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      Pastoralism

      How pastoralist communities secure their livelihoods through collective land and grazing rights

      How pastoralist communities secure their livelihoods through collective land and grazing rights

      A large number of pastoralist communities (also known as pastoralists) live in northern Kenya. The

      A large number of pastoralist communities (also known as pastoralists) live in northern Kenya. The pastoralist communities there use flexible grazing routes with their herds. Their mixed herds consist of cattle, sheep and goats, and many of them also keep dromedaries (one-humped camels).

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      Tool to navigate Ethiopia’s Pastoral Development Policy

      In October 2020, a new Pastoral Development Policy and Strategy was approved by the Council of Ministers of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The document is meant as a framework for a new set of similar policies to be produced at the level of Ethiopia's Regional States.
      CELEP has created a space on its website dedicated to helping people navigate the policy in English
       


      Pastoral Development Orientation Framework - Focus on Ethiopia

      Pastoral Development Orientation Framework - Focus on Ethiopia

      Publication

      This Orientation Framework for engaging in pastoral development, with a focus on

      Publication

      This Orientation Framework for engaging in pastoral development, with a focus on Ethiopia, is a working document for Misereor and national partners. ‘Pastoral development’ is used in analogy with ‘agricultural development’ but referring to pastoral systems.

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      Peasant Seed Systems

      Towards Legal Recognition of Peasant Seed Systems in Africa

      Towards Legal Recognition of Peasant Seed Systems in Africa

      Publication

      This study aims at giving fresh impetus to the debate in a threefold manner: firstly, it

      Publication

      This study aims at giving fresh impetus to the debate in a threefold manner: firstly, it provides an overview of the legal  framework conditions with regard to PSS at the international level. Secondly, it analyses national legislation of countries (India, Brazil, Ecuador, Italy and Ethiopia) which have attempted to legally recognise peasant varieties or PSS. Thirdly, it presents two examples of countries (Mali and Uganda) where civil society actors advocate for the recognition of PSS. 

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      Participatory Plant Breeding: Opportunities for collaboration between farmers and National Plant Breeding Programs

      Participatory Plant Breeding: Opportunities for collaboration between farmers and National Plant Breeding Programs

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Explain what Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) is

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Explain what Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) is
      • Give guidance on how it can be organized in practice
      • Promote awareness of what can be achieved through PPB

      • Launch: 2022
      • Publisher: Misereor
      • 4 pages
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      Understanding farmers’ seed management practices

      Understanding farmers’ seed management practices

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Explain what farmers’ seed management involves

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Explain what farmers’ seed management involves
      • Provide entry points for understanding how farmers manage diversity,
      breed varieties and produce seed
      • Help identify opportunities for strengthening farmers’ seed management

      • Launch: 2022
      • Publisher: Misereor
      • 4 pages
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      Strengthening farmers’ roles as seed system actors

      Strengthening farmers’ roles as seed system actors

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Promote awareness of farmers’ multiple roles as

      Practice Guide

      This practice guide is meant to:
      • Promote awareness of farmers’ multiple roles as seed system actors
      • Explain how farmers can strengthen seed system functioning in practice
      • Enhance understanding of what can be achieved by focusing on farmers as seed system actors

      • Launch: 2022
      • Publisher: Misereor
      • 4 pages
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      Sustainable Agriculture - Key to Inclusive Rural Transformation

      Sustainable Agriculture - Key to Inclusive Rural Transformation

      A Comparative Study

      Based on Empirical Evidence from 20 Years of Misereor Partner Efforts in Uganda

      A Comparative Study

      Based on Empirical Evidence from 20 Years of Misereor Partner Efforts in Uganda Uganda’s small-scale farmers could successfully intensify their agriculture, ensure their food security all year round and increase their income. A study commissioned by Misereor/KZE shows that agro-ecological methods are particularly effective to overcome rural poverty. Based on a survey conducted on a total of 714 rural households in ten districts, the study compares smallholder farmers receiving agricultural advisory services by Misereor partner organisations with reference farmers and tea out-growers. With comparable asset endowment, the smallholders practicing an agro-ecological agriculture do best by comparison.

      • Commissioned by Misereor/KZE
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      Seed for diversity

      Promoting diversity. Good reasons for food sovereignty

      Promoting diversity. Good reasons for food sovereignty

      Policy Paper

      Agrochemical companies say, we know: Hard-hitting facts about agribusiness, small

      Policy Paper

      Agrochemical companies say, we know: Hard-hitting facts about agribusiness, small farmers and food sovereignty. Easy to understand and with striking graphics.

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      Seed for diversity: We sow diversity where others destroy it.

      Seed for diversity: We sow diversity where others destroy it.

      Policy Paper

      Background information: What the merger of Bayer and Monsanto means for  our food

      Policy Paper

      Background information: What the merger of Bayer and Monsanto means for  our food system and small-scale farmers all over the world.

