<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/agroecology-pesticides-farm-workers-agriculture/>
"Rice, the food that feeds the Philippines, is in climate change’s crosshairs.
Sea-level rise, hotter temperatures and extreme weather are putting one of the
country’s top crops at risk, as drought, floods and encroaching saltwater
threaten rice paddies and the livelihoods of those who tend them.
In a bid to future-proof this agricultural staple, one effort is borrowing from
farming’s past.
A farmer-led network and collaboration with scientists and others called
MASIPAG (
Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura) has bred
dozens of native rice plants, over several decades, to be more resistant to
drought, saltwater, pests and diseases. MASIPAG then trained many of the 30,000
farmers in its network how to grow these more resilient varieties using organic
cultivation methods.
The idea was to help them “relearn the Indigenous and local production
processes which were almost erased by the Green Revolution,” says Kathryn
Manga, international solidarity officer and project coordinator at the Asian
People’s Exchange for Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, an umbrella
organization for groups including MASIPAG. The Green Revolution, which spread
across the developing world in the 20th century, replaced ancient farming
techniques with modern ones like genetic engineering and pesticides — practices
that in some cases reduced hunger, but also disrupted ecosystems and left many
poor farmers behind. MASIPAG’s effort to return to the old ways — this time
with more resilient plants — worked. “It was the local [rice] varieties which
were left standing after the strong winds and rains of the typhoons in 2022,”
Manga says.
It’s just one instance of a growing global movement to use agroecology
principles to improve farming practices, enhance farmers’ living standards, and
increasingly, adapt agriculture to the planet’s changing climate. Agroecology —
farming with nature — is similar to regenerative agriculture, which focuses on
soil health. But its 13 principles go further by eschewing the use of synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides, and by including social and political values that
embrace land rights, open access to seeds, fair and humane working conditions,
and sustainable livelihoods. Research, along with real-world examples like
MASIPAG’s, shows that agroecology holds promise for strengthening farming
communities and conserving nature."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
