Agroecology: Friends of the Earth Mexico/ Otros Mundos
Friends of the Earth Mexico/ Otros Mundos works with 8 groups of families in Chiapas through the Network of Alternative Sustainable Family Systems (RESISTE). They hold regional meetings to share experiences on agroecological practices like seed exchange and the sale of local products. They also hold workshops with these groups about ecological farming systems and sustainable forest management.
FoE Mexico also develops materials to support popular workshops (manuals, brochures), publishes newsletters on the impacts of pesticides, GMOs, and on how to move towards food sovereignty. They hold seminars and debates on sustainable food systems and support family farming groups in national and international meetings to link with social movements for the defense of lands and territories. FoE Mexico also participates in national, regional and local efforts to defend native seeds.
The families we work with have diversified the crops they grow and recovered seeds varieties (herbs and vegetables), experimented with different organic fertilisers for agroecological production and are using locally available resources. The families spent less money on chemical inputs. Soil conservation was carried out on the plots of basic grain production mainly maize and beans which brought immediate results and increased yields. Families are also diversifying their crops and incorporating new species with a view to food processing and product development such as bread, soy coffee, jams, dehydrated (fruits and vegetables), vegetable and fruit processing.
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El Mundo según Monsanto (in Spanish)