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      Food Security

      Trend reversal for agroecology in sight? A mid-term assessment of the legislative period of the German traffic light coalition 2024

      Trend reversal for agroecology in sight? A mid-term assessment of the legislative period of the German traffic light coalition 2024

      Publication

      In this policy paper, a coalition of 43 organisations and associations from the fields

      Publication

      In this policy paper, a coalition of 43 organisations and associations from the fields of development cooperation, small-scale agriculture, organic farming, environmental protection and artisanal
      food production is once again scrutinising the (international) commitment of the German Federal Government. Numerous organisations and associations from these sectors have urged the German Federal Government to pursue a policy shift in line with agroecological principles, as outlined in a position paper published four years prior.
      The mid-term review of the traffic light coalition provides an opportunity to take stock of the light and shade of the government's work to date.

      Publisher: Inkota, Misereor et al.
      Publication date:  July 2024 (German version: January 2024)
      Pages: 6

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      With camelids into a sustainable future. Learning from pastoralist communities.

      With camelids into a sustainable future. Learning from pastoralist communities.

      Publication

      The importance of camelid herders for the conservation of our world's rangelands is

      Publication

      The importance of camelid herders for the conservation of our world's rangelands is increasingly recognized internationally. To mark the International Year of Camelids (IYC), this thematic dossier introduces camelid pastoralists, how they sustainably manage rangelands in the Andean highlands, East Africa and Mongolia, and why the global community should support camelid pastoralism for a resilient future of our planet.

      • Publisher: Misereor, League for Pastoral Peoples, DITSL
      • Pages: 20 
      • Responsible in terms of the law: Sabine Dorlöchter-Sulser, Rural Development Specialist at Misereor (sabine.dorloechter-sulser@misereor.de)
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      Hazardous pesticides from Bayer and BASF – a global trade with double standards

      Hazardous pesticides from Bayer and BASF – a global trade with double standards

      Publication

      The German pesticide manufacturers Bayer and BASF sell a number of active ingredients in

      Publication

      The German pesticide manufacturers Bayer and BASF sell a number of active ingredients in South Africa and Brazil that are not approved in the EU because they are hazardous to health and the environment. From a human rights’ perspective, such activities are questionable as they are based on so-called double standards. This brochure presents cases of indigenous groups in Brazil and farm workers in South Africa whose health is put at risk by the use of pesticides.

      • April 2020
      • Misereor, INKOTA, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Southern Africa, Campanha Permanente contra os Agrotóxicos e pela Vida, Khanyisa
      • 24 pages
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      Position paper: Strengthening Agroecology

      Position paper: Strengthening Agroecology

      For a Fundamental Transformation of Agri-Food-Systems

      In the position paper, 59 civil society

      For a Fundamental Transformation of Agri-Food-Systems

      In the position paper, 59 civil society organisations call on the Federal Government to make agroecology the central support concept for poverty reduction and adaptation to the climate crisis and to use it as a basis for reforming EU agricultural policy.

      The concept of agroecology is scientifically sound, sufficiently tested in practice and pursues a holistic approach. The paper formulates ten equal elements which the signatories of the paper consider to be core elements of agroecology.

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      Towards a Peaceful Coexistance between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria – Conclusions drawn from the field

      Towards a Peaceful Coexistance between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria – Conclusions drawn from the field

      Publikation

      For years Nigeria has been repeatedly shaken by bloody clashes between pastoralists and

      Publikation

      For years Nigeria has been repeatedly shaken by bloody clashes between pastoralists and settled farming communities, the so-called "Farmer-Herder" conflicts. Especially in the preelection campaign year 2018, for the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for February, 2019, violent clashes in Nigeria increased. The "Farmer-Herder" conflicts in particular, however, were politically captured by the parties, politicians and other actors in society, including church representatives. Shepherds were stigmatized and the conflicts classified as religiously motivated. Criminal acts of people disguised as herdsmen contributed the rest. The stigmatization of herders was and is fuelled by media coverage and social media. An objective public debate on how to resolve these conflicts and on adapted models of animal husbandry is hardly possible. There is a lack of studies that include all parties involved and shed light on the background and causes. Field studies financed by Misereor in 2016-17, aiming to examine the concrete conflicts in Nigeria in 13 zones more closely, have been summarized in the brochure.

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      Agroecology as a Pathway towards Sustainable Food Systems

      Agroecology as a Pathway towards Sustainable Food Systems

      Report

      Comparative studies from Brazil, India and Senegal show multiple advantages of agroecology

      Report

      Comparative studies from Brazil, India and Senegal show multiple advantages of agroecology for smallholders in semiarid regions. This report relates the study results to the current debate on hunger and malnutrition, climate, biodiversity and policy frameworks and provides recommendations for the transition to ecologically sustainable and socially just food systems.

