beings. Despite initial skepticism, Flack's approach to grass-based livestock farming has gained traction, especially as consumer demand for grass-fed meat has surged. Her work focuses on principles of dividing pastures into paddocks, rotating animals through them, and allowing for adequate recovery time. These practices, which reduce fertilizers and feed, enhance soil health, pasture quality, and animal welfare. Flack shares her expertise through workshops, writing, and speaking engagements. She embodies her principles by living off-the-grid on her property in Vermont, inspiring others with the transformative potential of intentional grazing management.

15 06, 2018

Immigrant Women Are Providing A Taste Of Oaxaca In California’s Central Valley

2020-10-05T16:55:59-04:00Tags: |

In Madera, California, Sylvia Rojas and Rosa Hernandez own Colectivo Sabor a Mi Tierra, a restaurant that offers traditional Oaxacan dishes such as tamales, picaditas, pozole, and mole. Many of these dishes have indigenous roots and reflect the migration from indigenous Mexican communities to the United States. Formerly farmworkers, Hernandez and Rojas opened up the restaurant with support from organizations such as the Pan Valley Institute, a group that focuses on uplifting women and building inter-ethnic relationships amongst rural Californian farming communities in the Central Valley. Photo Credit: Lisa Morehouse

7 06, 2018

The Resilience Of Thai Women Land And Environment Defenders

2019-03-04T01:17:35-05:00Tags: |

Members of the Southern Peasants Federation of Thailand (SPFT) -- a grassroots community of landless farmers -- are being confronted with harassment from military officials in the form of unlawful arrests, human rights abuses, and even murder in an attempt to displace the residing populations from the land for commercial use. Despite authoritarian rule, gender-based discrimination, and impending issues of safety, Thai women land and environment defenders are risking their lives in order to ensure the protection of human rights for not only themselves but for their small-scale farming communities as well. In May of 2018, women from the SPFT gathered in Bangkok demanding support from the United Nations offices and government agencies. By challenging unjust land rights and management policies and commanding reparations for human rights abuses, these women have pushed authorities to agree upon land titles for the community and to cease the wrongful prosecutions against villagers. Photo credit: Use Default

5 06, 2018

Agricultural Diversification: Empowering Women In Cambodia With ‘Wild Gardens’

2020-10-06T23:24:51-04:00Tags: |

A group of US and Cambodian Scholars from Pennsylvania State University have created the multidisciplinary project, “Women in Agriculture Network (WAgN): Cambodia” to teach Cambodian women farmers how to change their farming techniques for more beneficial outcomes. The project places particular value on native Cambodian plants that thrive throughout the year, even during wet- and dry-season food gaps.  WAgN also analyses Cambodian women’s roles in agriculture, and the notion that the “feminization” of agriculture does not coincide with an improved quality of life for Cambodian women.  Researchers at WAgN believe that their project has the potential to augment the societal status of Combodian women and improve their quality of life. Photo Credit: Penn State

4 06, 2018

A Woman’s Reparations Map For Farmers Of Color Seeks To Right Historical Wrongs

2020-04-24T16:12:49-04:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman and her organization Soul Fire Farm have developed a new mapping and reparations resource for black and brown farmers. Launched via Google Maps, the reparations map identifies over 52 organizations, their needs, and how to contact each farming operation. The project is an extension of a global movement for food justice, and the return of stolen lands and resources to Indigenous and black farmers. Consequently, the project directly addresses the significant wealth gap between farmers of color and white farmers. The site has had over 53,000 visitors to date. Photo Credit: Jonah Vitale-Wolff

4 06, 2018

A Reparations Map for Farmers of Color May Help Right Historical Wrongs

2023-02-02T16:10:54-05:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman is the founder of Soul Fire Farm in New York, which aims to dismantle racism and injustice in the food system not only through sustainable farming, but also through reparations. Centuries of slavery and racism left many Black Americans uncompensated for their agricultural labor, and this is directly connected to the persistent racial wealth gap we see today. Penniman has created an online mapping tool to connect donors with farmers of color who seek financial payments to compensate for past and present inequities. She is also training farmers to speak up through advocacy and storytelling, while writing a “Definitive Guide to Liberation on Land.” This article delves into the history of the movement for reparations, which dates back to the Civil War, and the work Penniman is doing to advocate for system and policy change. Photo Credit: Soul Fire Farm

31 05, 2018

Marion Nestle Looks Back At 30 Years Of Agitating For Better Food

2020-09-02T22:31:18-04:00Tags: |

Marion Nestle, an NYU professor in nutrition and an influential voice in food advocacy, has been working in changing the landscape of the food system for the past thirty years. A pioneer of the Food Studies program at NYU, this interdisciplinary field looks at food through a political lens throughout its course of production, consumption, and waste. For her, there exists so much confusion about what people should eat because of the power dynamics at play with agribusiness aiming to sell as much as possible at the lowest cost. Despite the consumer ‘movement’ influencing what companies put into their foods, top-down change is required to deal with systematic issues such as hunger. It is this sort of regulation that is extremely lacking in the Trump administration’s food policies. Whilst the food movement is fragmented in terms of goals and issues at stake, Nestle is optimistic with the role that young people can play in food advocacy, especially at a local level. Photo Credit: Bill Hayes.

31 05, 2018

Jaylyn Gough Asks: Whose Land Are You Exploring?

2020-10-07T01:10:59-04:00Tags: |

Jaylyn Gough, a Diné outdoors woman, is addressing and changing colonial narratives of the outdoor industry. In 2017, Gough launched Native Women’s Wilderness. What began as a platform for Native girls and women to share photos of their outdoor experience has since morphed into a movement. One of Native Women’s Wilderness’ key initiatives is growing awareness around whose land is being explored and addressing the exclusivity and white centric culture of the outdoor industry. One idea is a symbolic reclaiming of the ancestral Paiute trade route, today known as the 210-mile John Muir Trail. Gough is optimistic that the shift towards reconciliation of the genocidal history of the United States can begin with the outdoor industry. Photo credit: Jayme Moye

25 05, 2018

Navajo Women Struggle To Preserve Traditions As Climate Change Intensifies

2018-12-19T17:33:57-05:00Tags: |

Lorraine Herder belongs to a shepherd family: she grew up raising sheep and using its wool in a remote area on the Navajo reservation. But now, shrinking water reservoirs due to climate change are making it difficult to keep this tradition alive. Dr. Margaret Redsteer, a scientist at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, notes that the amount of groundwater has decreased drastically over the past century, putting a strain on the animals’ health and the Navajo way of life. The water crisis is also caused by other factors like coal mining, according to Nicole Horseherder, founder of non- profit organization “Scared Water Speaks”.  Photo Credit: Sonia Narang/PRI

21 05, 2018

Meet the Farmworkers Leading the #MeToo Fight For Workers Everywhere

2023-02-01T23:00:05-05:00Tags: |

In the United States, an estimated 500,000 women labor in the fields, where sexual violence is a prevalent concern. Nearly 4 out of 5 female farmworkers experience coercion, assault, catcalling, or other forms of sexual harassment. Unequal power relations complicate their ability to pursue justice and accountability, as authorities and managers are frequently male. Eradicating gender-based violence in U.S. agriculture is one of the key aims of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an alliance of farmers and agricultural workers based in Florida. This immigrant worker-led human rights organization has created a Fair Food Workers program that aims to secure workers’ rights through legal action. It has pioneered a model for protecting human rights known as “worker-driven social responsibility,” which was recognized by the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights and received a 2015 Presidential Medal from President Obama. By addressing the structural issues enabling and perpetuating sexual violence, the Coalition is dismantling unjust labor systems. It has also served as a blueprint for change in other areas, like the dairy and fashion industries. Photo credit: Coalition of Immokalee Workers    

21 05, 2018

Warming Waters Hurt Zanzibar’s Seaweed. But Women Farmers Have A Plan

2021-02-16T20:51:24-05:00Tags: |

Seaweed farming in Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania, is largely done by local women farmers. Most of the men find the work too hard for the small pay, but the income remains significant to women. As a result of their engagement in industry, women farmers and their family have significantly benefited. However, the Western Indian Ocean’s temperature is rising, which is leading to loss of the seaweed crop. The women farmers are responding to this adversity in various ways. One solution has been to farm farther in the ocean. This solution requires the participation of at least some strong swimmers, but seeing as most women in Zanzibar do not know how to swim, many of the farmers are having to learn to swim as they go. Another solution the farmers have enacted is cooperating with local and international researchers. The hope is that fostering this dialogue will benefit both parties and that the seaweed industry will remain viable. Photo credit: Karen Coates

21 05, 2018

Female Farmworkers Leading The #MeToo Fight For Workers Everywhere

2020-10-10T19:20:50-04:00Tags: |

Daughters of field workers are participating in a five day “Freedom Fast”, and joining the Time’s Up Wendy’s March in Manhattan. Their demonstration calls upon Wendy’s to sign onto the Fair Food Program which addresses many of the structural issues enabling sexual harassment in the workplace. The demonstration is taking place alongside the Time’s Up and #MeToo movement which has drawn global attention to the treatment of all women in the workforce. Women working in agriculture are strong voice in this movement as they report especially high rates of sexual assault in the workplace. So far the women’s efforts to suede Wendy’s have been unsuccessful. Photo Credit: Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)

18 05, 2018

The Entrepreneur Making Healthy Food Accessible To Her Brooklyn Neighborhood

2020-10-05T17:16:03-04:00Tags: |

Francesca Chaney is working to alleviate food insecurity and make the wellness movement accessible in her neighbourhood of Bushwick, New York. A dream since she was 19 years old, the café, Sol Sips, started as a pop-up shop and evolved into a permanent fixture in the community. With a popular brunch menu and sliding scale prices, a diverse range of community members visit the spot ranging from indigenous, Latinx, and people of colour to old-timers and families. She serves a community that has largely been left aside by the mainstream health and wellness movement and Sol Sips remains a contrast to the majority of vegan and plant-based restaurants. Chaney wants to counter the trend that to eat healthy is a privilege only for those who can afford it. This socially conscious space that pays mind to the demographic of the neighbourhood is one of a range of businesses fighting to make vegan and healthy food accessible. Photo credit: Sol Sips

14 05, 2018

How Cuba’s Women Farmer’s Kept Everyone Fed

2025-01-25T11:28:23-05:00Tags: |

Before 1989, Cuba depended on the Soviet Union for agricultural supplies to help maintain Cuban agriculture industries such as coffee, bananas, and sugar. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Cuba found itself cut off from these agricultural supplies and in an economic crisis. Over the course of the next six years, the Cuban government encouraged alternative agricultural practices and ran workshops to teach residents various forms of food production methods. Former biology teacher Edith participated in one of these workshops. Afterwards, she founded the urban farm Linda Flor ten minutes away from Sancti Spíritus’ main square. Thanks to Edith’s scientific knowledge, perseverance, and passion for agriculture, Linda Flor flourished despite the small urban space. Now, students from around the world flock to Sancti Spíritus to tour Edith’s farm.   Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

13 05, 2018

Fodder Seeds: Empowering Women And Closing Gaps In Afghanistan

2018-08-26T13:50:06-04:00Tags: |

The International Center for Agriculture Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), CSIRO and Murdoch University, organized a week-long workshop for small-scale crop and livestock production farmers from the water-scarce regions of Afghanistan, in Amman, Jordan. The workshop focused on training female farmers in plant propagation, forage seed production, nursery management, and enterprise development. The participants included gender knowledge facilitators, women farmers, members of cooperatives, women savings groups from Baghlan province of Afghanistan, and members from Agha Khan Foundation. The participants visited a nursery run by Jordanian women which encouraged them to go back, promote and share the technical knowledge they received during the workshop to their fellow Afghan farmers and are planning on establishing their own nursery run completely by women. The participants were keen on developing equal opportunities for women especially in the forage value chains, which is largely dominated by male farmers.  Photo Credit:  Mounir Louhaichi

7 05, 2018

I am the Daughter of a Conventional Farmer—and a Sustainable Ag Advocate

2025-04-18T20:44:40-04:00Tags: |

Ash Bruxvoort, the daughter of a conventional farmer, uses her unique experiences within the urban-rural divide to advocate for change in the agricultural system. Having witnessed both the joys and struggles of farming as her family navigated volatile agricultural markets, she pursued a career in agricultural nonprofits to better understand and transform the food system. Initially drawn to urban food movement ideals like organic farming, Bruxvoort soon realized these "better" methods weren’t always financially viable for farmers like her father. This deepened her appreciation for the challenges farmers face within a profit-driven system. She believes that farmer’s daughters, with their firsthand experience of both urban and rural parts of society, are uniquely positioned to foster change. Women like Wendy Johnson and Lauren Rudersdorf are already working to redefine farming practices, promote sustainability, and bridge the urban-rural divide. Bruxvoort stresses the importance of empathy, compassion, and open dialogue to overcome stereotypes and misunderstandings. By listening to her father’s experiences, she has developed a deeper, more humanized understanding of the struggles farmers face, fostering mutual respect and a call to bridge the divide through meaningful conversations and see beyond the labels.

2 05, 2018

75% Of World’s Seeds Are Preserved By Small Farmers, Mostly Women

2019-04-13T16:23:35-04:00Tags: |

Lim Li Ching’s new report on agroecology highlights the crucial role small women farmers play in preserving indigenous varieties or landraces of main food crops. However, their role expands beyond the preservation of indigenous seeds, and women also process, distribute, and market food, as well as act as key holders of knowledge around seeds, agricultural biodiversity, and agroecology technologies. Parul Begum knew that indigenous strains of rice would result in higher yields in West Bengal and Manisha in Haryana’s Nidana village in Jind used carnivorous pests, as opposed to a chemical alternative, to handle the crop destruction caused by harmful pests. These women play a significant role in smallholder systems which also provide over half of the planet’s food calories. Despite their valuable role, women face issues in legal ownership of land and access to resources such as land, seeds, or technologies, due to the gender bias that exists in agriculture. Lim Li Ching argues that empowering women, especially with regards to land ownership which consequently opens access to government schemes and resources, can lead to improved food security and health. Photo credit: Vikas Choudhary

25 04, 2018

Climate Change Is Destroying Women’s Lives In Alwar

2020-09-02T21:10:11-04:00Tags: |

Alwar, a semi-arid region in between the Capital of India and Capital of Rajasthan, is facing a severe water crisis especially in the villages of Ramgarh and Bheror blocks. Raziya Begum, a woman farmer of Ramgarh Block, is telling researchers about the kind of discrimination women face, and how climate change is further adding to gender disparity in rural areas. Similarly, Shima ji of the same block pointed to the extra burden on women due to their household and agricultural labor. More women work in agriculture, yet many lack the knowledge of farming techniques that are resistant to climate change. Additionally, women work longer hours than men, sometimes waking up at 3 am to wait for their turn to gather water from a well. Low rainfall and the depletion of groundwater for agriculture has made  water a scarce resource, adding to the stressors already placed on women. Cultural norms legitimize this gender inequality in India, putting women on the receiving end of violence and negative impact of climate change. Photo Credit: Koushik Hore

17 04, 2018

Statement of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact

2023-11-28T17:07:55-05:00Tags: , , |

In this short video from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Naw Ei Ei Min, a Karen Indigenous woman from Myanmar, speaks about the importance Indigenous women hold in the fight to end hunger and malnutrition. She describes how Indigenous women hold traditional knowledge, are protectors of Native seeds, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods, yet remain invisible, with their rights going unrecognized and unprotected. Min says if the 2030 agenda is achieved, it will only be possible through the empowerment of Indigenous women and addressing their needs through policies that are gender sensitive and culturally appropriate. 

16 04, 2018

Cooperative Agro-Forestry Empowers Indigenous Women In Honduras

2020-04-24T15:47:48-04:00Tags: |

The community of Lenca women, Indigenous to Honduras, has been practicing agroforestry for millennia as a sustainable farming method in their dry region. They are keeping this traditional knowledge alive by growing organic, fair trade crops like coffee in worker-owned cooperatives. Farmers like Eva Alvarado helped to create an all-female growers’ cooperative in 2014, as part of the Cosagual coffee growers’ organization. Their coffee is now sold around the world, and the women bring home a larger share of the profits than before. The Lenca group is known for radical work: Berta Cáceres, the famous Indigenous activist murdered in 2016, also belonged to the community. The idea of this cooperative was seeded at a gender equality workshop with the Association of NGOs. Agroforestry, which involves planting fruit and timber trees in the shade, is an effective way to combat food insecurity, erosion and acts as a carbon sink. Women in Honduras are coping with climate change using agroforestry, a method that can provide a sustainable livelihood to many communities. Photo Credit: Monica Pelliccia

11 04, 2018

The Women Reviving Heirloom Grains And Flour

2020-10-06T23:19:28-04:00Tags: |

A group of women bakers in Los Angeles, California were selected to speak at the panel, “Bread Winners: A Conversation with Women in Bread,” organized by the California Grain Campaign in honor of Women’s History Month. The group of women assembled included baker Kate Pepper, California Grain Campaign Organizer Mai Nguyen, miller Nan Kohler, and baker Roxana Jullapat. The panel focused on the women’s involvement in the California Grain Campaign’s goal to push bakers to use 20 percent whole-grain, California grown-and-milled flours. During the panel Nguyen brought up the historical importance of women in agriculture, specifically in terms of seed conservation. Nguyen also expressed gratitude to cotton breeder Sally Fox, and chemist Monica Spiller, whose seed projects made Sonora Wheat a more familiar food amongst consumers. Photo Credit: Civil Eats

3 04, 2018

A More Just Migration: Empowering Women On The Front Lines Of Climate Displacement

2020-09-02T21:07:22-04:00Tags: |

Migration is one way women may be forced to adapt to climate change, but this displacement also puts women at greater risk for violence, a group of women leaders explained at a Wilson Center event. Eleanor Bornstorm, Program Director for the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), noted that because women are often in caretaking roles, they are also expected to volunteer and shield their communities from harm. Yet structural inequalities put women disproportionately at risk to violence during climate displacement. Carrying forward the former statement, Justine Calma, Grist environmental justice reporting fellow, vocalized the violence faced by women and young girls during climate displacement. For example, during the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, young girls were sexually exploited, sold and trafficked for food and other resources. Poor or uneducated women, women of color and migrant women are vulnerable to intersectional forms of discrimination, and their needs are often more urgent. Because of these structural inequalities, empowering women and enhancing their leadership may be the best strategy to address climate change, rather than mitigating its effects. WEDO is assessing factors impacting women during climate displacement, filling in the gaps unaddressed at the national and international level. Photo Credit: Agata Grzybowska.

