As part of our “Agroecology in Action” series, Robynne Anderson, Chair of the International Agri-Food Network (IAFN) focuses on how we can use agroecology to protect vital ecosystems and achieve zero hunger.
Fifty years ago, agroecology emerged as a discipline focused on studying the interaction between crops and the environment. Over the decades, it has helped increase our understanding of agriculture’s environmental impact.
To pave the way to the International Year of Soils in 2015, Farming First hosted a dynamic twitter chat on World Soil Day (5th December) exploring the topic of soil health – and its role in the fight for food security.
The expert panel included Amit Roy, President and CEO of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Professor Richard Mkandawire, Vice President of the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), Ronald Vargas, Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Juliet Braslow, Soil Area Co-ordinator for the Centro International de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and Machteld Schoolenberg, soil scientist and YPARD Netherlands representative.
Discussions were based around four questions that Farming First put to the panel:
Panelists responded with a wealth of knowledge:
A lively audience kept the panel on their toes by posing many real-time questions of their own – leading the discussion in new directions.
Everyone, from audience to panelists, shared a range of resources that illustrate work to boost soil health in action, from articles and photos to blogs and full case studies. Explore the range of resources shared below: