Centre for Information on Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture
ILEIA finds, documents and publishes experiences on sustainable, small-scale farming. We believe experiences of this kind are important. After all, many people, especially in developing countries, depend on agriculture for their living. Their combined knowledge can help improve productivity, generate income, and empower farmers. Through LEISA Magazine, which has more than 17,000 subscribers, ILEIA reaches people in 150 countries. ILEIA is part of the global
LEISA Network, whose member organisations all gather and share knowledge on sustainable small-scale farming.
LEISA Magazine Jubilee
Small-scale family farming offers an alternative approach to the world. Over the past 25 years, many stories have been published in which small farmers show us that they have a crucial role to play in sustainable development. Our jubilee year is the perfect occasion to spread this message. In the months to come we will
renew our magazine, we will put you
readers in the spotlight and we will try to convince more people that
small farmers' way of life is the future.
Read more on
our jubilee pages.
Jubilee photo contest. Have farming methods and markets changed a lot in your lifetime? Will farmers' children become farmers themselves? How has mobile phone changed farmers' lives? Which technologies will farmers use in the future? Photograph your ideas about families, farming and change. Send the photos to us. There's
a lot to win!
LEISA Magazine, volume 25: 2 - Farmers as entrepreneurs |
2009-06-18 - Small-scale farmers and their support institutions are becoming more convinced that there is little future for them unless they become more entrepreneurial in their approach to farming. Which means that they produce increasingly for markets - local, regional as well as global, and with a profit motive. There's nothing new about rural entrepreneurship. But the challenges faced by family farms in the South right now are unique in scope and scale.
What options are there for small-scale farmers to become more entrepreneurial? Read the articles. |  | |
Call for articles |
Sustaining the gains
LEISA Magazine, vol. 25 issue 4, December 2009.
Because of LEISA Magazine's 25th birthday, this year's last issue will be a special one. In this special jubilee issue we would like to look at initiatives taken to scale-up successful methods and approaches to sustainable agriculture. Equally important, we will look at the factors that have stopped or hindered the spreading of sustainable agricultural practices.
What are your experiences with scaling-up sustainable processes? What makes them special and why do you think they are relevant to others?
Please send your ideas by August 15th, 2009, to Jorge Chavez-Tafur, editor, at j.chavez-tafur(at)ileia.nl.
Read more. |
FROM OUR READERS! |
 "I am a farmer based at the Kangolongolo area, east of the Kaoma District, in Zambia. I started growing citrus trees as early as 1992... I only apply crop residue manure to enable my trees sustain a better production..." This is just one of the many letters and e-mails we receive. Interested? Read more. |
OPEN FORUM |
| On our Forum readers discuss topics such as 'How sustainable is organic farming?' and ‘Livestock and climate change’. If you would like to participate in the discussions, click here to go to our Forum. |
Global economic crisis: responses from LEISA Network partners |
LEISA partners in Senegal, Cameroon, Indonesia, China, India and Peru give their reactions and opinions on the global economic crisis. It seems clear that there is a shared need to make sense out of what is happening. Also there are several parallels and larger issues emerging from the responses.
To encourage further debate and reflection, the discussion is being continued on our Open Forum. Click the link and share your thoughts!
For a summary of the responses received so far: Read more. |
THEME INFO PACK: CLIMATE CHANGE |
 Welcome to our renewed set of dossiers, now called Theme Info Packs! We start with climate change, and we follow soon with other themes. On these pages you can find additional sources of information relating to this interesting theme. Some of this was used when preparing vol. 24.4 of LEISA Magazine; some additional information comes from our partners. Please help us improve this section by leaving your suggestions for further interesting material. You can post your comments on every page. Read more |
Our photos on Flickr |
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FIND US ON |
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Latest E-LEISA |
| FARMERS AS ENTREPRENEURS - E-LEISA 2009 number 2 Read more. |
Upcoming events |
| 2009-08-03 - 2009-08-08 -
4th Women in Africa and the African Diaspora conference Read more. |
| 2009-08-23 - 2009-08-27 -
World Library and Information Congress: 75th IFLA General Conference and Assembly Read more. |
| 2009-08-23 - 2009-08-28 -
2nd World Congress of Agroforestry Read more. |
| 2009-08-23 - 2009-08-29 -
2nd World Congress of Agroforestry Read more. |
| 2009-08-25 - 2009-08-28 -
1st International IFOAM Conference on Animal and Plant Breeding - BREEDING DIVERSITY - Read more. |
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