28 03, 2018

Female Farmers In The East Bay Cultivate A Sense Of Community

2020-09-02T22:42:25-04:00Tags: |

Kanchan Dawn Hunter of Spiral Gardens, Kelly Carlisle, founder of Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project, and Gail Myers, founder of Farms to Grow, are three women of colour who are challenging the dominant image of white, male farmers in the agricultural industry. Females farmers are underrepresented both in terms of ownership but also with respect to the power dynamics in the agricultural system. For them, the act of growing food is intrinsically political, and is a way of empowering marginalized communities to re-establish their food sovereignty and restore their connection with themselves and planet Earth. Spiral Gardens provides free educational programs taught at its community farm and hosts community work days. Acta Non Verba aims to empower young people through urban farming and conducts field trips and farm visits. Farms to Grow supports marginalized farmers around the country who are practicing sustainable agriculture. Other organizations such as MESA and Urban Tilth also work to support a sustainable and equitable food industry. Photo Credit: Andria Lo.

23 03, 2018

Meet The Women Growing The California Seaweed Economy

2020-10-10T20:11:50-04:00Tags: |

Salt Point Seaweed is an all-female Bay Area company that is leading the way for global food insecurity solutions. Tessa Emmer, Catherine O’Hare and Avery Resor are harvesting wild seaweed from an open-water farm off the coast of Mendocino County. Having drawn inspiration from East African communities, particularly female aqua-farming in Zanzibar, this company hopes to popularize local varieties of seaweed (such as Gracilaria) in Northern California’s avant-garde, health-centered culinary scene. Seaweed’s ability to de-acidify waters coupled with virtually zero inputs required for growth, it’s numerous health benefits and budding potential to substitute for fossil fuels, as well as massive potential in contributing to increasing the world’s food supply mean that it is a global solution in the fight against climate change, ocean acidification, and unsustainable food systems. Photo credit: Salt Point Seaweed.

8 03, 2018

Defeminisation Of Indian Agriculture

2020-09-02T23:19:40-04:00Tags: |

Women in India hold significant but overlooked roles in agriculture. The Census of India (2011) reveals nearly 98 million women have agricultural jobs. Due to decreasing economic opportunities in rural areas, young people and men are moving to urban areas, leaving women behind to farm. To recognize the importance of female farmers, the government of India declared October 15th as Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas (National Female Farmer Day). This is a great step forward given women have been historical left out of agricultural narratives. The way forward is to give land rights to women while strengthening the existing government policies for female farmers in India. Photo Credit: Vikas Choudhary

8 03, 2018

Activism As Art: Giving Dolores Huerta Her Rightful Place In American History

2018-07-13T16:31:28-04:00Tags: |

The new documentary, Dolores, celebrates the life of revolutionary Dolores Huerta. Huerta is an activist, organiser, cofounder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), and founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Due to sexism and discrimination she never received the same recognition as her UFW cofounder, Cesar Chavez. This documentary aims to make amends to this by demonstrating Huerta’s fearless leadership in the Farm Workers Movement. Huerta is also depicted raising awareness about the United States’ reliance on pesticides and industrial agriculture including the effects of exposure to toxic synthetic chemicals. Photo credit: Bioneers.

22 02, 2018

Indigenous Women Cope With Climate Change

2020-11-07T17:51:11-05:00Tags: |

Bolivian women are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as it is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and suffers from one of the worst patterns of gender inequality.  Women in indigenous farmer communities are one of the hardest hit from climate change as agricultural production is put under peril leading to lower food security and higher food prices. As food supply becomes volatile, women, who are responsible for the provision of food to their family, are challenged to prepare enough nutritious food. Furthermore, men are pushed to migrate to find work in rural areas or coca plantations leaving women behind to raise children.  The government and NGOs, such as INCCA, have been taking initiative in empowering women and teaching communities how to mitigate the effects of climate change. These initiatives started ten years ago with NGOs such as INCCA and Solidagro who implement conservation and food security programs. Photo Credit: Sanne Derks/Al Jazeera  

19 02, 2018

Gendered Experiences Of Adaptation To Drought: Patterns Of Change In El Sauce, Nicaragua

2020-09-03T01:47:41-04:00Tags: |

Nicaragua, the largest country in Central America is considered one of the most at risk countries by World Risk Report 2016. Natural disasters and poor socio-economic conditions increase the vulnerability of Nicaragua citizens. To analyze the gender dimension of such vulnerability, Lisa Segnestam, researcher from Stockholm Environmental Institute wrote a paper that explores the socio-economic and environmental factors contributing to gender inequality. Her research findings unveiled that lack of control and poor access resources has increased the gender gap which further impacts the ways Nicaraguans respond to climate change. Photo Credit: Lisa Segnestam.

15 02, 2018

Gender Equality Crucial to Tackling Climate Change – UN

2020-10-23T23:42:17-04:00Tags: |

Women are disproportionately more susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to the hindrances caused by gender inequality that they must also face. The report written by UN Women on “Gender Equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, draws attention to the need to place gender equality front and centre throughout the implementation of the SDGs Agenda. The report highlights that, globally, more than one quarter of women work in agriculture. As the impacts of climate change on agriculture are already being severely felt, this is one of the areas that needs urgent action. Women face many restraints in accessing land, agricultural inputs and credit which increase their vulnerability reducing their resilience against climate change. However, women are an important representation of strength for combating climate change, they are not just victims. The report emphasizes that diverse women must be present in decision-making environments to ensure inclusive mitigation and adaptation to climate change at local, national and international levels. The UNFCCC has been increasingly recognizing the importance of equal gender representation in the development of gender responsive climate policies. In fact, the Gender Action Plan (GAP) was adopted at the COP23 to guide this goal.

26 01, 2018

‘Eat Less Meat’ Ignores the Role of Animals in the Ecosystem

2025-04-18T20:49:20-04:00Tags: |

Arielle Greenwood is a land manager for Freestone Ranch, a restoration-focused grass-fed beef operation in the United States. She argues that pushing to eat less meat to help the environment oversimplifies issues within the agriculture livestock sector. Additionally, it overlooks the reality of many farmers who rely on selling meat from their livestock in order to support themselves. Instead of applying a blanket-solution to a complex problem, Greenwood calls for more curiosity and nuance in the discussion of meat consumption. While industrial meat production is harmful, livestock can contribute to soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration when raised using sustainable practices. Greenwood’s knowledgeable approach to farming results in restoration of grazing land that has been mismanaged for decades. Instead of simply reducing meat consumption, Greenwood advocates for rethinking meat production and supporting farming systems that integrate animals in ways that restore and enhance the environment.

10 01, 2018

Denied Land, Indian Women Stake Claims In Collectives

2018-07-13T16:22:51-04:00Tags: |

Standing up against local officials denying their right to land, 40 women from the village of Pallur in India’s state of Tamil Nadu have taken matters into their own hands, forming a collective and farming on a local plot of land. Led by resident Shakila Kalaiselvan, the collective is made up of Dalits, a social caste that has traditionally suffered discrimination. While prejudice against Dalits has been banned in the state of Tamil Nadu, ill-treatment persists, with about two-thirds remaining landless. This categorization added with their gender status has created a simultaneous strand of discrimination – to which the women of Pallur will not tolerate. In response to land denial, last year, the collective transformed an unused 2.5-acre (1 hectare) plot from overgrown weed to a plot of beans, corn, and millet. And the work has only just begun. While the group was opposed by upper-caste men and local officials, the women have inspired a second collective of 40 women plans to clear another 2.5 acres of common land in the near future. Picture Credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation/Rina Chandran

10 01, 2018

Why you should listen to ‘racist sandwich’ podcast series

2024-09-13T16:12:23-04:00Tags: , |

Soleil Ho and Zahir Janmohamed launched the podcast "Racist Sandwich" to tackle race, class, and gender issues in the food industry. Through interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, and cultural critics, they dissect topics such as the impact of food photography on racial stereotypes, workplace harassment in kitchens, and the issues surrounding "wellness culture." Their platform aims to amplify diverse voices and challenge the predominantly white narrative in food media. Ho's experiences working in restaurants have shaped her perspective on discrimination and abuse, leading her to advocate for marginalized individuals in the industry. She emphasizes the need for diversity and structural changes in restaurant ownership and food media to address systemic issues of inequality and exploitation.

1 01, 2018

Anne Lappe: Big Food And Public Health Don’t Mix

2018-02-15T12:57:27-05:00Tags: |

Equitable food systems advocate Anna Lappe addresses the hypocrisy that exists in the presence of the biggest multinational food and beverage corporations within the United Nations public health decision making process. As these corporations are the direct perpetrators and beneficiaries of childhood obesity and other health epidemics worldwide, Lappe highlights the global call for the creation of policies to bar the influence of “vested interests” of big food and beverage companies, similar to Article 5.3, which halted the tobacco industry from similar influence. Photo Credit: Leonardo Sa

15 12, 2017

How Female Farmers Are Fighting Big Ag’s Gender Injustice By Taking Control Of Their Food Systems

2018-02-15T12:29:02-05:00Tags: |

Women farmers in the United States are taking a stand against the exploitative, male-dominated, profit-oriented, conventional food and agricultural sector. In fact, since 1978, the number of U.S. women farm operators has grown by nearly 300 percent. Combating the gendered and racialized food system, these women are shifting the tides of injustice by growing food, organizing their communities, and changing policy. Photo Credit: Impact Photography   

14 12, 2017

Seattle, 1999: Diverse Women For Diversity Declaration To WTO

2018-02-14T22:08:45-05:00Tags: |

In response to events at the 2017 World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting, Indian seed-saving organization, Navdanya, released this article, which honors and calls to attention the Diverse Women For Diversity Declaration, which was issued during the 1999 Seattle WTO meeting. The full declaration shares women’s analysis and responses to how genetically modified seeds, intellectual property rights, and patents are impacting food, medicine and agriculture systems; Indigenous peoples rights and lands; and the health of the Earth. The declaration calls out the WTO and its unchecked support of free markets and unjust economies, presenting a collective voice of women standing for life and diversity - and against the interconnected dangers of the global war system, corporate free market economy, and agribusiness industry.

24 11, 2017

Here’s How The All-Woman Chief And Council Of The Saik’uz First Nation Is Changing The Way Leadership Works

2020-09-03T01:21:41-04:00Tags: |

Early 2017 was marked as an auspicious year for Saik'uz First Nation which selected five women – Priscilla Mueller, Jasmine Thomas, Marlene Quaw, Allison Johnny and Chief Jackie Thomas to lead the tribe. The council of five women identified four key areas to work – governance + finance, environmental stewardship, socio-cultural issues, and education + employment. Jasmine Thomas, the youngest member of council was inspired to lead after Chief Thomas's success against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. Her work helped lead to the Tsilhqot'in Land Ruling, which now requires the government and companies to work with First Nations in order to develop natural resources, rather than going around them. Photo Credit: Andrew Kurjata/CBC

17 11, 2017

Nebeday Enables Senegalese Women From Rural Areas To Obtain New Forms Of Income

2020-12-02T20:07:28-05:00Tags: |

Nebeday is an association for environmental protection that supports Senegalese women from rural areas to obtain new forms of income outside of the traditional harvesting period through the cultivation and transformation of the moringa plant. The plant adapts to very arid environments and has a positive environmental impact, while also being nutritionally rich. The project also raises awareness of the need for sustainable resource management and the positive impact women can have on the development of the local economy. Photo credit: Video Capture

13 11, 2017

Peasant Men And Women Say ‘End Violence Against Women!’

2017-12-13T13:22:40-05:00Tags: |

On the International Day of Struggle Against Violence Towards Women, La Via Campesina launched a campaign and called on its global allies organizations and members to join together to condemn structural violence against peasant women. As their statement explains, structural violence is rooted in capitalistic and fascist patriarchal societies which discriminate against women. Peasant women especially, are victims of forced displacement, prostitution, human trafficking and gender-based violence on a regular basis. The campaign purposefully focuses on both peasant men and women, recognizing that it will take the voices of many breaking their silence to end these violations. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

11 11, 2017

Training Women In Agroecology Yields Results In West Africa

2021-02-16T20:29:15-05:00Tags: |

In May 2017, the Burkinabe agricultural organization, ‘We are the solution! Celebrate African family farming’ held a farming workshop for female Burkinabe farmers. The workshop focused on agro-ecological food production methods and aimed to train women how to adapt their farming techniques to climate change. The movement’s coordinator Sibiri Dao, has since expanded the movement to include countries such as Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Senegal. Through this movement, Dao hopes to use women to empower local communities to practice food sovereignty and engage in more sustainable methods of agriculture. Photo Credit: L’Économiste du Faso 

7 11, 2017

Jackee Alston Talks About Her Inspiration To Sprout The Grow Flagstaff Seed Library

2025-01-25T11:37:28-05:00Tags: |

During a visit to Brandon, Vermont, Jackee Alston stumbled upon the town’s seed library. An avid gardener, the Brandon Seed Library inspired Alston to create her own seed library in Flagstaff, Arizona. She calls it The Grow Flagstaff Seed Library. Alston describes the difficulties of gardening in Flagstaff’s high elevation and explains that saving local seeds adapted to the climate makes it easier for residents to garden. Alston also emphasises the social aspect of the seed library by discussing the stories that seeds can tell and the deep land-based historical narratives that accompany seeds. Photo Credit: SeedBroadcast 

20 10, 2017

Women Farmers Are Leading Northern India From Subsistence To Regeneration

2020-09-02T22:54:54-04:00Tags: |

The increasing feminization of agriculture is an expanding market for women farmers in northern India. They are organizing themselves in self help groups and cooperatives such as Aarohi, Chirag and Mahila Umang (one of largest cooperatives in Uttrakhand) by helping each other to bear financial expenses. These cooperatives promote the traditional way of agriculture in nearby states like Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya along the restoring the hills by reforestation. In most of these states, men and young people have moved to urban areas. So, now the women who are left behind are creating balance between the rural economy and ecology, says Kalyan Paul, co-founder of Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation in Almora, Uttrakhand. Photo Credit: Esha Chhabra

16 10, 2017

Seeds of Resilience: An Update From Women Seed Savers In India

2017-10-25T22:27:29-04:00Tags: |

Women of Karnataka, South India, in collaboration with the Women’s Earth Alliance Seeds of Resilience project, are taking action to protect local agricultural seed biodiversity and intergenerational knowledge systems, as another path in the face of pervasive and heavily polluting and exploitative industrial agriculture developments in the Western Ghats region. As women grow their knowledge and a network of women engaging in seed stewardship and sustainable traditional farming practices, they also grow in micro-finance management skills, leadership skills, and empowerment. Photo credit: Vanastree

19 09, 2017

Murder Of Celedonia Zalazar, Community Judge And Defender Of Indigenous Territory On Caribbean Coast

2017-10-21T23:53:05-04:00Tags: |

Celedonia Zalazar Point, a community judge and defender of indigenous land rights, was unjustly murdered due to escalating territorial disputes between Indigenous communities and imperialist settlers. After Bernicia Dixon Peranta, she is the second women’s human rights defender to be murdered on the Caribbean Coast, in addition to numerous deaths and displacements due to government inaction. Photo credit: Mesoamerican Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders

13 09, 2017

Impact Of Climate Change On Women’s Livelihood In The Maldives

2017-12-13T12:49:59-05:00Tags: |

A short video by Uthema Maldives presents the story of Aminath Moosa, woman farmer from Vaadhoo, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, who has been struggling for the last 3-4 years with problems with her land and crops, which she attributes to climate change impacts on the island, which has affected seasonal and rainfall patterns. Photo credit: Uthema Maldives

2 09, 2017

How Some African Farmers Are Responding To Climate Change—And What We Can Learn From Them

2017-10-16T18:03:55-04:00Tags: |

Mary Gichuki, a farmer in Kiambu County, is among many small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa advancing agricultural innovations to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts on food security. With support from the World Agroforestry Centre, Gichuki not only plants drought-resistant, high-protein fodder trees as alternative animal feed, but also sells fodder seeds and teaches other farmers how to use them. She helps over 60 customers each month benefit from this hardy crop.

