Africa: Africa's $70bn Food Import Bill Sparks Urgent Call for Investment in Local Farming: [New Times] Africa's rising food import bill, now estimated at around $70 billion annually, is unsustainable and signals an urgent need to invest in local agriculture, smallholder farmers, and climate-smart food systems, regional leaders and agricultural stakeholders have warned. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TNNzn8 #Africa #FoodSecurity #SustainableAgriculture #LocalFarming #SmallholderFarmers

Africa: 33 Million Women Grow Food On Plots in Sub-Saharan Africa. Greener Farming Can Boost Their Earnings - Study: [The Conversation Africa] There are 33 million smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, making up 80% of the total farmer population. These farmers cultivate small plots of land of less than two hectares and don't make much money, as they generally sell their produce… http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TMXmWk #Agriculture #SmallholderFarmers #WomenInAgriculture #SustainableFarming #FoodSecurity

Africa: Africa's Smallholder Farmers Are Using Bright Ideas to Adapt to Climate Change - G20 Countries Should Fund Their Efforts: [The Conversation Africa] Across most of Africa, rural communities grow their own food, relying on smallholder agriculture. But climate change is threatening this way of life. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TM9QfR #ClimateChange #SmallholderFarmers #SustainableAgriculture #FoodSecurity #AdaptationStrategies

[Reposting a very cool blog chapter by @nannnsss@social.lol :ecoanarchism_heart: before it gets lost in the depths of the internet]

"Imposter farmer?"
February 11th, 2025

It feels cliche to say, but ever since I can remember, I've wanted to grow food for people. I've spent the last 20 years growing it for myself and my family, but regardless of how fulfilling my personal gardening endeavors went, there was always an itch to do more. But... call myself a farmer? Oof.

This year is the first year that I have access to a large swath of land to grow food on. In July, I moved onto 80 acres with my friends to mold and shape the land into a community resource: event space, ecological learning, conservation, and yep, growing food.

To say I'm excited about the opportunity would be an understatement, yet whenever the chance arises to call myself a farmer, I pause. And feel a pit in my stomach. And it's not because I think ill of farmers - farmers are rad. I couldn't figure out exactly why, until I took a closer look at some internalized capitalism that was stuck inside me: there isn't much social capital in barely making ends meet growing food. Sometimes there are no days off. Plants can be finnicky and pests, detrimental. Industrialized food is less expensive. Climate change is a real threat to food production. It's hard work and very little external validation. So, why the heck would I want to farm?

To say farming is stigmatized seems a bit hyperbolic, but it's not lauded like high-paying, college-educated careers - the careers I was told I should be working toward. That's to say, if I told people I was going back to school to become an engineer or nurse, I can't imagine I'd be met with the same skepticism and doubt that I have in sharing I want to grow food.

For me, growing food is a radical act. Farms are weavers of community, connection, reciprocity, and liberation - they connect us to the land and to each other with the abundance they provide while directly countering oppressive, exclusionary systems. Farms are magic. I know this because I feel it every time I harvest a vegetable. Every time I see the diversity of life alongside me as I tend to the land - the birds, the bugs, the soil, the water. The work is hard and uncertain, sure. But for me, so is an office job with a toxic culture.

It's becoming easier, saying that I am a farmer. And although I'm only in my first year of "farming", I've been a farmer in my soul for much longer. Navigating the shame around choosing farming has made it clear how important finding like-minded, young, radical farmers is for me. Similarly, so is connecting with seasoned farmers that are eager to teach the newbies all the things we didn't know that we don't know. I feel motivated to make this work - or at least give it my all to say I tried. So, yes. I am a farmer. And I'm absolutely ecstatic to finally say that.

Curious to see my farm plans? Visit Dirtfolk Farm (@nannnsss@homestead.social)

https://nannnsss.omg.lol/2025/imposter-farmer/

#Farming #Agriculture #FarmerIdentity #Agroecology #SmallholderFarmers #Horticulture #Gardening #FoodSystems

New CEF video: “Farming Food for Life” features Stephen Sherwood, a regenerative farmer and researcher in Ecuador’s Andes. We discuss how smallholder farmers can restore soil, draw down carbon, and build climate resilience, with practical lessons from decades of work. Watch the conversation and join us in rethinking food, farming, and climate action.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjipMzFUmy19o_2gOrk_3VA
#ClimateJustice #RegenerativeAgriculture #ClimateAction #FoodSystems #Sustainability #SmallholderFarmers

Africa: Smallholder Farmers Are Not 'Beneficiaries', but the 'Co-Creators of Change': [IPS] Nairobi -- Eliud Rugut comes from generations of farmers, yet his family expected him to move out of their home and pursue another career. http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TKDVmC #SmallholderFarmers #Africa #SustainableAgriculture #FoodSecurity #CoCreators

@larryneufeld

To elaborate a little bit more profoundly:

Agricultural management that aims to increase soil carbon content can be a very meaningful tool for a variety of reasons.

First, what is good for carbon, is (in most cases) good for the soil:
- soil rest
- no over-fertilization with mineral N
- reduction of pesticide use
- cover crops
- C-rich amendments
- diverse and deep-rooting crops
- agroforestry
- proper* livestock management
...

All things that integrate perfectly with smallholder agroecological farming systems.

But since we live in late-stage capitalism, "Carbon farming" does not refer explicitely to the abovementioned techniques, but to the entrance of finance investors into farming, high-tech, AI-assisted remote sensing and large, industrial farming corporations that will have an advantage over smallholders when tapping the revenue streams.

So, the article is spot-on.

* yes, here I am a bit vague, but the pros and cons of holistic grazing will be another thread
#Agriculture #CarbonFarming #SustainableAgriculture #SmallholderFarmers #Agroecology

RT @ClimateAdvisers: This @mongabay article does a great job at showing how impactful the new EU law could be on, and how it could benefit #smallholderfarmers provided they earn the value they provide the market. https://chainreactionresearch.com/report/eu-deforestation-regulation-implications-for-the-palm-oil-industry-and-its-financers/

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/catherinemep/status/1611284882356854785

Call for solutions: D-Prize Challenge: New business or #NGO that Increases Distribution of an Existing and Proven #Agriculture Intervention to #SmallholderFarmers, for #AspirantSocialEntrepreneurs #SocialEntrepreneurs worldwide https://adalidda.com/posts/HjbcLMTjA9qaNgkHB/d-prize-challenge-new-business-or-ngo-that-increases/call