While interest is generated over new and emerging technologies, there is a diversity of knowledge, technologies and practices in agriculture, health care, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem management. Many of these support the livelihoods of small farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and local entrepreneurs affecting millions of people and communities across the world, especially in developing countries. In many cases, national industries have developed from traditional knowledge and endogenous technologies.There are thus vast potential and promises in these sustainable systems and practices, requiring investment and mainstreaming into development policies at the national, regional and international level. A holistic approach to technology assessment and choice would develop sophisticated principles, criteria and indicators that enable countries to benefit from sustainable production and conservation systems.

Healthy People Depend on Healthy Food Systems

Food and nutrition security must be developed in a sustainable way, and the status quo as exemplified by conventional forms of agriculture is no longer viable. […]

How to Feed the World

This opinion piece argues that if we are going to feed the world, then we need to shift focus away from industrial agriculture, towards other, better options, such as agroecology. […]

Making Agriculture Truly Sustainable for Food Security in a Changing Climate

UNCTAD’s Trade and Environment Review 2013 recommends a rapid and significant shift away from conventional, monoculture-based, input-dependent agriculture, towards mosaics of sustainable regenerative production systems. […]

Food Needs can be Met with Agroecological Vision for Agriculture and Science

This article calls for a new vision for agriculture and science; one where there is agricultural diversification and where agricultural R&D is reoriented towards diverse local conditions and needs, and farmers’ knowledge. […]

Going Beyond Organic: Agroecology as the Next Step

This article reports on the Southeast Asian Training Course on Agroecology, organized by Third World Network and Aliansi Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants Alliance) and held from 5 to 9 June in Solo, Indonesia. […]

Family Farmers for Sustainable Food Systems

This report highlights the importance of small family farms in Africa, which generate food and employment for the majority of the population while conserving natural resources. […]

Genetically Modified Crops and Hunger – Another Look at the Evidence

This review compares GE and agroecological solutions. It finds that GE crops do not address core agricultural ecological sustainability issues, while the agroecological approach should be the first priority for feeding the world in a sustainable way. […]

An Agro-Ecological Vision for US Agriculture

The Union of Concerned Scientists says that agro-ecological farming or what it calls “healthy farms” are the way forward for sustainable food production and will be far better for the people, the environment and the economy. […]

Organic Agriculture – African Experiences in Resilience and Sustainability

The FAO book Organic Agriculture: African Experiences in Resilience and Sustainability documents sustainability experiences, including in mainstreaming organic agriculture into African development approaches. […]

GM Crops Not the Solution for Agricultural Sustainability Needed to Feed the World

This article illustrates the importance of agrobiodiversity for feeding the world, which is under threat by GM crops. […]