22 08, 2017

This Female Farmer Is Growing Fresh Produce In The Snow

2017-08-22T09:05:50-04:00Tags: |

Farmers in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula often struggle to make a living as poor soils, epic snows and a fleeting growing season threaten their livelihoods. However, women like Landen Tetil are working towards a more food secure future. Landen was the sole participant in an incubator farm project that provided her with training and tools to overcome punishing climate extremes and start a professional enterprise. She now grows 147 varieties of crops, most of them outside, and provides her community with fresh food. Photo credit: Civil Eats

21 08, 2017

Rural Women Speak Out Against Food Input Subsidy Programme In The SADC Region

2017-10-19T22:47:08-04:00Tags: |

Women from nine countries in Southern Africa united at a gathering of the Rural Women’s Assembly to speak out regarding challenges they are facing as women farmers, as their countries seek to instate Farmer Input Subsidy Programmes (FISPs), which encourage industrial and chemical farming inputs, including use of GMOs. Women shared their concerns around forced loss of Indigenous seed varieties, and the violent impact of fertilizers and pesticides on lands, waters, and identities and lifeways—and laid down demands to their governments to right continuing injustices against rural women and the land. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

20 08, 2017

The Invisible Farmer Project

2017-08-20T09:25:27-04:00Tags: |

The Invisible Farmer Project is Australia’s largest-ever study of women farmers. The project, a 3-year nationwide partnership between rural women, academic researchers, the Australian government, and cultural organizations, aims to document the vital role of women in agriculture to assist the development of gender-sensitive public policy. Photo credit: Museums Victoria

14 08, 2017

A Look At Land Rights For Women Farmers In India

2017-11-06T12:02:38-05:00Tags: |

Women’s Earth Alliance recognizes the importance and the majority of women farmers in India. However, they are not recognized or protected by law in many places in India. This is because religious laws and cultural practices hinder and discriminate against women’s ownership of land. When women own land, it is beneficial overall to themselves, their families, and crop production; they have more security and are able to acquire loans to invest in their households’ needs, such as nutritious food and education, among many other benefits. Read to know more about how to diminish vulnerability and insecurity by empowering female farmers. Photo credit: Express Photo/Prashant Ravi

1 08, 2017

Widows In India Denied The Right To Own Land

2017-11-01T23:51:56-04:00Tags: |

Women are often denied the right to own land, even though they work on it more than men. Nearly three quarters of rural women in India depend on land for their livelihoods, compared to about 60 percent of rural men, as lower farm incomes push many men to the cities for jobs. Women face numerous legal and social hurdles to owning land, in addition to the social bias against being widow, especially in rural areas. With more than 46 million widows, India has the highest number of widows in the world. Photo credit: Reuters

1 08, 2017

La Via Campesina Peasants Initiate Debate On Gender And Sexual Orientation Diversity In The Movement

2017-11-01T00:49:38-04:00Tags: |

La Via Campesina is opening dialogue within its network to discussing how people in rural areas are targeted due to different sexual orientation that the heteronormative one. This LGBTQ self-organized event took place during the VII International Conference in the Basque Country, Spain, and presented an important first step for the network to consider this intersectional issue in its official political agenda and actions. Some member-organizations from La Via Campesina already fight for LGBTQ rights internally as well, such as the Landless Movement of Brazil (MST), the Sindicato Labrego Galego (SLG), and the European Coordination Via Campesina. Photo credit: La Vía Campesina

25 07, 2017

Helen And Sylvia: A Transformative Friendship

2020-10-06T23:38:51-04:00Tags: |

In partnership with the the Indigenous Information Network (IIN), the global feminist organization MADRE facilitated an exchange of farming knowledge between two indigeous Kenyan women, Hellen and Sylvia. Hellen is a mother of five living in Chepareria, Kenya. She is a member of the Pokot Indigenous People and sells crops from her one acre farm. Sylvia, a Maasai woman, lives 250 miles away in Ololulunga, Kenya. With her maize crops dying due to drought, Sylvia was struggling to support herself and her family. At a MADRE event, the two women met each other, and Helena showed Sylvia her small poultry farm. Inspired by Helena’s poultry farm, Sylvia started her own. She now sells chicken eggs at the local market and finds it easier to support her family. Photo Credit:madre.org

17 07, 2017

Rural Women’s Assembly Raises Key Issues On Exploitation Of Land, Power, Control Over Seeds

2017-10-16T18:00:53-04:00Tags: |

The Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) of Southern Africa held its 3rd annual feminist school under the theme “Land, Seeds and Labor: Women Hold More Than Half the Sky.” The space offered the women an opportunity for critical engagement around how power works and interacts within the economic, social, political, religious and cultural spaces to structurally deny women their rights over natural resources such as land and seeds. Feminism grounded in the specific realities of rural women of Africa is a revolutionary tool to raise consciousness and to help organize in dismantling patriarchal capitalism. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

14 07, 2017

A Soil Scientist With A Plan For A More Resilient Food System

2018-07-19T14:27:10-04:00Tags: |

Civil Eats interviews Laura Lengnick, a major player and thinker on agriculture and the environment, delving into her background, career, and philosophy. Lengnick has published extensively on the current unbalanced food system and problems generated by the U.S. industrial food system. Her most notable work, “Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate” has contributed greatly to this field. During her versatile career Lengnick has acted as a soil scientist, policymaker as a Senate staffer, USDA researcher, professor, sustainability consultant, and advocate. She was also selected as a contributor to the Third National Climate Assessment, the authoritative U.S. Climate Report. Currently she lives in the North Carolina mountains where she bio-intensively tends to her 3,000-square-foot micro-farm. Photo credit: Climate Listening Project

13 07, 2017

Geumsoon Yoon: The Global Struggle Of The Local Peasant

2018-03-02T19:58:09-05:00Tags: |

The author of this article, Geumsoon Yoon, is a South Korean small-scale farmer, leader of the Korean Women Peasant Association, and a member of the International Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina.  As a female peasant farmer, she highlights global efforts to resist corporate power and free-trade deals that threaten rural self-sufficiency, and describes how peasants around the world are standing up for the small scale, local agricultural systems that have developed over 20,000 years, feed around 70% of the world’s population, and places Mother Earth in the centre of its philosophy. As they fight a system which turns food from a common good into a commodity and the erosion of sustainable food systems, Yoon and her comrades often meet violent repression, however, these brave farmers continue to demand their right to decision making power over things that affect their lives. Photo credit: Reuters

2 07, 2017

Landless And Widowed Women In South India Bear Brunt Of Drought

2017-11-02T00:09:36-04:00Tags: |

Kavita, a landless widowed woman in rural southern India, works tirelessly to overcome the debt her husband left unpaid. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have land of her own, which makes her ineligible for government aids or loans. Such limited access to the land she works on not only limits her economic empowerment and ownership, but also hinders her ability to stand up against gender-based violence as well. The percentage of women who own land in rural India is just about 13%. Photo credit: Reuters

1 07, 2017

Tanya Fields And The Homegrown Food Revolution In The Bronx

2017-11-01T01:51:39-04:00Tags: |

Tanya Fields, founder of the organization Libertad Urban Farm, shows in this short movie how growing organic food in urban settings, as well as in rural places, is so important for black communities’ empowerment. When considering the high use of agrotoxins and other chemicals inside vegetables that most people consume everyday, Tanya’s work is opening a space for urban farming, where people from South Bronx grow their own food. This improves the community’s access to quality food. Her initiative supports young people and also builds a stronger sense of community, autonomy and food security. Photo credit: The Root

1 07, 2017

In A Fight For Land, A Women’s Movement Shakes Morocco

2017-11-01T01:28:34-04:00Tags: |

Saida Soukat, 27, is one of the Moroccan women farmers at the forefront of the Sulaliyyates movement for for women’s land rights. The women have been fighting the privatization of tribal lands for more than 10 years, while promoting women’s equal rights to land tenure and inheritance, in a country where access to land by women is still a big issue. They are challenging patriarchal structures and creating change, notes Zakia Salime, from Rutgers University. Saida Idrissi, of the Moroccan Association for Women’s Rights, also helps organize the movement, providing training and assistance in legal matters and negotiations. Although there have been constitutional advancements, laws are still very unfavourable to women, putting them at a disadvantage. This is why women such as Fatima Soukat, 93, still participate in the fight. Photo credit: Aida Alami/The New York Times

27 06, 2017

When Women Have Equal Rights The Tide Turns

2017-10-27T16:11:19-04:00Tags: |

In Meghalaya, where Indigenous Indian societies are matrilineal and women inherit land and decide what is grown on it, communities not only have a strong climate-tolerant food system, but they also grow some of the rarest, medicinal and edible plants in the world. These women in northeastern India are proving that when women are treated as equal and have equal land rights under the law, they shine as leaders in sustainable development and policy. Photo credit: Manipadma Jena

19 06, 2017

People Power: Lessons From Standing Rock And Beyond

2017-10-09T21:48:25-04:00Tags: |

Tara Houska, an Ojibwe woman of the Couchiching First Nation who is a tribal attorney in Washington, D.C., and Native American Affairs Advisor to Bernie Sanders, discusses the biggest challenges and lessons from her time on the front line at Standing Rock and what’s next in the fight against corporate environmental destruction and systemic racism. She advocates engaging with local governance, taking direct action (such as protesting or participating in lawsuits) or indirect action (such as refusing to support corporations that fund destructive activities), and using social media to raise awareness of climate issues and protests. Photo credit: NITV

6 06, 2017

Blackfeet Researcher Leads Her Tribe Back To Traditional Foods

2017-09-22T22:22:13-04:00Tags: |

Researcher Abaki Beck  published a report entitled “Ahwahsiin: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Food Sovereignty on the Blackfeet Reservation” (ahwahsiin translates to “the land where we get our food”), featuring oral history interviews with nine Blackfeet elders who discussed the nation’s traditional foods and the health issues connected to a modern American diet. Beck partnered with Saokio Heritage, a community-based and volunteer-run organization on Blackfeet. The report was funded by a $10,000 grant from the First Nations Development Institute and is available on the organization’s website. Photo credit: Yes! Magazine  

31 05, 2017

Alice Hinman And Natural Beekeeping At Apiopolis

2017-10-31T22:42:55-04:00Tags: |

Alice Hinman is the founder of a bee sanctuary and sustainable honey company in Raleigh, North Carolina. A natural beekeeper, she see the decline in pollinator and honeybee population worldwide as an opportunity to tackle a global challenge, to which she is responding by producing honey for Raleigh's network of local restaurants. She is passionate about supporting local food and creating green jobs rooted in sustainability and community. Photo credit: Johnny Gillette

31 05, 2017

Urban Farmer Transforms Community Into Thriving Local Food Haven

2017-10-31T01:41:03-04:00Tags: |

Sheryll Durrant is a leader of the urban farming movement in New York City, which engages with more than 600 community gardens throughout the city with the GreenThumb program. She began volunteering at a community garden in her neighborhood during the financial crisis in 2008 and has since gotten higher education in farming. Through her work at the Sustainable Flatbush garden, Sheryll saw the importance of reaching out to the community to understand their needs, which increased member attendance at events and engagement with the garden. Sheryll also expanded her work to other neighborhoods with high levels of food insecurity or with many refugees, working as a garden manager and a seasonal farm coordinator at the Kelly Street Garden and the International Rescue Committee's New Roots Community Farm, respectively. Margaret Brown (Natural Resources Defense Council) who works on food issues, also reiterates how important these places can be for more access to fresh and quality food, as well as a place for socialization, integration, and nutritious education. Photo credit: Keka Marzagao/Sustainable Flatbush

31 05, 2017

Soul Fire Farm Co-owner To Talk About Working To End Racism And Injustice

2017-10-31T01:34:25-04:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman is a farmer, educator and co-owner of Soul Fire Farm, advocating for food sovereignty and racial justice. Through her work, she reaches out to black, Latino and Indigenous communities, including youth, empowering them with jobs and trainings regarding land rights, oppression, and agriculture. She aims to improve access to quality and natural food for people of color. Penniman believes in the intersectionality of fights and that food security is also related to access to quality education, and healthcare. She also explains more about her trajectory and mentions her experience at The Food Project, a youth leadership project. Photo credit: Leah Penniman

31 05, 2017

10 Female Urban Farmers Setting The Tone For Sustainable Cities

2017-10-31T01:17:07-04:00Tags: |

Ten female urban farmers are changing the urban agriculture movement: Erika Allen carries out multiple food system projects in Chicago, while Natasha Bowens is a writer and advocate for the black farming movement. Kelly Carlisle is the founder of the grassroots NGO Acta Non Verba, which focuses on teaching youth about gardening, businesses and finance. Natalie Clark established the Harvest Blessing Garden in Jacksonville, an urban lot in where she teaches sustainable and urban farming. Gail Myers is an academician with a documentary Rhythms of the Land and a non-profit Farms to Grow, through which she explores food equity and racial relations. Read the article to learn about the work of Jamila Norman, Leah Penniman, Karen Washington, Yonnette Fleming, Lindsey Lunsford and more!

30 05, 2017

Lessons From Farmers And Indigenous Women: Cultivate Democracy

2017-10-30T03:29:22-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Jennifer Allsopp reports on the second day of the 2017 Nobel Women’s Initiative gathering in Dusseldorf, Germany, opening with inspiring words from Helen Knott, a human rights activist from the Prophet River First Nation in Canada. Knott and fellow activists Khadijeh Moghaddam (Iran), Julienne Lusenge (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Yanar Mohammed (Iraq), Veronica Kelly (Ireland) and Mariama Songo (Senegal) spoke about how Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational movements help communities fight climate change and live sustainably. Photo credit: USOFORAL

29 05, 2017

Meet The Ladies Who Are Growing Food In Los Angeles

2017-10-29T00:46:32-04:00Tags: |

Manju Kumar, manager of Sarvodaya Farms in Los Angeles, believes that today’s problems are rooted in our disconnection with nature. Her permaculture urban farm provides a pathway towards reconnecting with the land through growing food within city limits. For Kumar, farming is also act of women’s resistance because of the autonomy that comes with digging your hands deep into soil. Farming is still extremely male dominated in the United States. Moreover, in Los Angeles, 1 in 10 families suffer from food insecurity or go hungry despite Southern California holding claim to one of the most agriculturally productive territories in the world. Katie Lewis, Zoe Howell, Leigh Adams, Mireya Arizmendi de Haddad, and Lindy Ly are fellow women urban farmers and gardeners who are leading the way in making food more accessible for all. Photo credit: Link TV

27 05, 2017

Remembering Jane Julia de Oliveira

2018-03-06T17:49:14-05:00Tags: |

AWID pay tribute to Jane Julia de Oliveira as part of their series that honours the memory of over 350 women human rights defenders from 80 different countries, highlighting these women in our collective memory so their struggle lives on. Jane Julia de Oliveira, from the Pará state of Brazil, was a land rights community leader, environmental defender, and president of Associaҫão dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Rurais (Association of Rural Workers). On the 24th May 2017 she was shot dead by local police, along with a group of people on the farm where she worked. Photo credit: AWID

16 05, 2017

This Montrealer Is Taking Back The Most Important Link In The Food Chain: The Seed

2017-11-13T19:18:24-05:00Tags: |

In a world where half the global seed market is controlled by only three corporations, Jane Rabinowicz, a motivated game changer, is fighting for seed sovereignty and biodiversity. Using her grandparents and the lives they led as an inspiration, she is fighting in her home of Montreal to give small farmers more control over their crops.

