Strengthening Food Sovereignty

LIVING FARMS | More than one fifth of Odisha’s population belongs to different indigenous communities and the majority of them live below the poverty line. These ten million people are mostly dependent on small-scale farming and forest resources, so they are especially vulnerable to land degradation and other environmental changes. Together with the so called Adivasi (“first citizens”) communities, our partner Living Farms develops alternative, sustainable farming methods to strengthen their food sovereignty.

Due to the marketing strategies of large corporations, genetically modified seeds and chemical pesticides have even spread to the remotest villages all across India. While such products may seem promising in the beginning, the yield soon declines and farmers are increasingly dependent on expensively purchased of agricultural products. In contrast, traditional modes of farming suit the local environmental conditions much better, contribute to the preservation of national resources and strengthen farmers’ independence from large corporations.

Living Farms conducts research on the traditional modes of farming and forest management being practiced by Adivasi communities for generations. Jointly, they adapt these techniques to present circumstances and spread the knowledge through regular workshops, capacity building trainings and the installation of community seed banks. This also diversified the yield and contributed to a healthier, balanced nutrition. Alongside, Living Farms prepares policy briefs and research reports to further assert alternative methods of farming in the general political discourse.

From 2016 to 2019, we supported Living Farms as part of the Special Initiative “One World, No Hunger” initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Since 2020, our collaboration continues as part of the South Asia Regional Program.