Good People,

The month of May is here with us and with it the long rains, albeit sporadic and of an increasingly unpredictable nature.

This month I had the privilege and opportunity to visit Lorient, in France, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorient and commune with like-minded global activists/advocates of agro ecology; A global resistance against GMOs: More here:https://rir-ogm.info/?p=168&lang=en I had the opportunity of seeing and witnessing, first hand,  agro ecological food production and consumption practisesm reinforcing the fact that they agroecologial organic approaches, as an alternative food systesm, CAN sustainably feed the world and mitigate climate change, while preventing/reducing lifestyle diseases aka non-communicable diseases(NCDs).

• As a public health physician, I now fully understand why the French are, generally, healthier despite eating a lot of bread for breakfast, lunch and supper! They eat lotsa  green vegetables, good quality butter and cheeses, and drink plenty of good French wine while keeping in constant motion…they exercise…they dance and walk or cycle, in the pristine landscaped, fresh air filled, forested neighbourhoods. Wow!
• Then I asked myself, are there any examples of LOCAL successful agroecological ecosystems in African and elsewhere? I started searching and this is what I found…
• Deep in Rural Malawi, a Mzungu couple, Kristof and Stacia Nordin have proven beyond doubt that agro ecological food production and consumption systems can sustainably feed local communities;  but also, importantly, tha they can mitigate climate change, reduce farmer input costs and hence increase incomes/improve livelihoods while providing highly diversified nutritious foods from the “food forests” which, additionally, preserve seed variety and enrich the soils. Here is the story:http://www.neverendingfood.org/
• Deep in rural India, a retired agronomist/scientist, Dr. Carl Rangad, has turned an otherwise food deprived rural community into a food secure paradise and managed to attract and retain YOUTH back into the rural areas, with passion for agro ecological and cultural based practises of agroecology and agroforestry. Here is the story:https://foodtank.com/news/2017/04/indian-indigenous-agroecological-traditions/
• And, finally, do you need recent evidence that GMOs are bad for the environment and the food  system? Here is evidence of recent “accidental” GMO contamination:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gmo-ethanol-corn-contamination-raises-concerns-about_us_58e52857e4b0ee31ab9533dd

What are the lessons learned?

• Agro ecological organic food production and consumption systems CAN sustainably feed the world, mitigate climate change, preserve and conserve seed/plant biodiversity, provide sustainable nutrient rich safe food and ensure the health of humans and the ecosystem while achieving food sovereignty, in the long term.