15 05, 2017

Women And The Right To Land: A Case Study Of Brazil

2020-09-02T22:37:55-04:00Tags: |

Ana Célia, Edite Rodrigues, and Odete Mendes are among many rural Brazilian women who are struggling to make a living off of sugarcane farming but face unhealthy working conditions and unfair wages—conditions being exacerbated by land monopolies and market speculation. In the case of women like Maria Souza and Lusiane dos Santos, these stories have repeated themselves throughout multiple generations, with mothers and daughters being forced to work in the fields to sustain their families. Despite small farmers being most responsible for food production and job creation in the countryside, they occupy less agricultural land and receive less state support than large landowners and corporations, causing food insecurity and displacement in rural communities and subjecting women workers with limited alternatives to degrading conditions. That is why leaders like Carlita da Costa, president of the Cosmópolis Rural Workers Union, is fighting for labor rights by organizing rural women and focusing on structural changes to ensure secure markets for women farmers, public resources and social services, accessible education in the countryside, and basic rights to land and food. Photo credit: Feminist Alliance for Rights

9 05, 2017

Seeds Of Resilience Project Kicks Off Storytelling Initiative For Women And Youth

2017-10-16T17:53:57-04:00Tags: |

Vanastree, in partnership with the Women’s Earth Alliance, launched the Seeds of Resilience project, aimed at women and youth. The project is training participants to use cameras and other devices to record and transfer traditional knowledge on seeds and food. In preparation for the course, the organizers developed a curriculum to train these women on photography; many of them had never used a camera before. Photo credit: Vanastree

5 05, 2017

Women Lead The Way: From Violence To Non-Violence, From Greed To Sharing, From Hate To Love

2018-07-13T16:26:13-04:00Tags: |

Internationally recognised activist, scholar, and director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology, and Ecology, Vandana Shiva, was the keynote speaker at The J. Jobe and Marguerite Jacqmin Soffa Lecture on the April 27th, 2017. This lecture series brings renowned women from around the world to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to speak on contemporary issues of global significance. Shiva’s speech, which can be watched in full, headlined the 2nd Annual 4W Summit on Women, Gender, and Well-being. Shiva spans issues of human rights, militarisation, agriculture, poverty, economy and global cooperation. Highlighting that women are leading the fight for an economy of life that prioritizes community wellbeing. Photo credit: Seed Freedom

2 05, 2017

Female Eco-Activists Live in ‘Constant State of Fear’ in Latin America

2025-01-25T11:38:29-05:00Tags: |

This article addresses the issue of violence against female eco-activists in Latin America (intimidation, threats, illegal detention). We read about the scale of the issue, with Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, assassinated in March 2016 for campaigning against plans to build hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River (in which the Honduran government was implicated). And 41-y.o. Evani Lisboa, coordinator of the Biological Reserve of Gurupi (Brazil), responsible for protecting the area from illegal logging or wildlife poaching, and constantly threatened by criminal organisations attempting to exploit the reserve’s resources. And Valeria Brabata, Global Fund for Women’s program director for Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights, who tries to help through financing, advocacy and networking for grassroots organisations. A note of hope with young activist Itandehury Castaneda (30), who co-produced a documentary with Carolina Corral La Battaa de la Cacerolas to tell the stories of Mexican women taking a stand for nature. Photo Credit: ATP Orlando Sierra

27 04, 2017

Rowen White Returning Native Seeds To Their Roots

2017-12-27T18:13:34-05:00Tags: |

Rowen White, a Mohawk Indigenous woman leader, has built a life for herself as a farmer, educator and guardian of traditional and Indigenous seed varieties. Through her organization, Sierra Seeds, based in Northern California, Rowen is growing indigenous-centered seed education and action, including the ‘re-matriation’, or returning of varieties of seeds which had been removed from their traditional communities, back to the hands of their original stewards in Indigenous communities across North America.  Photo credit: Civil Eats

19 04, 2017

Gender, Climate Change And Food Security

2017-11-09T19:46:56-05:00Tags: |

According to a policy debrief on Gender, Climate Change, and Food Security within Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) published by GGCA, the challenges of climate change and food security are most obvious in the agricultural sector. Therefore, the response to climate change in the agricultural sector must be gender responsive. To that aim, engaging female rural farmers is essential for enhancing agricultural productivity and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, including ensuring food security (SDG 2) and addressing the perils of climate change (SDG 13).

13 04, 2017

Protecting Country: First Nations And Climate Justice

2017-10-09T21:42:07-04:00Tags: |

Larissa Baldwin is the national co-director of the Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, which addresses the impact of climate change on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through numerous campaigns. Baldwin asserts the need for an indigenous-led climate movement and explains how the environmental concerns of Indigenous people frequently overlap with broader issues of colonialism, systemic racism and land rights.

4 04, 2017

Pernambuco Movement Aims To Strengthen Women’s Land Rights In Brazil

2017-10-20T22:58:13-04:00Tags: |

In February 2017, Espaço Feminista—a leading women’s grassroots organization in Brazil—hosted a forum in Bonito, Pernambuco, aimed at re-centering the conversation of sustainable development and land rights policy discussions back to a local level. Over half of forum participants were from grassroots women constituencies representing Indigenous, rural workers, farmers, urban, and landless groups. Espaço Feminista partnered with international land rights organizations Land Alliance and Landesa to organize the event. Organizers suggested in this blog post, published by Landesa, that the forum was a positive move forward in efforts to guarantee equal land rights for women. Photo Credit: Landesa

1 04, 2017

Harvesting Hope Is On The Airwaves!

2017-11-01T02:10:55-04:00Tags: |

“Harvesting Hope” is a project of the organization MADRE that seeks to support Indigenous women farmers and their families. Together with their local partner, Wangki Tangni, they established a women’s rights radio station in Nicaragua. Called “Women of the Wangki”, the station reaches 115 communities throughout the north coast of Nicaragua. The broadcast includes themes such as human rights, community activities, information about the Harvesting Hope Project, and the impacts of climate change. With these kind of broadcasts, people of the region learn about better ways to prepare for higher temperatures and stronger storms. An example is Albertina, who sold her cabbage crops in a MADRE-supported farmers’ market, after she heard about it on the radio. Photo credit: MADRE

30 03, 2017

Climate Change And Conflict: Manipuri Women Are Fighting For Survival On Two Fronts

2017-11-01T05:07:58-04:00Tags: |

The territory of Manipur has been turbulent since British colonization of India, leaving thousands of women widows and survivors of armed violence. Manipuri women have a long history of confronting injustices, sexual violence and power, despite their vulnerable situation living in a militarised and climate change affected area with multiple losses to many small farmers. Groups such as the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and the Rural Women’s Upliftment Society fight against such vulnerability by offering counseling and support, and also by teaching Indigenous women such as Lalzamien how to use ecological and biodiverse farming methods as a way of reversing climate change. Not only that, but many Indigenous women’s groups, and activists such as Mary Beth Sanate and Shangnaidar Tontang fight for seats and female representatives in various decision-making, peacebuilding and negotiation forums. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

27 03, 2017

Alicia Lopez Guisao: Another Indigenous Human Rights Activist Killed In Colombia

2017-10-27T00:43:10-04:00Tags: |

Alicia Lopez Guisao was a leader of the Asokinchas community in Colombia, organizing the Agrarian Summit Project, which distributed land and food for 12 Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities in the department of Choco. When shopping in a grocery store in Medellín, she was shot to death by two gunmen. Since the retreat of Colombia’s FARC, other paramilitary groups have been acting to gain power in the city, and consequently the rate of attacks to human rights activists increased. In spite of all the pain, Alicia’s family might not be able to attend the burial, as they have been threatened to be the next in case they do. Photo credit: Congreso de los Pueblos

22 03, 2017

What’s At “Steak?” The Need For A Just And Sustainable Global Food System

2017-09-13T10:57:48-04:00Tags: |

Ashlesha Khadse, a livestock researcher at the Global Forest Coalition, analyses the rotten meat scandal by JBS, Brazil's biggest beef exporter, comparing the case to other food frauds by corporations around the world. Ashlesha highlights movements that focus on sustainable food options and cites that activism to change state policies is a tool to fight the meat industry. Photo credit: Global Forest Coalition

16 03, 2017

The Future Of Coffee Farming Is Female

2017-08-22T09:16:23-04:00Tags: |

Women workers dominate the labor force for steps of coffee production that most affect coffee quality, from picking ripe coffee cherries to sorting beans. However, due to deep-rooted gender inequalities, many women are not able to realize their full potential as workers or community members. Women are taking advantage of agronomy training around the world, participating in projects focused on gender equity in numerous coffee-growing countries. With policies in place that empower women, the future of farming is female. Photo credit: Glenna Gordon

13 03, 2017

Local Female Farmers Are Empowered As Agents Of Change

2017-08-22T09:14:11-04:00Tags: |

The Indigenous people of Honduras rely on subsistence farming to feed their families, an increasingly precarious arrangement due to deforestation from large-scale agriculture and climate change. The Women’s Association of Tansin teaches women about sustainable farming, forest management, crop diversification and incorporating tree conservation into their farming. Photo credit: Avery Dennison

8 03, 2017

How Women Farmers Are Battling Climate Change In Zimbabwe

2020-10-05T16:45:16-04:00Tags: |

In Chiware, Zimbabwe, farmer Chengetai Zonke has been forced to reduce her maize crop due to the climate change induced natural disasters creating unpredictable weather patterns. Like many other women in Zimbabwe, Zonke’s household’s livelihood depends on her farming and household work. Farmers across Zimbabwe have been forced to reevaluate their crop growing methods. Zonke has begun cultivating small-grain seeds to grow crops that are easier to care for and pay more, but she is still apprehensive about the future of women farmers amidst climate change. Photo Credit: Tonderayi Mukeredzi/IRIN

8 03, 2017

Celebrating The Contribution Of Women Farmers In Northern Ghana

2017-10-31T12:11:18-04:00Tags: |

Female farmers in Northern Ghana constitute the majority of the labor force on small farms. They are increasingly implementing agroecological farming practices, such as reversing land degradation and restoring soil fertility, to increase yields of nutritionally valuable crops impacted by climate change. Photo credit: Trax Ghana

8 03, 2017

Celebrating Women Farmers In Nyando: Transforming Lives Through Climate-Smart Agriculture

2017-08-20T09:39:15-04:00Tags: |

Nyando is an agricultural community near Lake Victoria, Kenya, where most households are both headed by women and food insecure. To combat frequent drought, women farmers like Catherine Akinyi, the chairwoman of Obinju Smart Farm Group, are employing sustainable agricultural practices and climate-smart interventions to improve their livelihoods. Now, female farmers are accessing improved crop varieties, creating greenhouses resistant to drought and flooding, raising livestock in a sustainable manner and starting small businesses. Photo credit: T.Muchaba (CCAFS)

2 03, 2017

Female Cocoa Farmers In West Africa Play Key Role In Creating Sustainable Communities

2017-08-20T09:20:35-04:00Tags: |

Côte d’Ivoire is one of the world’s largest producers of cocoa, and female farmers like Léonie Osso Sona are responsible for growing a large portion of the yearly crop. Because women tend to invest their profits back into their home and family, the community is growing in terms of health, opportunities for education, and sustainability. Léonie is now the president of Offa Village Women’s Farmer Association, assisting women with land rights issues and bringing training to the community. Photo credit: Britta Wyss Bisang

1 03, 2017

Marianne Cufone Plants A New Kind Of Urban Farm

2017-08-22T09:19:11-04:00Tags: |

In Louisiana, more than 18 percent of households didn’t have access to healthy food in 2015. Responding to this widespread urban food insecurity, Marianne Cufone of New Orleans created what she calls a “recirculating farm”: she grows plants in closely packed, vertically stacked sections, while fishponds provide water cycling, eliminating the need for soil. The farm is cost and energy efficient and can be recreated anywhere, expanding urban farming in an entirely new direction. Photo credit: Grist50!

23 02, 2017

Yayi Bayam Diouf Became The First Fisherwoman In Her Community

2017-08-20T09:17:19-04:00Tags: |

After Yayi Bayam Diouf’s son passed away, she became the sole breadwinner for her family. Because fishing is traditionally an exclusively male career, she broke gender norms by becoming the first woman to fish for a living in her village in addition to farming mussels and even endangered species. She also opened a training center for other fisherwomen women to learn about entrepreneurship and natural resource management. Photo credit: UN Women Senegal

27 01, 2017

Stewards Of Culture And Biodiversity: Women’s Voices From The Northeast

2017-10-27T00:05:14-04:00Tags: |

The northeast region of India is wealthy when it comes to biodiversity. Women from the area are leading the way in the preservation of their agro-biodiverse lands. Seno Tsuhah, a project team leader who encourages environmental protection and human rights, and Mary Beth Sanate, an Indigenous woman who works on matters of gender, food, livelihood and customary rights, and other incredible women are doing their part for environmental justice. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

27 01, 2017

Malnad Mela, A Biodiversity Festival Founded By Women

2017-10-27T00:03:38-04:00Tags: |

Malnad Mela, an Indian biodiversity festival, started when Kamala, a farmer from the Malnad region, donated seeds to a seed exchange. The initiative started a community of women farmers called Vanastree, Kanada for “forest women.” A few years after that, their action grows into what became the biodiversity fair, where women exchange experiences and advice about seed conservation, biodiversity and sustainable farming. Photo credit: The Economic Times

22 01, 2017

Southern Africa’s Women Wrestle With Climate Change On Their Own

2017-08-22T09:37:41-04:00Tags: |

Extreme weather linked to climate change is having a significant impact on women in countries like Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Often left as the sole breadwinner for their families after their husbands pass away or emigrate to South Africa, many women are now breeding goats, which are inherently resistant to drought. They are also growing drought-resistant small grain crops for home consumption or sale. Photo credit: Jeffrey Moyo

20 01, 2017

Fighting Back Against Criminalization Of Traditional Seed Exchanges In Tanzania

2017-07-18T00:02:47-04:00Tags: |

Small-scale farmers in Tanzania, a largely female demographic, will now face heavy penalties or long prison sentences if they practice exchanging traditional seeds without government oversight. By limiting seed exchanges, Tanzania and other African governments that may follow suit restrict the freedom of farmers to choose what they grow, and build an alternative to the industrial food system through food sovereignty. La Via Campesina and their allies, defenders of women and small-scale farmers, are determined to respond strongly. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

17 01, 2017

Rachel Carson : The American Experience

2020-11-20T17:41:36-05:00Tags: |

Writer and biologist Rachel Carson published the controversial book Silent Spring in September, 1962. Prior to writing Silent Spring, Carson was already one of the most celebrated writers in the United States, known for her work’s emphasis on the natural world. In Silent Spring, Carson unveils the damaging effects of the renowned synthetic pesticide DDT. She provides a counter-argument to the narrative of human domination of the natural world, and warns that humans need to take caution against the detrimental environmental effects their actions create. Silent Spring forced the United States to question its relationship with the environment, as well as its rapidly industrializing methods of agriculture. Photo Credit: Screenshot

3 01, 2017

Women In Lesotho Fight Drought With Keyhole Gardens

2017-07-12T19:20:04-04:00Tags: |

Maleloko Fokotsale is the chief of her small village, a title not held by many women in Lesotho. She is also one of many women who bear the double burden of domestic chores and full-time farm work during a years-long drought in the area. Maleloko tends to a sustainable “keyhole” garden on her land, which requires up to 70% less water to produce vegetables than traditional gardens, saving women like Maleloko from walking miles each day to collect water. Photo credit: Ryan Lenora Brown

1 01, 2017

Guatemalan Indigenous Women Reclaiming Identity, Heritage And Rights

2017-09-22T18:37:46-04:00Tags: |

The Asociación Femenina para el Desarrollo de Sacatepéquez/Women’s Association for the Development of Sacatepéquez (AFEDES) coordinates a range of diverse projects aimed at the physical, economic and political autonomy of Indigenous women and their families. They promote food sovereignty, political education, and building human capacities, including training in Indigenous weaving as part of Indigenous traditional knowledge. In this framework, AFEDES is demanding that the Guatemalan government recognize their right to protect the collective ancestral intellectual property on Mayan weaving designs and clothing. Photo credit: Thousand Currents

1 01, 2017

Here Are The Women (2017): Eta Tuvuki

2017-11-07T11:35:01-05:00Tags: |

Eta Tuvuki is a community leader and member of Soqosoqo Vakamarama, Buretu Women’s Club and femLINKpacific’s rural network of women leaders since 2012, in Rakiraki, Fiji. She speaks out about the lack of access to clean water since Tropical Cyclone Winston hit her country one year ago, and how this impacts the community's food security as well. Droughts, heavy rains and floodings are weather patterns that deeply affect the water and result in further issues for food sovereignty in her area. Access, ownership and tenure of land are another big problem, especially for women, the main providers of food for their families. Tuvuki shares the hardships she and others in her community face now; she calls for government action and women’s presence and input in much-needed solutions. Photo credit: femLINKpacific

16 12, 2016

Experts Say Encouraging Women Farmers Is The Way To Solve Hunger

2017-08-26T11:16:13-04:00Tags: |

Women make up 45% of the agricultural workforce worldwide, and up to 60% in Asia and Africa. However, they own only 20% of the land and work 12 hours a week more than men in developing nations, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Almost 60% of chronically hungry people are young girls and women. Given the statistics, the lack of access to land, credit and other gender gap issues are urgently pressing. Solutions to these problems will not only improve agricultural productivity in a sustainable way and fight hunger, but will also improve women’s financial independence and quality of life, explains Neven Mimica, EU commissioner for international co-operation and development.

