THE GFAR BLOG

Velika Plana, a small town in central Serbia is a meeting place of several different natural environments : the second largest river (after Danube) in Serbia – Velika Morava – and its fertile valley ; the hills of Šumadija, which are the starting point of the mountainous part of the Balkan peninsula ; and the final edges of … More Treasure Around Us: Agricultural and Cultural Biodiversity in the Balkans

I would stay, but should I go Living near remote natural surroundings while being able to benefit from easier administration and mobility, provide the perfect conditions for development of rural entrepreneurship. This is what you find in small towns in rural settings. In the specific context of Velika Plana, the short distance from the capital … More The Convivum: Helping to resolve the disonance of entrepreneurship in agriculture

On July 29th for the first time ever, ConviviumVelika Plana organized Terra Madre Morava, a gathering of small-scale food producers given an opportunity to showcase their products in the spirit of the SlowFood philosophy. The host of the event, Superior, a local seed company and GFAR partner, opened its doors to 17 producers from the … More Empowering small-scale producers one taste at a time

On Saturday the 29th of July, Convivium Velika Plana hosted the first edition of TerraMadre Morava, the first meeting of small-scale food producers from Central Serbia, organised by Slow Food Velika Plana in cooperation with Ypard Serbia, Superior Seed and SlowFood. The event consisted of a market where only small-scale producers could exhibit and sell their … More Terra Madre Morava: Promoting rural food communities in Serbia and beyond

What can happen in local communities when Partners in GFAR from diverse sectors work together to preserve their cultural traditions while at the same time embracing the future? How important are the relationships between the leaders of these organizations to making their initiatives successful? Slow Food Convivium Velika Plana, a multi-sectoral collaboration in Central Serbia, … More Interpersonal, international, interdisciplinary, intergenerational linkages fostering community development: A good example in Central Serbia

Family farmers in the West Bank are growing high value crops such as almonds and apricots on once-barren hillsides, seeing their incomes rise by 80 per cent or more. About 36,000 people have taken part in an IFAD-funded natural resource management programme, which prioritized terracing, fencing, irrigation, rock removal and other techniques to reclaim and … More Almonds and apricots flower on once-barren land

In western Madagascar, IFAD-supported projects have been helping people in rural areas gain legal rights to their land – a key tactic in the fight against poverty. When smallholder farmers own their land, they can use it as collateral to access credit. Land ownership also gives them more incentives to invest in better farming techniques … More Rural poor people in Madagascar strengthen resilience through land tenure

In rural communities in northern Laos, an IFAD supported programme is using a television soap opera to help tackle extreme poverty and malnutrition. As villagers follow the fortunes of their favourite characters in My Happy Family, they are also learning how to choose healthy locally grown ingredients to create tasty, nutritious meals for the children … More Boosting nutrition one TV show at a time in Laos

An IFAD-supported programme in Nigeria is helping to reduce dependence on imported rice and strengthening the access of smallholder farmers to local markets. Every year, Africa spends some US$35 billion on food imports, undermining the sustainability of its own agriculture sector. This overreliance on food imports is partly due to the inferior quality of much … More Reducing rice imports helps smallholder farmers in Nigeria

Forests are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about food security. Sure, it’s fun to go mushroom picking, but otherwise what is the big deal about the role of forests in food security? Why is this year’s High Level Panel of Experts Report (HLPE), the science-policy interface of the UN … More What do forests have to do with food security? A glance at this year’s HLPE Report

Ever tried an African pear? Or a bush mango? Or a tree tomato? Or, perhaps, a custard apple? African pear, or butterfruit, is 48% oil and can be processed into a spread that can be used as a natural plant-based substitute for margarine. Packed with a set of fatty acids, bush mango is rich in … More Forgotten fruit always tastes better

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight 17 important issues that humanity needs to address in order to improve the lives of millions. Trees have a role to play in many development issues, and are closely linked to the SDG #15 “Life on land”. Apart from being a major mechanism for climate mitigation, forestry is … More Growing money on trees in Africa, a conversation with Björn Lundgren

Research suggests that the way people use and manage forests is largely shaped by gender norms and relations. But how exactly? Linley Chiwona-Karltun, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, and Ngolia Kimanzu, advisor at Salvation Army, share insights from their ongoing research about the role of gender in the use of forest … More Are women better at taking care of forests than men?

For generations, upland communities of Vietnam, Thailand and Nepal relied on fruits, nuts, mushrooms and berries gathered in forests when harvests were low, and let their fields lie fallow, allowing soil to rebound. However, with agricultural development and forest management evolving as discrete policy areas, these communities were denied access to forests in the interests … More In a bind: How policy divide between forestry and farming can result in poverty and hunger