Half of the undernourished people who live in rural areas belong to farm households – paradoxically where food is produced. Another 8% directly depend on natural resources such as forests, fisheries and pastoral areas.

Misereor, since 1958 experienced in supporting farmers’ initiatives towards sustainable livelihoods, has seen – and supported – different approaches, reaching from the intensification of food production with external inputs in the past to sustainable land-use systems nowadays. Together with our partners, we have drawn the conclusion that sustainability and food security for marginal farmers can only be achieved through sustainable agriculture.

Although German development organisations have supported partners to refine and disseminate sustainable agriculture, those potential concepts often remain isolated solutions. Therefore the “Sustainable Agriculture Information Network” (Sustainet), once initiated by the Council of Sustainability and now a cooperation project of governmental organisations and NGOs funded by BMZ, identifies criteria and framework conditions in order to investigate the factors that help to scale up pilot approaches and an application of successful approaches on a wider scale.

Misereor contributed to the development of an online information service for non chemical pest management in the tropics (OISAT www.oisat.org). OISAT comprises the components: OISAT Info and OISAT Partner Network. OISAT Info is a web based information tool, offering up to date information work in order to minimize pest damage. OISAT Partner Network is a platform for information exchange and dissemination.