18 11, 2016

Land Rights For Women Deter Violence And Leverage Equality

2017-11-12T19:44:00-05:00Tags: |

A historic Guatemalan Supreme Court decision acknowledged that abuse committed against women was triggered by the community’s attempt to register the land they depend on for their livelihood and identity. However, this appears to be a global issue, as research shows that having land with documented rights makes a bigger difference than employment or education in reducing domestic violence. Researchers have also found that female ownership of property increases a woman’s economic security, deters spousal violence, enhances legal rights and access to justice, and decreases rates of child marriage. Photo credit: Maria Fleischmann/World Bank

31 10, 2016

The Guerilla Gardener

2017-10-31T02:00:07-04:00Tags: |

Natalie Flores and Sarah Klein started a garden in an occupied lot that was unused and grew it into a community garden with collaboration from neighbors to start Sunshine Partnerships. They continued and expanded their gardening into other neighborhoods across Los Angeleas, California, inviting the community in, and occupying places and hosting parties that tap into an existing network of urban gardeners. Sunshine Partnerships also collaborates with Transition Mar Vista, a grassroots community groups that has a project called Good Karma Gardens, to foster a network of people helping neighbors to build gardens in their homes. Julie, co-founder of The Learning Garden at Venice High School, is an example of someone positively affected by this project, turning her front yard into a vegetable garden. Photo credit: Ted Soqui

30 10, 2016

Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly Honors Women’s Environmental Contributions

2017-10-30T03:07:32-04:00Tags: |

The Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) commemorated the 2016 International Women’s Day (20th October) by organizing a public forum under the theme “Rural women in the front line in defense of climate change through nature conservation and development,” which was attended by approximately 350 women from the eleven chiefdoms of the Inkhundla. Representatives from the Tourism and Environmental Affairs Ministry as well as the Agriculture Ministry were invited to share knowledge regarding the country’s climate policies and agriculture’s potential to alleviate poverty. The women in turn raised concerns over the devastating impacts of industrial systems of agriculture as well as GMOs, the urgency of protecting seed sovereignty from corporate power and the need to tackle climate change. Finally, the women made the connection between the intimate violence they face and the greater economic and political violence they experience in public and at work, urging the state to quickly pass the domestic violence bill. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

24 10, 2016

The Women Fighting Hunger One Neighborhood At A Time

2018-01-24T19:02:50-05:00Tags: |

East Boston, Massachusetts’ Community Soup Kitchen’s, Alleman Nijjar, along with head of Boston Office of Housing Stability, Lydia Edwards, have established a community soup kitchen to address issues of hunger, obesity, and diseases such as heart attack and diabetes, among the homeless and economically vulnerable people of the city. Monica Leitner-Laserna, a member of the soup kitchen and its menu-planning committee, also owns her own cafe which followed the principles of worker-owned co-operative restaurant. Both Alleman Nijjar and Monica Leitner-Laserna hope to continue their work bringing all East Boston citizens together at one table for a plate of good nutritious meal. Photo credit: Casey Walker

5 10, 2016

Women Farmers Are Taking The Lead On Climate Change Adaptation

2017-10-31T12:11:53-04:00Tags: |

As women shoulder the burden of harmful effects of climate change, female farmers in India are learning climate-smart agricultural practices. Two organizations are collaborating to develop a project to promote the adoption of climate-smart practices among female smallholder farmers and assist them in keeping records to manage their farms with more efficiency. On behalf of the female farmers, the organizations are advocating for policy-makers to address recommendations based on conservative agriculture. Photo credit: V. Shwanatha

3 10, 2016

Panama’s Indigenous Women Combine Efforts To Promote Food Security

2017-07-16T14:14:11-04:00Tags: |

Women of the Naso Indigenous Community are facing challenges to their traditional way of life: unemployment, limited access to healthcare, and unpredictable agricultural seasons perpetuate high rates of poverty and malnutrition. A United Nations-backed workshop in Panama City invited local Indigenous women to build skills in food security, leadership, and climate change adaptation. Photo credit: FAO SLM Panama

28 09, 2016

Farmers In West Africa Adapt To Climate Change Through Singing And Dancing

2017-07-12T21:15:28-04:00Tags: |

The Kanyeleng women of Senegal and the Gambia are using song and dance to communicate urgent information about climate change adaptation. Their songs educate listeners about how to prepare for natural disasters and spread information about drought-resistant farming methods, composting and seed storage. Photo credit: Jane Hahn/ActionAid

11 09, 2016

Scotland’s Female Farmers: Custodians Of The Land

2018-03-01T12:24:21-05:00Tags: |

In some of the most hostile and secluded rural areas of Scotland, women are connecting to the land and acting as protectors of the environment. After returning to her native Scotland, photographer Sophie Gerrard was inspired by the intimate relationships local women have with the land. In her project, Gerrard shares stories of women who have different stories and backgrounds, but all protect their landscape with a sense of custodianship given the threats of climate change. Photo credit: Sophie Gerrard

8 09, 2016

Supporting Mali’s Women Farmers To Adapt To Climate Change

2017-07-19T20:49:35-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers in Mali are seeing their crops suffer from drought linked to climate change. In response, Fatoumata Diarra, a member of the women’s cooperative in the village of Massantola, explains how women in her community are using water-efficient agroecological practices to produce vegetables for consumption and sale. Part of the profits are reinvested into the maintenance of both a solar-powered well and mill that grinds grain into flour, freeing women's time for other endeavors. Photo credit: Imen Meliane/UNDP Climate Adaptation Mali

29 08, 2016

You Are What Your Ancestors Ate: The Pueblo Food Experience Cookbook

2017-10-01T16:32:17-04:00Tags: |

In 2013, internationally renowned Santa Clara Pueblo sculptor Roxanne Swentzell joined the Pueblo Food Experience project, when 14 volunteers of Pueblo descent agreed to eat, for three months, only the foods available to their ancestors before the first Native contact with the Spanish in 1540. Swentzell took that locavore goal one step further, stating that humans are not only what and where we eat, but are also what and where our ancestors ate. Photo credit: NMHM/DCA

29 08, 2016

Small Grants Help Women Farmers In South Africa

2017-07-18T00:24:15-04:00Tags: |

Florah Maswanganyi is a small-scale farmer who began by raising chickens. Due to a chronic drought as a result of climate change, Florah’s chickens could not bear the heat and perished. Losing livestock and money each day, Florah decided to apply for a land access application. Florah was successful in obtaining two hectares of land that she has cleared and cultivated on her own, now farming vegetables like butternut squash and beetroot. Photo credit: UN Women/Helen Sullivan

24 08, 2016

Small Farmers Are Not Who You Think: How Female Farmers Are Feeding The World

2018-01-24T18:53:50-05:00Tags: |

Female farmers comprise 60-80 percent of farmers in non-industrialized countries, however, women still don’t have the same rights as men, especially regarding access to credit, property rights and education. Consequently, gender inequality continues to be a major obstacle to farming and food production for women. Supporting women farmers by closing the gender gap will increase food security and sustainability in the face of mounting environmental and population pressure. Photo-credit: Flickr: Asian Development Bank

22 08, 2016

Climate-Change-Friendly Milk That Empowers African Women: Camels Are The New Cows

2017-10-31T12:12:22-04:00Tags: |

In Isiolo, Kenya, the women-led work of cow and goat milk production has been under threat due to long and increasing droughts. However, women entrepreneurs like Maryam Osman are now leading a climate-resilient camel milk cooperative, empowering women in the region while adapting to climate change.

20 08, 2016

The Farmers’ Advocate: Mary Berry

2017-08-20T09:35:25-04:00Tags: |

The daughter of prominent environmental activist Wendell Berry, Mary Berry is adding to her family’s legacy by running a rural advocacy organization in Kentucky that works to guarantee fair and reliable crop prices for farmers. The Berry Center hopes to make farming a sustainable and reliable career path, focusing on building long-term contracts between producers and buyers to help farmers enjoy job security while transitioning to organic livestock feed. Photo credit: grist 50!

9 08, 2016

Ancestral Farming Techniques Resurge In Peru

2017-07-17T17:12:40-04:00Tags: |

As President of the Indigenous Women of Laramate organization in rural Peru, Magaly Garayar teaches ancestral farming techniques to combat climate change and improve food security. Through selecting healthy seeds, rotating crops to improve soil fertility, and effective irrigation, women are now seeing better yields that they sell in local markets. Through their work, the women are taking steps to combat patriarchal norms and promote women’s leadership and gender equality. Photo credit: CHIRAPAQ

6 08, 2016

Colombian Women Tell Us Why Preserving Seeds Is An Act Of Resistance

2017-07-19T20:50:56-04:00Tags: |

Women across Colombia are working together to preserve local seeds from the threats of mining, agrochemicals, and hybrid strains. In a landscape altered by climate change and decreasing amounts of water and food, women are also mobilizing to educate their communities about the harmful impacts of transgenic seeds on their food security and sovereignty. Photo credit: flickr/Global Crop Diversity Trust

4 08, 2016

Report Celebrates African Rural Women As The Custodians Of Seeds

2017-08-19T12:41:24-04:00Tags: |

In a new collaborative report, Liz Hosken and Theo Sowa highlight the vital role that rural African women play in enhancing the development of seeds and protecting biodiversity. Rural African women hold a wealth of knowledge about crops, wild foods, nutrition, medicinal plants and biodiversity that is on the verge of being lost, as seed monopoly laws and climate change restrict their ability to practice traditional agriculture. This report shares stories of resistance from the African women’s movement for food sovereignty. Photo credit: Seeds of Freedom

7 07, 2016

Women Farmers Are Changing Agriculture In The United States

2017-07-19T21:08:48-04:00Tags: |

The landscape of agriculture is changing across the United States, as women now represent 30% of farm operators in the country. As the fastest growing demographic in agriculture, these female farmers are leading a shift in modern farming. A group of female authors have taken a closer look at women in farming and reveal that women most often favor small-scale, diverse, and sustainable methods which prioritize sustainability, nutrition, community and diversity over cash crops and industrial methods. Photo credit: Civil Eats

28 06, 2016

Granting Women Their Land Rights Benefits Everyone

2017-08-20T09:15:00-04:00Tags: |

More than 400 million women around the globe are farmers, but many have no rights to the land they till. Land tenure specialist Melany Grout argues that securing women’s land rights, including inheritance and tenure, will reduce poverty and increase sustainability. Photo credit: AP/Deepak Sharma

26 06, 2016

The Women Behind Harlem’s Farmers’ Markets

2017-10-26T00:26:07-04:00Tags: |

In New York city, food markets that provide an alternative to commercial produce overwhelmingly cater to white privileged neighborhoods. In turn, low income areas are left with minor accessibility to healthy food. However, women are at the forefront of bringing healthy food markets to New York’s historically low-income neighborhoods. Sonya Simmons has been offering Harlem quality produce for 11 years by running the Grassroots Farmers Market. Martiza Owens helped teen mothers gain access to healthy food in the Bronx in 1993 and then went on to establish two farmer’s markets in the South Bronx. Today she is the executive officer of Harvest Home, bringing quality farmers markets to all five boroughs. Carey King of GrowNYC is also a leader in reinvigorating impoverished Harlem neighborhoods through healthy food. These women are literally partaking in sustaining the health of these communities. Photo credit: Patrick Kolts

21 06, 2016

Meet The Modern Urban Farmer: Robin Emmons

2017-07-19T21:12:37-04:00Tags: |

After seeing one of her family members surviving on canned food, Robin Emmons uprooted her entire yard to grow healthy and nutritious food. With the help of a local farmer who taught her to cultivate crops at scale, Robin now works on 10 acres of donated land, and runs a non-profit that harvests an estimated 35,000 pounds of produce annually. Pop-up farm now distribute the bounty in an area formerly considered a food desert. Photo credit: Alissa Hessler

16 06, 2016

An Inaccessible Wealth

2017-11-09T20:05:39-05:00Tags: |

In this article, Afymab narrates the story of her aunt, Gaby, a farmer working in the fields in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Through Gaby’s story, Afymab points out how current customs and laws need to change and enable women to own their lands. Women are crucial in the fight against deforestation; granting them land rights would finally enable them to use sustainable farming techniques. Afymab is fighting and advocating to change the reality of women farmers in the DRC so that they can they can transmit their knowledge of nature to the next generations. Photo credit: Kaukab Jhumra Smith/USAID on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

2 06, 2016

Women Lead Agricultural Cooperatives In Rural Morocco

2017-07-19T21:14:03-04:00Tags: |

Women in the Kissane region of Morocco are combating the negative impacts of climate change on their crops by turning to agroecology, bringing people and nature back into harmony. The founding member of the local agricultural cooperative and a pioneer of agroecology, Souhad Azennoud, has created seed exchange groups for local women and says that women are most receptive to protecting traditional seeds. Photo credit: Mediating/UN Women

28 05, 2016

Adelita San Vicente Of Mexico Speaks Out During Global March Against Monsanto

2017-07-19T21:15:59-04:00Tags: |

Activists in more than 400 cities in 50 countries marched against seed and agrochemical giant Monsanto in May 2016. Adelita San Vicente, an outstanding woman leader of the movement to protect Mexico’s seeds and cultural and agro-ecological diversity, was amongst the protestors and solution-builders who spoke out against Monsanto’s attempts to spread genetically modified seeds in Mexico and beyond. Photo credit: Al Jazeera Plus  

26 05, 2016

How One Women’s Group Is Fighting Climate Change In Uganda

2017-07-11T16:27:35-04:00Tags: |

As Uganda faces deforestation and climatic variability, the Kwatansia Women's Group supports women to plant fruit trees. Not only do the trees provide a source of livelihood and food security, they also serve as powerful carbon sinks to curb climate change. Photo credit: Africa Times  

23 05, 2016

Why Land Means Hope For India’s Single Women

2017-07-20T16:56:48-04:00Tags: |

Single women like Kuni Majhi, who are often the most vulnerable and overlooked members of Indian society, are taking advantage of a local initiative in Mayurbhary in the country’s Eastern State of Odisha. The initiative is challenging gender stereotypes and granting land and shelter to women living alone. Photo credit: Thomas Reuters Foundation

30 04, 2016

Constance Okollet Of Osukuru United Women’s Network At COP22

2017-10-30T21:08:00-04:00Tags: |

In this interview from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP20 meeting in Lima, Peru, Earth Island Institute’s Constance Okollet discusses her work as a peasant farmer in Uganda and as the chairperson of the Osukuru United Women’s Network, mobilizing women farmers affected by flooding and health impacts from climate change. Photo credit: UNFCCC Climate Action Studio

30 04, 2016

Rural Woman Wins Land Battle Where Women’s Rights Are Contested

2017-10-30T03:11:18-04:00Tags: |

Barbara Saunyama, a farmer, mother of three girls and widow since 1996, understands firsthand the myriad ways in which patriarchy works to dispose women of their land. Immediately after her husband died, her brother-in-law ordered her to leave her home and go back to her parents because she had only given birth to girls and therefore had no claim over her land. Downcast but unshaken, Barbara managed to receive training from organizations that gave her more confidence to challenge her brother-in-law, eventually winning the battle over her land. Now a member of the Rural Women’s Assembly in Zimbabwe, Barbara continues to fight for the full realization of the rights of women over their natural resources and bodily autonomy. Photo credit: ActionAid

29 04, 2016

Women In Food: Karen Washington Forges Path For Black Farmers

2017-10-31T14:30:20-04:00Tags: |

Karen Washington knows it’s not possible to talk about food systems and sustainability without addressing the race and gender dynamics of who has been and is tending to the land. She emphasizes that food is at the intersection of environment, education, labor and health. In the 1980s, with no former farming experience, Washington transformed an empty lot into an urban garden with guidance from elders and from Mother Nature herself. One of the most difficult hurdles she came across was buying land as a woman of color. She went to on to be one of the leaders of the black farming movement in the United States after working hard to dispel stereotypes around black farming. Today she’s a pioneer and leader in the black farming movement and is co-founder of the Black Farmer and Urban Gardeners Conference. Photo credit: Karen Washington/SeedStock

23 04, 2016

Palestinian Woman Creates Seed Bank To Save Her Heritage

2017-07-19T21:20:33-04:00Tags: |

Vivien Sansour of the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library in the West Bank city of Beit Jala is working to preserve native varieties of seeds, traditional farming methods and Palestinian culture in the face of dire climate pressures and military occupation. Photo credit: Peter Beaumont/The Guardian

13 04, 2016

Land Tenure Still A Challenge For Women In Latin America

2017-07-20T17:04:17-04:00Tags: |

Despite producing over half of Latin America’s food, women struggle to secure land titles, and make up an extremely low percentage of landowners. Rural women such as Blanca Molina, who farms organic peas in Southern Chile, are often vulnerable after failing efforts to improve the land tenure situation for women in her country. Alicia Muñoz directs the Chilean National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women (Anamuri) to fight for land reform. Photo credit: Marianela Jarroud/IPS

31 03, 2016

Scaling Up Community Resilience In The Shadow Of Chevron – With Doria Robinson Of Urban Tilth

2017-10-31T01:46:42-04:00Tags: |

Doria Robinson is the co-founder of the Richmond Food Policy Council and Executive Director of Urban Tilth, a grassroots organization from Richmond, California, that works with growing healthier and just food in a sustainable manner. Through her organization, Doria hires and trains community members to be able to cultivate 5% of their own food supply. She has experience with organic farms, permaculture design, gardening and nutrition, and through her work, advocated for healthier options with salads in every Richmond school, and also campaigned for accountability after the explosion of the Chevron refinery, which ruined the region’s crops. Photo credit: Transition US

28 03, 2016

Zimbabwean Women Share Indigenous Knowledge For Food, Seed Sovereignty

2017-07-17T16:03:05-04:00Tags: |

Climate change is making traditional farming more difficult in Zimbabwe. In response, Elizabeth Mpofu, General Coordinator of La Via Campesina, brought women farmers together via the Zimbabwe Organic Smallholder Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF) to share knowledge and best practices. Drawing on indigenous wisdom passed down through generations about seed selection and storage, farming methods, nutrition and traditional medicine, women organized seed and food fairs to share the diversity of their native seeds. As a collective, they have lobbied the Zimbabwean government for agricultural policies that put women and food sovereignty first. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

27 03, 2016

Closing Gender Finance Gaps: Discussion On Financing Scenarios For Women In Agriculture

2017-10-27T01:48:19-04:00Tags: |

In October of 2015, there was a teleconference by the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, including the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, UN Women, and AWID's Economic Justice team (represented by Anne Schoenstein). With a theme of "financing and economic empowerment scenarios for women in agriculture", the online discussion focused on the outcomes of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), which took place in July 2015. Anne Schoenstein made statements on behalf of both AWID and the Women's Working Group on Financing for Development ((WWG on FfD), highlighting the need to address illicit financial flows and to regulate the activities of transnational corporations through human rights law.

