Dear Kanayo, Prof Swaminathan (mail trailed), UN orgs and Civil society representing hundreds of millions of rural poor producer communities urge Governments, multi lateral orgs and NARES to adopt Agro ecology as the future of farming for the long term sustainability. AFSA (statement available at http://afsafrica.org/agroecology-the-bold-future-for-africa/) has launched a series of case studies to show the benefits of Agro ecology to coincide with the FAO Regional Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition in Dakar 5-6 Nov 2015. High Cost High Risk Green revolution/ Industrial/ Climate Smart agriculture conventional, commodity driven farming systems has raised yields in irrigated lands but at great cost in the long term, with extensive soil damage, huge biodiversity loss and negative impacts on nutrition, food safety/ contamination and groundwater pollution. In contrast, Agro ecology is the antithesis as it is low cost low risk and sustainable in the long term. Conventional agriculture seeks to simplify being dependent on high cost external inputs, Agro ecology embraces low cost low risk complex climate friendly systems as applicable to the area. Where conventional agriculture eliminates biodiversity and a cause of climate change, agro ecology mitigates the effects of climate change. Agro ecology is knowledge intensive, building on agricultural practices with modern research and technology, season after season to keep farmers in control inspite of climate change. Where conventional agriculture offers one-size-fits-all fixes like GM seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, Agro ecology provides solutions to climate change in each area. Conventional agriculture pollutes and degrades, Agro ecology regenerates and restores the effects of climate change. AFSA Coordinator Dr. Million Belay Ali said: “The industrial agriculture has contributed hugely to climate change, disrupted the life of rural food producers, caused the spread of non communicable diseases, destroyed soil, polluted our environment and eroded our culture. Africa has a solution. With policy support and research engagement, it is possible to enhance the productivity of our seeds without destroying our environment. We have a responsibility to our children. We do not need to adopt a mode of agriculture which is destroying the European and North American soils and peoples.” Qouting Elizabeth Mpofu, La Via Campesina International General Coordinator: "Agro ecology makes food production more secure regardless of what the weather brings. Agro ecology promotes food sovereignty and ensures everyone's right to food. As small-scale food producers, agro ecology limits our reliance on external inputs. We harvest and save our seeds; we make our own organic fertilizers and control pests using traditional methods. We are calling our governments to support and promote agro ecology practices instead of industrial food production systems that are a false and temporary solution. We need our governments to protect us and ensure our children a future in which they can feed themselves with nutritious food supported by a healthy environment!" AFSA is making an evidence-based, coherent case for agro ecology as the sustainable long-term solution for the rural poor producing communities. The case studies in this collection (available online at: http://afsafrica.org/case-studies/) shows how agro ecology benefits them, reduces hunger, mal nutrition and poverty whilst increasing net incomes/ purchasing power, improving livelihoods as they have access to own requirements of nutritious food and cash at little or no cost whilst contributing to development and growth. available at http://afsafrica.org/agroecology-the-bold-future-for-africa/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 3:49 PM Subject: To: [log in to unmask] MSS/RM/ 23 November 2015 Dr Subhash Mehta Email: [log in to unmask] Dear Subhash Thank you very much for your kind letter. I am grateful to you for the information you have given on FAO’s sub-Saharan conference on agroecology. Mainstreaming ecology in technology development and dissemination is essential to achieve goal 2 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I am grateful to you for the interest you are taking in developing and disseminating agroecology which is the pathway to an ever-green revolution leading to increase in productivity in perpetuity without ecological harm. With warm personal regards Yours sincerely, M S Swaminathan ===================================================== PROF M S SWAMINATHAN Founder Chairman and Chief Mentor UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology M S Swaminathan Research Foundation Email: [log in to unmask] Twitter : @msswaminathan Subhash Mehta, Trustee, Devarao Shivaram Trust, NGO Association for Agricultural Research Asia Pacific (NAARAP), Hegenahalli PO, Devanahalli Taluka, Bangalore Rural North, Pin Code: 562110, Tel: +91-80-28494009 / +91-80-22712290, ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the GACSA-General-L list, click the following link: https://listserv.fao.org/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=GACSA-General-L&A=1