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24 May 2022
“I want to help smallholders like my grandmother to have access to innovations that can help to feed their families and communities,” says Nassib Mugwanya. After years of working as an outreach officer with smallholders in Uganda, Mugwanya is now a doctoral student at North Carolina State University. Here he talks with Koen Kusters about the importance of innovations for smallholder farming, and the risks of romanticising traditional farming practices.
23 May 2022 Colombia
“We met, we were happy to meet. It was the first time we worked together only with women, and it was the first time we were in charge” said Alexandra Gutiérrez Piranga, a Korebaju indigenous woman when explaining how, through a process of building confidence and skills, they are on track for formulating projects for their own well-being and the well-being of their communities.
19 May 2022 the Netherlands
In Venezuela, use of fire is a traditional practice by Indigenous peoples and firefighting agencies in savannas and cultivated areas. But due to the effects of climate change, fires are increasingly becoming out of control and more forests are being burned. Here, Bibiana Bilbao of Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela, and case study leader for indigenous fire management in the LANDMARC programme tells us what is being done, and the next steps needed to reduce the risk of wildfires in Venezuela.
17 May 2022 the Netherlands
Conventional agricultural support programmes are offering technologies to smallholders, but these technologies are destroying the ecological base of agriculture, according to Pablo Tittonell, Principal Research Scientist in Argentina’s National Council for Science and Technology. Here he talks with Koen Kusters about agroecological principles and the future of smallholders in forest frontier landscapes.
10 May 2022 the Netherlands
“We want to inspire young people to become restoration warriors,” says Sumarni Laman. She works with an NGO in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, to build awareness about the need for restoration among indigenous youth. Here she talks with Koen Kusters about the importance of her work, as well as the challenges she has encountered.
09 May 2022 the Netherlands
To prevent deforestation, restore degraded lands and build green value chains, local small-scale producers in the forestry and agroforestry sectors require better access to finance, so they can invest in sustainable practices, according to FAO’s most recent State of the World’s Forests.