24 03, 2016

Food Sovereignty: A Feminist Struggle?

2018-01-24T18:27:33-05:00Tags: |

This study from the Center for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt examines conditions in Mindanao, Philippines to explore the question of how agricultural sustainability and women’s empowerment are connected. It concludes that while the two are indeed related, sustainable and soverign farming practices can continue to replicate gender-based inequalities, if programs are not designed with a frame of gender-justice and feminism. Photo Credit: Flickr - jojo nicdao

15 03, 2016

Farm-To-Table Community Agriculture Led By Women

2017-07-19T21:28:08-04:00Tags: |

Leah Roberts, 37, sells produce from her farm to local Oregon residents and restaurants, an arrangement that falls under the umbrella of community-supported agriculture (CSA). Just this year, Roberts' Rockwood Urban Farm and about a dozen other CSAs started working with two local nonprofits to offer a new payment system that makes it easier for people of all incomes to purchase a CSA share. Photo credit: Pamplin Media Group, Jonathon House

15 03, 2016

This Entrepreneur Is Helping Farmers In Kenya Create A Path Out Of Poverty

2017-07-19T21:33:14-04:00Tags: |

Female entrepreneur Jamil Abass founded M-Farm, a female-led information sharing platform that helps local Kenyan farmers sell their produce at a fair price. Close to 70 percent of Kenyans work in agriculture, but without information about the selling prices of their crops from day to day, they’re often exploited by middlemen. Photo credit: One.org  

23 02, 2016

Carol Ann: Urban Farmer From Texas

2017-10-01T18:49:42-04:00Tags: |

Carol Ann has turned her interest in farming and growing her own food into action by starting an urban farm in Austin, Texas. Boggy Creek Farm opened its doors in 1982 and since then has added agriculture buildings, a chicken house, processing sheds, and two hectares of growing fields void of any tractor paths, since her farm only uses foot paths. Planting, harvesting and cultivation is also exclusively done by hand. Her employees have helped her contribute to an urban farm economy that is dramatically more sustainable than a factory farm. At her farm stand, you can find her selling her wide array of veggies, fruits and eggs harvested on the same land that it stands on. 

19 02, 2016

Women Farmers In Mozambique Unite Through Agro-Ecology

2017-07-19T21:34:24-04:00Tags: |

Women in rural Mozambique are returning to an agroecological model of farming via local producer organizations. Women and especially widows who participate in the Mozambican Farmer's Union benefit from a tight-knit community that promotes local economic development, knowledge-sharing and food sovereignty. While improving their food security, women are also mobilizing to protect their native seeds and oppose land grabbing, which has displaced many farmers. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

18 02, 2016

Meet India’s Female Seed Guardians Pioneering Organic Farming

2017-07-19T21:35:42-04:00Tags: |

Climate change and the corporatization of seeds often push farmers into a cycle of inescapable debt in rural India. In response, Arun Ambatipudi explains how the Chetna Organic seed conservation project is helping women conserve cotton, rice and other seeds for food sovereignty and economic independence. Photo credit: Bijal Vachharanjani

16 02, 2016

Facing Severe Food Shortages, Women In Venezuela Take Up Urban Gardening

2017-07-19T21:36:48-04:00Tags: |

Women like Josefina Requena have been first to respond to Venezuela’s food crisis by starting small-scale urban farms in their own homes, growing fruit and vegetables and keeping chickens to promote food security and community health. Photo credit: John Otia/NPR  

10 02, 2016

A Kentucky Domestic Violence Shelter Helps Women Grow Food And Confidence

2017-07-19T21:38:33-04:00Tags: |

Donna, a resident of Greenhouse 17, is just one of many women benefiting from new skills and confidence at this shelter for victims of domestic violence. The shelter's innovative model includes a small farm business, which provides employment to women who harvest vegetables and produce handmade crafts to sell. Photo credit: Sarah van Gelder

5 02, 2016

Can Gender Equality Solve Coffee Sustainability Problems?

2017-07-19T21:40:50-04:00Tags: |

Worrisome trends in rising temperatures and erratic rainfall worldwide are endangering the global coffee industry. Women such as Sunalini Menon, the first female coffee taster to open business in Asia, are working to fight climate change and the coffee industry’s entrenched problems with gender inequality in the workforce by opening their own businesses. Photo credit: FNC 2016

8 01, 2016

These Seed-Saving Farmers In India Pass Down Land To Their Daughters

2017-08-22T09:50:11-04:00Tags: |

Bibiana Ranee is from the matrilineal Khasi Indigenous community from Meghalaya, India, where the youngest daughters inherit the largest share of the family’s traditional lands. This practice empowers women to influence decisions regarding crops and livestock, save indigenous seed varieties, protect biodiversity, build a repository of medicinal herbs, and practice regenerative and organic agriculture. Strengthened by their matrilineal system, the women are spreading awareness about the connections between indigenous culture and food sovereignty, even in the face of the spread of rice monoculture, the industrial agriculture system and the political marginalization of Indigenous women. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

6 01, 2016

South African Women Defend Biodiversity, Seeds

2017-07-17T17:16:53-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women of Dzomo La Mupo in South Africa are using traditional farming practices and ancestral knowledge to strengthen women’s leadership, fight against the destruction of their land and defend the remaining Indigenous forests from vanishing. Mphatheleini Makaulele, Director of Dzomo la Mupo and member of the African Biodiversity Network, shares vital reflections on the role of women as seed-savers and land stewards in this interview. Photo credit: Mphathe Makauele

1 01, 2016

Women We Love: 25 Influential Women In Food And Agriculture

2020-10-10T20:35:41-04:00Tags: |

This article lists an international array of influential women farmers and system changers who are helping to combat the climate crisis through their agricultural and food work. Some of the women and their respective organizations include: Food Corps co-founder Debra Eschmeyer; urban gardener and Executive Director of Abalimi, Tengiwe Cristina Kaba; agricultural engineer and founder of IBS Soluciones Verdes, Susana Chaves Villalobos; community activist and co-founder of Black Urban Growers, Karen Washington; farmer and founder of the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network, Denise O’Brien; and Dinnah Kapiza, the CEO of Tisaiwale Trading, a chain of farm supply stores in rural Malawi. Photo credit: Food Tank

1 01, 2016

Resilient Agriculture In Nicaragua: Unión De Cooperativas Las Brumas

2017-11-07T12:28:37-05:00Tags: |

The Unión de Cooperativas de Mujeres Productoras Las Brumas, Nicaragua (Union of Cooperatives of Women Las Brumas) began after the end of the civil war, when women from both sides started farming again to rebuild the country. They organized a farmer cooperative as a reconciliatory effort, and today it is a network of 22 cooperatives and more than 1,320 women. They advocate for food security, land tenure, and good practices of cooperation with the government. In 2009 they started offering formal training to improve their activities. For example, Haydee Rodriguez, president of Las Brumas, and Helen Toruño, farmer and president of one of the cooperatives, collaborated to learn about agricultural engineering and innovative methods. Using the Community Resilience Fund, an initiative by Huairou Commission for micro-funding for grassroots women, they purchased farming materials, diversified products, and saw an increase in productivity and income. Photo credit: Huairou Commission

26 12, 2015

Urban Farms: The New Frontier For Female Farmers

2017-10-26T00:38:28-04:00Tags: |

Research shows that women are increasingly trading in their desk jobs for urban farming in North America. The new trend departs from rural farming, where notably less women own farm property than men. Only 27 percent of women are rural farmers in Canada, and in the United States it’s less than that. However, today’s urban female farmers are challenging the the North American tradition of women as farmer’s wives, bypassing the gendered property barrier by growing micro-greens in their urban homes. Twenty-nine-year-old Vanessa Hanel’s Calgary based project Micro YYC focuses on basement-farmed greens nourished by grow lights, planted in seed trays and stored on industry shelves. Pea shoots, red cabbage, alfalfa, chervil, mustard greens are just some of the products she harvests and sells at the local urban Calgary Farmer’s Market each week. Photo credit: Imelda Raby

10 12, 2015

The Amazonian Tribespeople Who Sailed Down The Seine

2017-10-12T14:34:37-04:00Tags: |

The Kichwa tribe in the Sarayaku region of the Amazon in Ecuador believe in the “living forest,” where humans, animals and plants live in harmony. They are fighting the oil companies who wish to exploit their ancestral land. Indigenous women led their Amazonian tribespeople in sailing down the Seine to make their demands known to the world during protest events at Paris COP21. Photo credit: Amazon Watch

8 12, 2015

Debate “Women And Climate” With Vandana Shiva And Mary Robinson

2018-07-13T16:29:10-04:00Tags: |

At the “Women and Climate” event during the Paris Climate Talks Indian scholar, environmental activist, and anti-globalization author, Vandana Shiva spoke to recognize “women power” in addressing the climate crisis. She along with former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, Marie-Monique Robi, and Segoline Royal, all presented on the imperative to have women at the forefront when looking for climate solutions.  Photo Credit: Seed Freedom

29 11, 2015

Agroecology Is Leading The Fight Against The Green Revolution

2017-08-26T10:44:39-04:00Tags: |

Sheelu Francis and the Women’s Collective were introduced to agroecology in late 1990s when they saw how policies and technology introduced by the Green Revolution were having harmful impacts in their communities. Since then, they have used agroecological farming methods to address social, economic, and environmental issues plaguing the state of Tamil Nadu, including building ecological resilience to climate change by growing millet instead of rice, to multilevel education and campaigns on health, nutrition and farming for schools and colleges. They are also preserving traditional agricultural techniques and saving seeds. Photo credit: WhyHunger

25 11, 2015

One Woman Is Leading The Pesticide-Free Movement In China

2017-08-26T10:58:08-04:00Tags: |

As alumna of Minnesota’s Earthrise Farm Internship program, Shi Yan learned about community-supported agriculture and brought her knowledge back to China to start the country’s first community-supported organic farm. The Shared Harvest farm uses alternatives to pesticides, such as ash, hot pepper, and tobacco water, to treat disease and pest infestations instead of synthetic chemicals. Shared Harvest and Shi Yan herself have hosted around 200 apprentice farmers over a period of five years, and currently mentor 20 young people to spread the pesticide-free agriculture movement in China. Photo credit: Katrina Yu/Al Jazeera

20 11, 2015

Peasant Women Struggle For Land Rights In Thailand

2017-07-17T16:34:46-04:00Tags: |

Near the Thai-Cambodian border, women from the Kao Bart Village are fighting for their land rights. After Thailand's communist government encouraged farming in this remote region during its reign, their farms were sold off to corporate interests for the cultivation of eucalyptus. However, the women have refused to give up their land, protesting in Thailand’s capital and facing violent attacks for occupying their homes. Now they are working to maintain collective organic rice fields and vegetable plots, while working working with a local organization to fight for land tenure. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

11 11, 2015

Mentoring Girls Is Key To Strengthening India’s Food Security

2017-07-18T00:05:56-04:00Tags: |

The strains of rapid population growth, climate change and food insecurity impact the lives of India’s rural people. To encourage local farming and stewardship of the natural environment, Niangshu Gain coordinates the community group Swarnivar, which partners with high schools to educate girls about nutrition, organic farming and seed banks. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

6 11, 2015

We Are The Solution: African Women Organize For Land And Seed Sovereignty

2017-07-17T17:35:53-04:00Tags: |

Mariama Sonko is a farmer and the National Coordinator of We Are The Solution, a food sovereignty campaign led by women in rural parts of West Africa. Working across several countries, the campaign promotes seed conservation and honors women’s ancestral knowledge as a source of social power and food sovereignty. Photo credit: Fahamu

4 11, 2015

West African Women Organize For Land And Seed Sovereignty

2017-04-08T03:38:15-04:00Tags: |

Mariama Sonko is a Senegalese farmer and National Coordinator of We Are The Solution, a campaign for food sovereignty led by rural women in West Africa. Mariama works on behalf of the organization to pressure local governments to preserve traditional farming and reject agriculture that pollutes with chemicals, pesticides, and GMOs. Photo credit: Mariama Sonko.

1 11, 2015

Women Seed Savers Key To Ecologically-Based Rural Development In Mali

2017-10-31T14:33:06-04:00Tags: |

Mrs. Kotiné Traoré, a seed saver and farmer in rural Mali, is responding to the food shortage in her community caused by drought and land degradation. Mrs. Traoré is a leader in a local educational program that trains community members in soil and seed conservation to fight poverty and hunger. She is now producing a diversity of vegetables, including okra, ground nut, tomato, and African eggplant, and saving the seeds. Photo credit: Oakland Institute

31 10, 2015

Women On The Land: Creating Conscious Community

2017-10-31T22:59:01-04:00Tags: |

The film "Women On The Land" via the Green Horns highlights the work of women in a North Californian coastal village over the past decades on their collective farming, feminist ecological practices and stewardship of natural resources. The film argues that the local food movement is crucial to addressing the challenges posed by economic and climate injustice. The women speak about how they published a magazine called "Country Women" to share their work as part of the back-to-the-land movement. Photo credit: MendocinoCoastFilms2

29 10, 2015

Helping Women Take Up Urban Agriculture In Uganda

2017-10-29T00:43:58-04:00Tags: |

Dr. Diana is a Ugandan women farmer who has swapped mowing her lawn for growing fruits and vegetables in Uganda’s capital city of Kampala. She also raises chickens and cows in her backyard garden. Dr. Diana is also assisting other local women to start their own urban gardens through training sessions and chicken and seeds grants that start aspiring women urban farmers off on the right foot. Not only does Dr. Diana’s urban farm provide vegetables for the women, but good business and economic independence is also being established for Kampala’s women urban farmers by selling their produce to their surrounding communities. Photo credit: GGTN Africa Youtube

27 10, 2015

When Invisible Lives Become Visible: The Valuable Work Of India’s Rural Women

2017-10-27T00:06:35-04:00Tags: |

Social change photojournalist Rucha Chitnis has been documenting the situation of rural women in India  to try and understand their “invisibility.” Indian women are one of the greatest drivers of social change and activism in the country, yet their interests tend to be forgotten. Thus, Rucha’s quest is to reveal the raising grassroot movement of rural women who defend human rights, fight climate change, combat social injustice. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

26 10, 2015

Young Women Representing At Black Farmers And Urban Gardeners Conference

2017-10-31T15:58:44-04:00Tags: |

Oakland resident Karissa Lewis is a black radical farmer focused on providing people with quality food in the face of rising rents and living costs in the East Bay’s quickly gentrifying landscape. The founder of Full Harvest Urban Farm, and employee at the Center for Third World Organizing, Lewis’s political commitments have included issues of environmental racism, while also engaging in struggles that deal with police brutality. She is a member of the Bay Area Black Lives Matter chapter and the BlackOut collective. Photo credit: Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners Conference

20 10, 2015

Women Reclaim Traditional Seeds in Zimbabwe

2017-07-17T15:46:21-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers in Harare, Zimbabwe are working together to mobilize against dependence on commercial seeds while reclaiming the use of traditional seeds. Women from the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum participate in educational workshops and celebrations that facilitate the exchange of traditional seeds and educate about the benefits of seed sovereignty. As the price of commercial seeds has inflated beyond the reach of most small-scale farmers, women are using traditional seeds to adapt to climate change and improve their food sovereignty. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

14 10, 2015

Rural Peruvian Women Spur Local Dairy Industry

2017-07-17T16:49:35-04:00Tags: |

Cira Huancahuari, the President of the Association of Indigenous Women of the district Lamarate, Peru, is one of the women leaders building a sustainable local economy through an all-women’s cheese and yogurt production association. Their collective of rural women continues to grow and boost economic independence and Indigenous women’s rights across the region. Photo credit: CHIRAPAQ

14 10, 2015

Seed Sovereignty, Food Security And Climate Resilience: Women In The Vanguard Of The Fight Against GMOs And Corporate Agriculture

2018-08-10T15:56:40-04:00Tags: |

In this talk, the world renowned scientist, philosopher, and eco-feminist, Vandana Shiva speaks about the danger biotechnology imposes on biodiversity. Alarmed by this threat, Shiva founded Navdanya, a movement to protect the diversity of living resources, most notably native seeds. She also argues about the need for a paradigm shift from industrial agriculture, greed, and domination over nature to non-violence and a women-centered worldview. She argues that the solution to climate change lies in respecting women and nature simultaneously. Photo Credit:  Seed Freedom

12 10, 2015

Rural Women’s Assembly: What We Do And Who We Are

2021-03-03T20:08:54-05:00Tags: |

The Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) is a self-organised network of rural women’s movements comprising eight countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The organization launches agricultural campaigns, organizes regional women’s assemblies, lobbies in local and national political settings, and more to defend the agricultural rights of poor, rural women. The RWA focuses on seed conservation and agro-ecological farming to achieve food sovereignty among the local communities they represent. Photo Credit: Video Capture

17 09, 2015

In Moroccan Oases, Women Watch Plants And Incomes Grow

2017-10-01T17:53:12-04:00Tags: |

In Errachidia, Morocco, women are producing medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) for sale using solar energy, while protecting oases from desertification. MAPs are more profitable than other crops and require little water to grow, providing a stable income while helping to maintain desert agriculture in the face of climate change. Photo credit: UN Women Morocco

15 09, 2015

Women Pay The Price Of Mining Expansion In Zambia

2017-07-20T16:19:22-04:00Tags: |

Beth Lombanya, a 42-year-old mother of 10, spoke out against her forced relocation when the Zambian government approved a large-scale copper mine on her land. The women of her village farm cassava, fish, and collect mushrooms for a living, subsisting on land threatened by a foreign firm’s mining project. Photo credit: Thomas Reuters Foundation/Magdalena Mis

1 09, 2015

Weathering The Storms Together: Grassroots Women’s Response To Climate Change

2017-11-01T02:31:17-04:00Tags: |

Kahea Pacheco and Melinda Kramer of the Women's Earth Alliance reflect on the importance of women's environmental leadership, and share the story of Sunita Rao, an Indian seed saver, farmer and founder of Vanastree, a seed saving collective of women farmers. Her organization, Malnad Mela, is taking many vital actions to lead the way, including a festival for women farmers to come together and exchange experiences and traditional knowledge to improve Indigenous solutions to threats to their seeds, crops, food and water security. Photo credit: Women’s Earth Alliance

26 08, 2015

In Rural Mali, Women’s Climate Work Brings Political Prowess

2017-07-18T00:25:51-04:00Tags: |

Sali Samake, a farmer in rural Mali, is one of thousands of women trained to measure rainfall under an agro-meteorological aid programme run by the Malian government. While providing crucial data to climate researchers, she also receives weather forecasts and advice to share with other farmers, which helps them adapt to changing weather patterns. Because of this support, she and other women are increasingly thinking of running for municipal office. Photo credit:Reuters/Joe Penney

19 08, 2015

Food Sovereignty And Farmers Of Color: An Interview With Natasha Bowens

2018-07-19T15:28:18-04:00Tags: |

FoodTank interviews Natasha Bowens, a woman of color farmer and community activist, about her new book “The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming.” Illustrating the story of Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous farmers through story-telling, photography and oral history, Bowen, aims to rectify the absence of farmers of color and lack of diversity in organic and local food movements. The intersection of food and race in the United States have a long and troubling history of slavery and oppression. This powerful book aims to redefine the agrarian story of people of color by showing how it is inspired by a legacy of wisdom of the land. Bowen shows how barriers exist, such as, a  lack of access to land, capital and markets but farmers of color have been successful in working outside the system and putting community first with concepts like cooperative farms. Photo credit: FoodTank

7 08, 2015

La Finca Del Sur: Gardening For Social Justice In The South Bronx

2017-07-19T21:49:27-04:00Tags: |

Situated in the middle of a concrete jungle, La Finca del Sur is a thriving urban farmer cooperative led by Latina and Black women and their allies. Founded in 2009, the organization supports women of color to grow fresh and healthy food. Staff and volunteers are committed to building healthy neighborhoods in this low-income community through economic empowerment, nutritional awareness, food sovereignty, and advocacy for social equality and food justice. Photo credit: WhyHunger.org

17 07, 2015

Women In Odisha, India, Farm For Earth And Community

2017-10-24T20:15:40-04:00Tags: |

In the remote Indian state of Odisha, thousands of female farmers have returned to organic, zero-input agriculture to grow a variety of crops through small cooperatives. They are practicing both agroecology and a collective way of life, which enable them to feed their families better than the expensive chemical fertilizers and farming methods promoted by the Green Revolution. Photo credit: Common Dreams

2 07, 2015

Brazilian Fisherwomen Practice Aquaculture In The Face Of Industrialization

2017-07-12T20:52:33-04:00Tags: |

Fisherwomen in Brazil's marisqueiras communities, who have harvested mollusks, crabs and shellfish for generations, are standing strong in the face of threats to their livelihoods and health caused by nearby industrial expansion. Photo credit: Zoe Sullivan

28 06, 2015

Women Farmers Act As Guardians Of Crop Diversity In The Andes

2017-07-19T22:02:35-04:00Tags: |

Women in the Andes are using their traditional knowledge to conserve the agricultural biodiversity of local crops such as quinoa, maize, potatoes, oca, olluco, and mashua. The case study “Women Farmers and Andean Seeds” documents how Andean women in Peru promote biodiversity while contributing to the food security of their families and communities. Photo credit: Shutterstock

9 06, 2015

Gender Equality And Sustainable Food: The Power Of Women Farmers

2017-04-08T03:44:42-04:00Tags: |

While women make up 40% of the agricultural labor force, they continue to face problems accessing land right and resources. Audra Mulkern of the Female Farmer Project works to uplift women in farming, sharing their stories and demonstrating their influence on our food systems. Photo credit: Foodie Underground

25 05, 2015

Black Women: Tipping The Balance With Michelle Deshong

2018-03-01T12:26:27-05:00Tags: |

Dr. Michelle Deshong of the Kuku Yulanji and Butchulla Nations speaks about how Black and Indigenous women have helped movements for civil rights in Australia and worldwide. Drawing on historical examples, she highlights women’s leadership in the fights for Aboriginal and Indigenous rights in this TedX talk. Photo credit: TedXJCUCairns

22 05, 2015

Ghana’s Women Farmers Resist The G7 Plan To Grab Africa’s Seeds

2018-08-26T16:10:13-04:00Tags: |

Traditional farmers like Esther Boakye Yiadom and organizations like Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana, Rural Women’s Farmers Association of Ghana, and Global Justice Now, are actively challenging the Ghanaian government’s agreement to participate in the new G7 Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. The Alliance would negatively impact the small-scale farmers who traditionally follow seed saving and seed sharing practices. These practices have allowed small farmers to maintain traditional forms of agriculture, save many varieties of seeds, and protect biodiversity. However, with this new Alliance, the seed market will be concentrated in the hands of a few multinational companies. Thus, restricting farmers from seed saving, impacting cultural practices, forcing the small-scale farmers to buy seeds from corporations, expanding land grabbing, increasing the influx of GMO seeds, and eroding rights of small-scale farmers.  The good news is that after relentless organizing, protesting, and petitions from rural women and ally organizations, the legislation has come to a halt.  Photo Credit: Global Justice Now

22 05, 2015

Ghana’s Women Farmers Resist G7 Plan To Grab Africa’s Seeds

2017-07-19T22:05:05-04:00Tags: |

Esther Baokye Yiadom and other women farmers in Ghana are resisting a proposed law that would restrict their ability to save and trade ancestral climate-resilient seeds, and empower multinational companies to manage seed access. In the face of this new law, the women of Ghana are uplifting diversity, community well-being, and centuries of tradition to enable their communities to live sustainably within a changing climate. Photo credit: Global Justice Now

30 04, 2015

Watch What Happens When Tribal Women Manage India’s Forests

2017-07-11T18:01:49-04:00Tags: |

35-year-old Kama Pradham works alongside other women from India's Gunduribadi tribal village to monitor and protect their land from illegal logging. Thanks to their efforts, India’s forests are experiencing a resurgence in growth and biodiversity while local people benefit from sustainable livelihoods. Photo credit: Manipadma Jena/ IPS

24 04, 2015

The Color of Food: These Sisters Are Building A Second Career As Farmers

2017-08-22T09:22:18-04:00Tags: |

Two retired sisters in North Carolina are re-cultivating their family land and growing organic produce. The sisters are overcoming the challenges in the area of land degradation, climate change, encroaching construction, and heir property law. Joyce and Carol are now members of the Southern African American Farmers Organic Network and are thriving as producers of fresh food for their community. Photo credit: Natasha Bowens

29 03, 2015

South African Women Respond To Drought By Creating A Seedbank

2017-07-17T17:42:16-04:00Tags: |

When the agricultural production of the Gumbu Village was affected by climatic changes, such as extreme drought, women in the community didn’t hesitate to take action. Guided by Bioversity International, a group of 40 women now manage and operate a community seed bank, ensuring access to a variety of nutritious crops, protecting biodiversity, supporting their households’ food supply and earning extra income. Photo credit: Women For Expo

8 03, 2015

23 Women Changing Food

2018-10-11T18:17:32-04:00Tags: |

On International Women’s Day, Food Tank celebrates 23 women from around the world who are working to change the food system for the better. Globally 70% of farmers are women, however female farmers lack resources and land rights, however, from Jamaica to New Zealand they are aiming to create a well-nourished world. The women documented include Rebecca Adamson, who is promoting traditional ecological knowledge as president of First Peoples Worldwide and Nancy Karanja who is the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Coordinator for Urban Harvest, a project to increase food security in and around cities. Photo credit: Food Tank

22 01, 2015

This Urban Farmer Is Growing Jobs In Her Richmond Community

2020-11-07T17:31:45-05:00Tags: |

In her hometown of Richmond, California, Doria Robinson invests in the health of her community through her role as executive director of Urban Tilth. Through her environmental activism and work with Urban Tilth, Till has overseen the launch of a Richmond-based CSA, the creation of an urban garden spanning 42 blocks, the passing of Richmond’s first urban agriculture ordinance, and the initiation of various education-based community volunteer and work programs within the urban garden. Robinson’s work in Richmond emphasizes the importance of local food systems and the various ways communities benefit from food justice initiatives. Photo Credit: Twilight Greenaway

22 01, 2015

A Lesson In Food Sovereignty: Women Lead The Way In Kuna Yala, Panama

2017-07-17T17:43:48-04:00Tags: |

Taina Hedman is an Indigenous Kuna woman and a key leader of the Kuna Youth Movement or MJK (Movimiento de La Juventud Kuna) and the Projecto de Mujeres (Women’s Project) in a remote area of Kuna Yala, Panama. She represents the rights and interests of Indigenous people throughout the country and supports local women to adopt agroecological methods of farming. Through their collective efforts, the women sustainably grow crops deep in the jungle to feed their communities. Photo credit: WhyHunger

1 01, 2015

2017-11-09T20:14:15-05:00Tags: |

Babli Roy, at only 14 years old, already has her own garden after attending a training which helped girls in the village understand their rights to land. With the knowledge gained from the training, she planted the garden and is cultivating beans. She wants to plant peas or more vegetables in the future.

13 12, 2014

Indigenous Women Living On The Frontlines of Climate Change In Nicaragua

2017-12-13T13:13:18-05:00Tags: |

Natalia Caruso of MADRE, speaks with to two women, Albertina and Severina, who are part of a program which helps provide organic seeds to women small-scale farmers. They explain that even though climate change has adversely impacted farming, Indigenous women are taking action and implementing several solutions in order to fight it, such as creating seed banks which guarantee food security for the next planting season. Photo credit: Elizabeth Rappaport

31 10, 2014

Women’s Environmental Network ‘Gardens For Life’ Resident Testimonials

2017-10-31T01:27:18-04:00Tags: |

The Women’s Environmental Network is organizing 15 new urban community gardens in Tower Hamlets, London, together with three local housing associations and support from the Public Health Departments from the City Council. Watch the video to see the testimonials and impressions from benefited residents and photos from the food and plants they grew in these gardens. Photo credit: Women’s Environmental Network

26 10, 2014

Former Black Panther Launches Oakland Urban Farm To Give Ex-Prisoners A Fresh Start

2017-10-26T00:46:26-04:00Tags: |

In West Oakland, former Black Panther Elaine Brown is using her tradition of revolutionary action to support ex-prisoners with job opportunities in urban gardening. West Oakland Farms is blooming with a colorful palate of peppers, corn, kale, squash and tomatoes. The inspiring 72-year-old radical envisions a joint project that will offer affordable housing, a fitness center, a juice bar and a grocery store, all run by her NGO, Oakland & the World Enterprises. Brown’s objective is to connect poor Black women and men to autonomously run land based resources that provide economic opportunities in a dramatically gentrifying city. Photo credit: Twilight Greenaway

26 08, 2014

Mother Nature’s Daughter

2017-10-26T00:41:31-04:00Tags: |

Kristina Erskine, Iyeshima Harris and Maggie Cheney are part of the growing movement of urban farmers planting and harvesting their produce at the Bushwick Campus Farm in Brooklyn. So are Pam and Esther of Hell’s Kitchen — a rooftop garden, and Jennifer, and Charlotte, and Kennon and Leah of Queens County Farm Museum, and Sarah, and Kate, and Shella, and Chelsea of East New York Farms. According to the New York Times, the approximately 900 food gardens and farms New York harbors are run by a predominantly women run pink-collar labor force. Photo credit: Erin Patrice O’Brien/New York Times

1 08, 2014

Solidarity, Group Farming And Solar Panels In The Jungles Of Kerala

2017-08-26T10:41:28-04:00Tags: |

As part of ‘Kudumbashree,’ an anti-poverty and gender justice movement in the region of Kerala, India, women of the Muthavan tribe from Edamalakudi, Idduki district have installed solar panels on homes as part of the village council program and helped 240 families in the village with their energy needs. The women are farming organic crops as a group, in small plots focusing on millet, paddy, tapioca, plantains and cardamom. The women are very clear and confident of their goals, including patrolling restricted-access “jeep roads” to prevent logging, mining and poaching. Photo: Madhuraj, Mathrubhumi Weekly

24 04, 2014

Eunice Ngoki: The Queen of Arrow Roots

2018-01-24T18:45:52-05:00Tags: |

Eunice Ngoki of Ngurumo village, Ntakira, Kenya has made a name for herself cultivating Arrow Root and other traditional indigenous crops. As part of her work as a member of Meru Jitegemee group, and with the Institute of Culture and Ecology, she is sharing seeds and knowledge with her community members, and acting as an example for other small-scale farmers on how to meet family nutrition and economic needs in a sustainable way. Photo credit: African Biodiversity Network

29 03, 2014

Guatemalan Women Use Agro-Forestry To Combat Climate Change, Improve Food Security

2017-07-17T17:54:23-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers in Itzapa are employing agro-forestry to combat climate change by preventing soil erosion and improving crop yields and biodiversity. The method has seen 150,000 trees planted, reforesting the of mountain slopes of an entire region. As a result of the trees, community members are able to sequester carbon, clean the air, and prevent mudslides. Photo credit: AIRES

1 03, 2014

Women Are Climate-Resilient In Bolivia

2017-08-22T09:03:37-04:00Tags: |

Rosa Angulo is one of many women in her community demonstrating resilience to the impacts of climate change. Rosa has been growing her own food for years and now preserves many of her vegetables, ensuring food is available for her family at all times. She began dehydrating vegetables after ongoing occurrences of drought and local food shortages. Despite the challenges of climate change, Rosa is able to grow and eat her own organic produce. Photo credit: Carey Averbook

4 01, 2014

Women Farmers In Chile To Teach The Region Agroecology

2020-11-07T17:29:27-05:00Tags: |

The National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women is opening the Agroecology Institute for Rural Women (IALA) in Auquinco, Chile. The work of the IALA aims to support campesino family agriculture and to promote the role of women in food production. The knowledge and work of rural peasant women is key to food sovereignty initiatives and sustainable agriculture practices.  The IALA hopes to conserve the knowledge and agricultural skills of these women. Photo Credit: ANAMURI 

1 01, 2014

From The Women Seed Forum In South Korea: Providing Seed Heritage Of The People For The Good Of Humanity

2017-10-19T22:53:45-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers and seedkeepers from across South East Asia and East Asia gathered at a La Via Campesina network meeting entitled “The Women Seed Forum” in South Korea in 2008, producing a booklet of information documenting threats to regional women farmers and their traditional and Indigenous seeds, as well as examples of how women seed stewards are acting to protect and share their seed heritage. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

1 01, 2014

Farmer: Eunice Wangari

2017-11-14T21:43:03-05:00Tags: |

Eunice Wangari is is an innovative farmer who puts her knowledge into practice. She has introduced Indigenous food crops on her farm and has multiplied Indigenous food crop seeds. She has also introduced an innovative live fence of castor oil plants that serves as a woodlot within the homestead. Photo credit: African Biodiversity Network

1 01, 2014

Vein Nyanduko Moranga: Growing Indigenous Crops

2017-11-14T21:43:12-05:00Tags: |

Vein Nyanduko Moranga grows indigenous crops and specialises in indigenous vegetables. In order to broaden her knowledge, she has consulted elderly famers on millet cultivation, harvesting, and recipe preparation. Now, vegetable vendors purchase vegetables from her farm. Vein is proud to be able to educate and pass her knowledge to her children through the growing and sale of vegetables.

