Agroecology: Friends of the Earth Togo
With approximately 7 million inhabitants, Togo is one of the smallest countries in the African continent. Almost half of the population works as farmers. Land access problems, especially for women and young people, growing pressure on the land in some areas and the subsequent degradation of the soil fertility, in addition to difficulties in accessing credits, are some of the problems experienced by peasants in the country.
Download MP3 (1.6 Mb) – Agroecology Togo – Real World Radio
With their Food Sovereignty and Biodiversity Program, Friends of the Earth Togo addresses issues such as the struggle against desertification and deforestation, the preservation of ecosystems and endangered species, the promotion of an agroecological family agriculture, as well as the struggle against land grabbing, GMOs, and the pollution of ecosystems with agrotoxics.
Friends of the Earth Togo considers that agroecology, and especially peasant agriculture, are important principles and tools for the defence of common resources and socio-environmental justice. Currently, the organisation works with rural communities living around the Atakora Mountains, which stretch across the country, with communities of the Canton of Fiokpo and communities around the National Park of Togodo South.
In addition to workshops with farmers, where they discuss local knowledge and traditional practices, Friends of the Earth Togo participates in the organisation of meetings between consumers and farmers.
According to the organisation “in the dynamics of agroecological promotion, a fierce fight against GMOs is taking place in Togo”. The organisation is an ally of the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN), strongly involved in the fight against the advance of GMOs in the West region of the African continent.
The strategies used include radio shows to inform the population about the threats of genetically modified organisms and even to gather signatures to ban them.
To find out more about the work of Friends of the Earth Togo visit its website and YouTube channel (available in French).
