Biowatch farmers speak out about living and thriving in troubled times 2020–2022: COVID-19, social upheavals, unrest, extreme weather ...
The two years starting from the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, to the civil unrest in July 2021 and the extreme floods in 2022 were unprecedented in terms intersecting crises. During this challenging period communication between Biowatch and the farmers we support suggested that, on the whole, they were coping. To confirm this anecdotal evidence, we commissioned a survey of 24 farmers, including long-standing and recent agroecology adopters, in nine areas in different parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The farmers’ voices and stories offered in this book provide insight into the multiple dimensions in which agroecology benefits rural communities and builds resilience in the face of intersecting climate, biodiversity, water and food crises and the ensuing social and political upheavals that loom ahead of us locally, regionally and globally.
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10 May 2022
How we produce, distribute and waste food is causing global ecological and social crises, including one of the greatest threats of our time – climate change. In fact, from farm-to-plate-to-landfill, the way we produce and distribute food is responsible for a whopping one-third of all human greenhouse gas emissions.
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10 October 2021
A Biowatch Briefing on farmer-led seed systems – securing food sovereignty in the face of looming ecological and social crises. FLSS can and do make a critical contribution in responding to current global ecological and social threats through adaptation to climate change, enhancing agricultural biodiversity, strengthening food security and sovereignty, increasing dietary diversity, and recognising and honouring indigenous knowledge and the key roles of women.
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8 August 2020
A snapshot of the impact of COVID-19 on food systems in South Africa. Document prepared for the Global Food Governance Working Group of the Civil Society and Indigenous People’s Mechanism (CSM) of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
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