Title of document: Permaculture/Agroecology System in Timor-Leste National School Curriculum for Basic Education   Authors: Eugenio Lemos   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Feed the Future Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Timor-Leste Url original document: http://www.fao.org/3/a-bl923e.pdf Summary: Timor-Leste is a half Irland country with a total population of 1.2 million people; it is geographically situated between Asia and Pacific region. It is a tropical country and 80% of its population live in rural areas. Agriculture, fishery and forestry are the main economical mainstays.   Read More

Title of document: The Current and Future Roles of Small Farm Resources Centre in Extension and Advisory Services   Authors: Abram J. Bicksler; Ricky Bates; Rick Burnette; Boonsong  Thansrithong   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Feed the Future Year of publication: 2014 Geographic focus: Southeast Asia Url original document: Summary: Small Farm Resources Centre (SFRC) model is not a new approach to agricultural outreach. Extension variations on this theme have been in operation in many parts of the world for years, yet thorough assessment of the regional efficacy of SFRC is lacking.   Read More

Title of document: Lending credence: motivation, trust, and organic certification   Authors: Steve Holland   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Holland Agricultural and Economics Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Global Url original document: https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/aaea15/205192.html Summary: Various forms of regulation are often used to improve the performance of markets when relevant information is lacking. A good example is markets for credence goods or goods with characteristics that are difficult or impossible for consumers to observe even after purchase and use.   Read More

Title of document: Toward thick legitimacy: creating a web of legitimacy for agroecology Authors: Maywa Montenegro de wit and Alastair Iles Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: University of Berkeley, California, US Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Global Url original document: http://food.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Iles-Montenegro-towards-legitimacy-for-agroecology.pdf Summary: Legitimacy is at the heart of knowledge politics surrounding agriculture and food. When people accept industrial food practices as credible and authoritative, they are consenting to their use and existence. With their thick legitimacy, industrial food systems paralyze the growth of alternative agricultures, including agroecology. Questions of how alternative agricultures can attain their own thick legitimacy in order to compete with, and displace, that of industrial food have not yet attracted much scrutiny. We show that both agroecological and scientific legitimacy grow out of a web of legitimation processes in the scientific, policy, political, legal, practice, and civic arenas. Crucially, legitimation often comes through meeting what we call ‘credibility tests’. Agroecologists can learn to navigate these co-constituted, multiple bases of legitimacy by paying attention to how credibility tests are currently being set in each arena, and beginning to recalibrate these tests to open more room for agroecology. Using a schematic of three non-exclusive pathways, we explore some possible practical interventions that agroecologists and other advocates of alternative agricultures could take. These pathways include: leveraging, while also reshaping, the existing standards and practices of science; extending influence into policy, legal, practical, and civic arenas; and centering attention on the ethical legitimacy of food systems. We conclude that agroecologists can benefit from considering how to build legitimacy for their work.   Read More

Title of document: Sustainable commercialization of new crop for the agricultural bieconomy   Authors: N.R. Jordan; K. Dorn; B. Runch; P. Ewing; A. Williams;  K.A. Anderson; L. Felice; K. Haralson; J. Goplen; K. Alterdorf; A. Fernandez; W. Phippen; J. Sedbrook; M. Marks; K. Wolf; D. Wyse; G. Johnson   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Science of the Anthropocene Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Global Url original document: elementascience.org Summary: Society is now calling on agriculture to provide goods and services that begin with enhanced production of food and other materials, but range far beyond. For example, agriculture is under increasing pressure to achieve complex sustainability goals such as food security, stewardship of biodiversity, compatibility with energy and water systems, and resilience to climate change and other potential shocks.   Read More

Title of document: Habitat eradication and cropland intensification may reduce parasitoid diversity and natural pest control services in annual crop fields   Authors: Deborah K. Letourneau; Sara G. Bothwell Allen; Robert R. Kula; Michael J. Sharkey; John O. Stireman   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Science of the Anthropocene Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: USA Url original document: elementascience.org Summary: Ecosystem services, through vital for the future of U.S. agricultural production and profitability are several threatened by agricultural intensification. Pollinator declines, persistent crop losses from pests, increase crop and water contamination and variable climate effects on project food production have prompted major research and policy initiatives in the U.S. and Europe targeting sustainable crop production and biodiversity conservation.   Read More

Title of document: Audit and agrarianism: the moral economy of an alternative food network   Authors: Liz Carlisle     Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Science of the Anthropocene Year of publication: 2015 Geographic focus: Global Url original document: elementascience.org Summary: With consumers and producers seeking alternative to corporate, industrial food, systems of provision that promise greater ecological and social sustainability have gained in popularity. As these Alternative Food Networks (AFNs) scale up and go mainstream, both scholars and the general public want to know who is holding them accountable to their purported goals.   Read More

Title of document: The Farming Systems Trial   Authors: Rodale Institute   Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Rodale Institute Year of publication: Geographic focus: Global Url original document: www.rodaleinstitute.org Summary: The hallmark of a truly sustainable system is its ability to generate itself. When it comes to farming, the key to sustainable agriculture is healthy soil, since it is a foundation for present and future growth. Organic farming is far superior to conventional systems when it comes to building, maintaining and replenishing the health of soil. For soil health alone, organic agriculture is more sustainable than conventional. When one also considers yields, economic viability, energy usage, and human health, it is clear that organic farming is sustainable, while current conventional practices are not.   Read More

Title of document: Profiles of participants attending the multi stakeholder workshops on agroecological transition in the Mekong Region Authors: ALiSEA Team Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: ALiSEA Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam Summary: These 4 documents compile short biographies and contact details of most of the participants who have attended the 4 national multi-stakeholder workshops addressing Agroecological Transition in the Mekong Region organized between March and June 2016 (Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam Lao PDR).   Read More

Title of document: Consolidated account of the 4 national multi stakeholder workshops on agroecological transition in the Mekong Region Authors: Pierre Ferrand Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: ALiSEA Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam Summary: This report presents a short consolidated account of 4 national multi-stakeholder workshops addressing Agroecological Transition in the Mekong Region and bringing together 225 participants that have been organized between March and June 2016 (Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam Lao PDR). Such workshops aimed at sharing knowledge, information and actions between agricultural development stakeholders.   Read More