27 12, 2013

Winona LaDuke: Protecting Wild Harvests Through The White Earth Land Recovery Project

2017-12-27T18:15:16-05:00Tags: |

Anishinaabeg woman leader, Winona LaDuke, is a renown author, activist, and founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) and Honor The Earth. Through her work with WELRP, Winona has spearheaded efforts to  restore sustainable Indigenous land use practices, and protect traditional seed crops, particularly her peoples wild rice. Winona and WELRP have consistently challenged attempts to lower environmental and water quality standards, and taken action to oppose oil pipelines crossing the fragile wetland ecosystems that sustain traditional agriculture for Indigenous peoples of the region. Photo credit: Star Tribune

11 12, 2013

An Interview With A Believer In Local Production, Distribution And Consumption

2017-08-26T10:54:40-04:00Tags: |

An anthropologist and environmentalist by profession, Reetu Sogani is a grassroots practitioner and activist in Himachal Pradesh, India. Her work focuses on promoting people’s rights over their natural resources via policy and advocacy, protecting cultural and biological diversity, and improving community food security. She hopes to develop alternatives to the current definition of “development” which endorses liberalization, globalization and privatization. She promotes the principle of local production using sustainable and organic methods, local distribution and local consumption as the way to combat climate change. Photo credit: 1 Million Women

7 12, 2013

Roxanne Swentzell And The Pueblo Food Experience

2017-12-07T18:21:23-05:00Tags: |

Roxanne Swentzell of Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, is the Director of the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, through which she works for Indigenous rights and cultural protection and revitalization, including work in education, art, farming, and seed stewardship. The project, the Pueblo Food Experience was also brought to life with her care. A group of Pueblo peoples committed to eating only Indigenous, local foods, and experienced profound and important change in their health, happiness, sustainability and connection to culture and the land. This short documentary features the work of Roxanne, and the experiences and thoughts of those who participated in this important, and ongoing project for Indigenous sovereignty, health and lifeways. Photo credit: Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute

21 11, 2013

Korean Women’s Peasant Association: Saving And Sharing Native Seeds

2020-12-15T21:31:09-05:00Tags: |

The Korean Women’s Peasant Association (KWPA) promotes food and seed sovereignty among Korean communities by establishing an inter-Korean network dedicated to the saving and exchanging of native seeds. As 90% of these seeds are collected by women, the KWPA directly works with Korean women farmers to support them in their fight against globalisation, neoliberalism, and climate change. Photo Credit: Stuart Ramson/Insider Images for WhyHunger

30 10, 2013

Maintaining The Ways Of Our Ancestors: Indigenous Women Address Food Sovereignty

2017-08-19T12:36:28-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women like Clemencia Herrera and Andrea Carmen gathered at the World Conference of Indigenous Women, which took place in Lima, Peru, October 28-30, 2013 to share traditional knowledge, discuss common challenges and develop solutions. Their shared initiatives included solidarity markets, schools to educate Indigenous youth about traditional foodways, community organizing, and building greenhouses in the Arctic and east Africa. Photo credit: Cultural Survival

22 10, 2013

Empowering Women Farmers Through Food Sovereignty And Environmental Stewardship

2017-08-22T09:40:09-04:00Tags: |

Faced with the challenges of climate change and the deleterious impacts of agrochemicals, female farmers in Nicaragua have formed cooperatives to pursue a series of environmentally-friendly initiatives. The women’s cooperatives are promoting the production of native seeds and farming methods to help address climate change, as well as the production of organic fertilizers. Women farmers are now exporting over 60,000 pounds of organic, fair trade coffee to North America. Photo credit: Fair World Project

19 07, 2013

Women’s Work: Adapting To Climate Change In Manus, Papua New Guinea

2017-09-21T17:39:40-04:00Tags: |

As rising sea levels threaten livelihoods on the island of Manus, local women have taken matters into their own hands and formed the Women in Conservation (WIC) group to fight for the environment and food security. Their activities, including mangrove rehabilitation and backyard/atoll farming, help women cope with the effects of climate change on food production. Image credit: Climate & Community

24 06, 2013

How Women In Rural India Are Adapting To A Changing Climate

2017-10-16T17:58:04-04:00Tags: |

Climate change is a phenomenon that affects different genders in different ways, hence the importance of fighting the changes through a gender perspective. In rural India, women have been receiving assistance to practice sustainable agriculture, adapt to the environmental change, and secure food. Kajol Das is a small-scale farmer in India who recently moved to a new and safer area where she can grow her own vegetables, working alongside the Women’s Earth Alliance. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

15 04, 2013

Women Nurture Seeds

2021-03-03T20:05:21-05:00Tags: |

In Karnataka, South India, women farmers engage with indigenous and local food sovereignty practices used before the Green Revolution. The video highlights two women from the local community, Mrs. Hombalamma and Mrs. Jayarathnamma, who both practice forms of local food sovereignty. Having internalized the need for biodiversity in agriculture, Mrs. Hombalamma grows a variety of crops on her land. She takes care to conserve her seeds and supplies them to the confederation of local farmers. Mrs. Jayarathnamma also conserves and protects seeds from her robust vegetable garden. Women and their agricultural knowledge, specifically their work with seed conservation, play a pivotal role in Karnataka’s food system. Photo Credit: Video Capture

11 03, 2013

Food Hero: Rose Karimi, Women Going Green

2017-10-31T12:12:44-04:00Tags: |

Growing up in rural Kenya, Rose Karimi witnessed the struggle of women coffee farmers. Now a doctoral student at Rutgers University, Rose developed an organization to help women in her community. Women Going Green is a five-year project allowing small-scale women farmers to adopt low-cost climate change adaptation strategies, such as solar-powered drip irrigation systems, and achieve food security. Photo credit: Food Tank

14 01, 2013

Interview With Francisca Rodriguez – La Via Campesina’s Seed Campaign

2018-02-14T22:06:17-05:00Tags: |

Francisca Rodriguez of Chile is an advocate for family farmers, food sovereignty, and traditional seeds, and leader with the National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women (ANAMURI), and the international coordination commission for La Via Campesina. In this interview with GRAIN, Francisca speaks on her background, and the work of La Via Campesina to support campesino (peasant) farming communities in movement building to protect seeds and farming lifeways, both in their communities, and across international ties. As Francisca explains in this interview, women are increasingly taking a lead in these campaigns. Photo Credit: Grain.org

23 12, 2012

Idle No More: Maori Women In Solidarity

2019-01-21T21:24:25-05:00Tags: |

Idle No More is a movement for indigenous sovereignty and land justice started by three indigenous women and one non-native ally in Canada. The movement has received much appreciation from women around the world, including Indigenous women from New Zealand, known as Maori. A group of Maori women showed their solidarity by sending blessings and thoughts to the movement’s brave leadership and to all those who are guardians of the Earth.  Photo Credit: Te Wharepora Hou

1 11, 2012

La Via Campesina Booklet: Stop The Violence Against Women

2017-11-01T00:48:30-04:00Tags: |

Within the Global Campaign to End Violence Against Women, started in 2008 by La Via Campesina, this booklet on violence against women, available for downloading, was produced. It aims at informing and sharing discussions, events and progress from the campaign and offers a guide to understanding what violence against women is, what kind of attitude can consist in violence against women, what kind of consequences it has, and also how this appears and happens within the agribusiness and capitalist systems. Finally, it also debates ways of fighting to end gender violence. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

1 10, 2012

Create In California: Del Rio Farm Ride

2017-10-01T18:50:17-04:00Tags: |

Author Suzanne Ashworth is the owner of a 70-acre certified organic farm, where she houses 1600 varieties of seeds. Ashworth has decided to spread her diversity of seeds across California by selling her organic veggies to restaurants who want to flourish the organic food economy. Ashworth is linked to The Coalition Green Restaurant Alliance Sacramento (GRAS), who is on board with developing good quality food across the restaurant industry, but is also engaged in an impressive full-circle compost program that targets eliminating food waste as well.

13 09, 2012

Cambodia: Detention Of Women Land Activists

2019-04-13T16:15:43-04:00Tags: |

Yorm Bopha and Tim Sakmony, are the latest targets of the Cambodian authorities’ attempt to intimidate Cambodia’s human rights defenders and social activists. Bopha and Sakmony, have protested against forced evictions in Phnom Penh and were both arrested in 2012 on false accusations. Both women have been detained before their trial, which is unwarranted under Cambodian law.  In view of the Cambodian authorities’ established record of abuse of the law and misuse of the courts to prosecute social activists and human rights defenders for their legitimate exercise of basic human rights. international organizations have stated that the legal actions against Bopha and Sakmony are motivated by their involvement in protests and campaigns on behalf of the land and housing rights of the Boeung Kak and Borei Keila communities.

31 08, 2012

Women Spend 40 Billion Hours Collecting Water

2017-10-31T19:25:53-04:00Tags: |

According to the U.N. Development Programme, women in sub-Saharan Africa collectively spend an average of 200 million hours per day and 40 billion hours per year collecting water. Although women perform most water-related tasks, their participation in decision-making processes on water and food management remains very low. Lakshmi Puri, deputy executive director of U.N. Women, discusses projects in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas aimed at reducing women’s water-carrying burdens and expanding their participation in policy making.

15 06, 2012

Nepal’s Female Farmers Fear Climate Change

2017-08-22T09:42:44-04:00Tags: |

Nepal is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, and the drain of male labor to India means the burden of dealing with climate change often falls on female farmers. Extreme weather results in water shortage, poor quality of soil, and crop disease, and the country is still suffering from acute food insecurity from the drought in 2008. Community organizations are training women farmers to collect and preserve local seed varieties and sell them to other female farmers at subsidized rates. Women are now taking over the project and training community members in climate adaptation. Photo credit: Inter Press Service News Agency

29 05, 2012

Spotlight on gender and food security in Burkina Faso

2019-04-13T15:45:36-04:00Tags: |

Women play a large roll in the agricultural labor force of Burkina Faso. They are involved with sowing seeds, collecting water and wood, harvesting crops, processing grain, and preserving and processing non-timber. Despite doing so, they have limited knowledge on how to access resources and extension services such as micro-credits, land rights, access to technology and know-how. Additionally, they are also responsible for their children’s education, hygiene, and sanitation around the house. As the increasing effects of climate change loom ahead, there’s concern that women in Burkina Faso need to do more to find water and wood, with little regard for their responsibilities at home as a productive family member. Women are more likely to come in direct contact with the land as they are present from production to the processing of products. Given their relationship with agriculture, women have a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of climate change on land and community. Climate-proofed food security can only be achieved if gendered-approaches to climate adaptation are taken. In Burkina Faso, the challenge lies in lifting certain social barriers, which are rooted in tradition, religion, and culture. Photo Credit:  N. Palmer (CIAT)

16 05, 2012

Salvadoran Women Put Their Faith In Agroecology

2017-07-11T16:50:43-04:00Tags: |

Growing tired of losing their family harvests to scorching temperatures and flooding, women in Los Lagartos, El Salvador began to reforest local lands by planting an "energy forest." Over four dozen women now maintain mango, avocado, and nance (golden spoon) trees, in addition to plantains and trees that can be used for their firewood. With the help of an agroecology program run by the Association of Communities for Development, they are achieving food sovereignty and improving their energy security. These women are leading by example, exercising their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. Photo credit: Claudia Ávalos/IPS

27 03, 2012

Armenian Women’s Group Sheds Light On Unseen Toxic Reality

2017-11-09T19:57:56-05:00Tags: |

The Ararat Valley is Armenia’s main food producing region, but due to extensive pesticide use, environmental pollution has created major problems for communities. A recent study on DDT concentrations in the breast milk of women in the valley showed traces of the toxic chemical in every single mother. Currently, there are efforts to investigate the impact of the environmental destruction in the country, raise public awareness about its harmful impacts, conduct studies on pesticide contamination levels, and organize regional discussions to share information and strategies.

24 01, 2012

The Mother Who Stood Up To Monsanto In Argentina

2018-01-24T18:15:59-05:00Tags: |

Sofia Gatica, co-founder of the Mothers of Ituzaingó in Argentina, and recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, spent her life in a city surrounded by GMO soybean fields, where farmers used toxic pesticides which directly impact the lives of nearby residents. After experiencing the deadly impacts of the practice, the Mothers of Ituzaingó launched an epidemiological study and found high rates of neurological and respiratory disease, birth defects and infant mortality, and cancer in their area. In 2010, Argentina’s Apex Court ruled that agrochemicals cannot be sprayed near populated areas. Sofia and the group now continue forward in other campaigns to reduce pesticide use and prevent expansion of Monsanto operations in the country. Photo Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

1 12, 2011

Feminist Perspectives Towards Transforming Economic Power—Agroecology: Exploring Opportunities For Women’s Empowerment Based On Experiences In Brazil

2017-10-19T22:58:15-04:00Tags: |

Tying together themes of economic, gender and land justice, this report by AWID and ActionAid Brazil discusses agroecological and sustainable farming practices as a tool for strengthening women’s empowerment and feminism amongst rural women of Brazil. The voices and experiences of women farm leaders of the Women and Agroecology Project are shared. Photo credit: AWID

2 11, 2011

Land Security And Empowerment For Women Necessary In Rizal

2017-11-02T00:19:43-04:00Tags: |

In three villages in the Rizal province of the Philippines, the direct link between climate change and economic stress is having gendered impacts. Dumagat Indigenous women are using traditional methods that ensure soil health and protect biodiversity, while relying on traditional knowledge to predict storms and care for their community. Women’s empowerment and leadership in community development is essential to overcoming climate and economical stress. Photo Credit: Use Default

1 11, 2011

Launch In Africa Of The Vía Campesina Campaign Condemning Violence Against Women

2017-11-01T01:18:39-04:00Tags: |

The African peasant members of La Via Campesina gathered during the 2011 World Social Forum, in Dakar, Senegal, to launch an African campaign of the international movement to fight violence against women, originally launched in 2008. Women farmers, besides suffering from the violence women face on a daily basis, also face social and economic exclusion and oppression. Being a farmer’s movement, the campaign in Africa set out to conduct activities regional and nationally at the legal advocacy level, to ensure legal protection for women, raise awareness regarding violence against women, strengthen partnerships in multiple levels, especially with the World Women’s March, and claim more female participation in political and public processes. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

29 10, 2011

Rural Women’s Adaptation Strategies In India

2017-10-29T01:18:19-04:00Tags: |

Participatory-action research conducted by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development  reveals that the widespread failure of agriculture, linked to climate-related drought, deeply impacts the lives of Dalit and Irular women in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. To cope with extreme weather changes, these women are seeking alternate employment in floriculture and wage labor, often bringing new health challenges. Further, they are adopting strategies such as collective farming and rainwater harvesting.

27 12, 2010

Saving Mexican Corn – Adelita San Vicente Tello

2017-12-27T18:12:08-05:00Tags: |

Adelita San Vicente Tello, a Mexican agronomist, farmer and land defenders shares the story of the founding and goals of “Sin Maiz, No Hay Pais”, “Without Corn There is No Country”, a grassroots coalition comprised of farmers’ groups, environmental activists, human rights defenders, scientists, and members of the media who are taking action to stop GMO contamination in Mexico. Particularly, the collective is focusing on protecting maiz (corn), a vital crop which originated in Mexico, and is central to the countries spiritual, economic, and cultural identities. She also discusses the work of her organization, Semillas De Vida, which is working to protect the use of diverse local seeds Photo credit: Women Rising Radio

27 10, 2010

Lynn Henning Exposes Factory Farm Pollution

2017-10-27T16:21:57-04:00Tags: |

Lynn Henning is the recipient of the 2010 Goldman Prize, from North America. Henning is an activist who successfully exposed livestock factory farms that pollute the land and water in Michigan. She first started as a volunteer for the Michigan chapter of the Sierra Club, and was able to call on the state government to deal with the issue of water quality violations in these farms, as well as officials from the Environmental Protection Agency. Photo credit: The Goldman Environmental Prize

26 10, 2009

Women Feeding Cities: Mainstreaming Gender In Urban Agriculture And Food Security

2017-10-26T00:44:25-04:00Tags: |

Globally, women are leading in household food production, in transforming unused city spaces into vegetable gardens, and in taking charge of raising animals. These tasks are fundamental to tackling malnutrition and food insecurity in cities and with urban poverty in general, urban crises that are all exacerbated by escalating climate change. Yet women’s central role in urban agriculture is being ignored despite their critical contributions which include generating income, providing household nutrition, and strengthening social inclusion within impoverished areas. The report Women Feeding Cities examines the fundamental contributions of women with the intention of bringing women into urban agriculture, development and research. Photo credit: RUAF Foundation

1 11, 2008

Declaration Of The Third Assembly Of The Women Of La Via Campesina

2017-11-01T00:46:57-04:00Tags: |

During the fifth International Conference of the La Via Campesina, in Maputo, Mozambique, 2008, women from all over the world gathered to make a joint declaration. In this text, they reaffirm their fight against gender norms that violate the human dignity of women worldwide - as well as the neoliberal economic system that perpetuates such practices, which affect women and girls in rural areas the most. Not only that, but they also claim their right to nondiscrimination and their sexual and reproductive rights. The women of the Via Campesina commit themselves to reach a violence-free rural world, with justice, solidarity and with food security. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

1 01, 2002

Jadwiga Lopata: 2002 Goldman Prize Recipient, Europe

2017-11-09T20:10:10-05:00Tags: |

Jadwiga Lopata, a former computer programmer who has worked on rural preservation since the mid-1980s, received the Goldman Environmental Prize. Jadwiga created an eco-tourism program that promoted the environmental, economic and health advantages of small family farms over large-scale factory agriculture. She is currently working on a campaign which fights the advance of supermarket chains, and at the same time she is helping to ensure a future for local food.

20 08, 1991

Robyn Van En: The First Lady Of Community Supported Agriculture

2020-11-20T17:28:59-05:00Tags: |

Robyn Van En of Indian Line Farm and Jan VanderTuin started the first United States-based CSA program in southwestern Massachusetts in 1985. They started the program by selling 30 shares of the local farm harvest before the start of the season, and calling it the Community Supported Agriculture project. Van En found inspiration to start the CSA from the development of similar programs in Japan and Western Europe. She emphasises the ways in which CSAs cultivate a more local food system by facilitating a closer relationship between farmers and their local communities. According to Van En, CSAs should be embedded in every community, including prisons and other large institutions. Photo Credit: Clemens Kalischer

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