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      Towards a peaceful coexistence

      Towards a peaceful coexistence

      Research reports on the herder farmer conflict in Nigeria

      Research reports by Roger Blench, who

      Research reports on the herder farmer conflict in Nigeria

      Research reports by Roger Blench, who carried out several field missions in Nigeria between 2016 and 2018. The project was commissioned by Misereor and contributed to identify solutions to the ongoing conflicts between herders and farmers. 

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      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in Kwaingan.

      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in Kwaingan.

      Report of a Participatory Action Research, Kayah State, Myanmar

      This report is the result of a

      Report of a Participatory Action Research, Kayah State, Myanmar

      This report is the result of a participatory action research (PAR) conducted by members of Kwaingan community and KMSS Loikaw in 2016. The report documents Kwaingan’s customary land and natural resource rights and management practices.

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      Resource Book on Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS)

      Resource Book on Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS)

      for land rights advocates

      This resource book is part of a two-volume publication which aims to equip

      for land rights advocates

      This resource book is part of a two-volume publication which aims to equip the users with the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills on Community Mapping and Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS). It focuses on data collection, database management, data processing, and analysis for the production of digital maps useful in advancing the land rights agenda of rural communities, particularly indigenous communities and smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia.

      It is intended for land rights defenders, institutions advocating for land rights, development practitioners, and communities to defend their rights to land and the sustainable use of natural resources.

      Part two with the focus on the "how to" is in progress.

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      Better and different!

      Better and different!

      Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology

      Food and Agriculture could work differently, if they

      Transforming Food Systems through Agroecology

      Food and Agriculture could work differently, if they had Agroecology, shortened and innovative marketing circuits and participatory forms of shaping the food system as its basic principles. The contributions in this publication show how farmers in the global South and North enhance soil fertility, biodiversity and seed productivity, and how local markets are strengthened.

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      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in KHUPRA

      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in KHUPRA

      Report of a Participatory Action Research in Myanmar

      This report is the result of a participatory

      Report of a Participatory Action Research in Myanmar

      This report is the result of a participatory action research (PAR) conducted by members of Khupra community in Kayah State/Myanmar and Karuna Mission Social Solidarity-Loikaw (KMSS-Loikaw) Livelihood Program team between October 2015 to November 2016. In its first field work, the research team was joined by members of the Indigenous Peoples/Ethnic Nationalities (IP/EN) network

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      Livelihood, Land Use and Carbon

      Livelihood, Land Use and Carbon

      A Study on the Carbon Footprint of a Shifting Cultivation Community in Kayah State, Myanmar

      The

      A Study on the Carbon Footprint of a Shifting Cultivation Community in Kayah State, Myanmar

      The study is part of a participatory action research (PAR) conducted by members of Khupra community together with staff members of Karuna Mission Social Solidarity-Loikaw between October 2015 and July 2016. The PAR is one of the components of the project that supports indigenous communities in Kayah State to document and seek official recognition of their customary land and natural resource rights and management practices.

      • Publication of our partner organisation KMSS-Loikaw
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      Sustainable Agriculture - Key to Inclusive Rural Transformation

      Sustainable Agriculture - Key to Inclusive Rural Transformation

      A Comparative Study

      Based on Empirical Evidence from 20 Years of Misereor Partner Efforts in Uganda

      A Comparative Study

      Based on Empirical Evidence from 20 Years of Misereor Partner Efforts in Uganda Uganda’s small-scale farmers could successfully intensify their agriculture, ensure their food security all year round and increase their income. A study commissioned by Misereor/KZE shows that agro-ecological methods are particularly effective to overcome rural poverty. Based on a survey conducted on a total of 714 rural households in ten districts, the study compares smallholder farmers receiving agricultural advisory services by Misereor partner organisations with reference farmers and tea out-growers. With comparable asset endowment, the smallholders practicing an agro-ecological agriculture do best by comparison.

      • Commissioned by Misereor/KZE
      Download
      Small-scale farmer innovation

      Small-scale farmer innovation

      Dossier

      How agricultural research works together with farmers. A dossier by Misereor, Prolinnova and

      Dossier

      How agricultural research works together with farmers. A dossier by Misereor, Prolinnova and McKnight Foundation in collaboration with the editors of welt-sichten.

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      United for a responsible milk policy!

      United for a responsible milk policy!

      Position Paper

      Urgent appeal from European and African milk producers to policy-makers in the EU and

      Position Paper

      Urgent appeal from European and African milk producers to policy-makers in the EU and Burkina Faso.

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      Who feeds the world?

      Who feeds the world?

      Study

      The European Union's agricultural policy and hunger in the developing countries. With this

      Study

      The European Union's agricultural policy and hunger in the developing countries. With this brochure, Misereor aims to contribute towards explaining the complex links between world agricultural trade and its impacts on developing nations as well as to highlight ways in which an EU agricultural policy could focus on the interests of small farmers in the southern continents and farmers in Europe.

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      Foreign Direct Investment in Agri-Food Networks in India and Sub-Saharan Africa

      Foreign Direct Investment in Agri-Food Networks in India and Sub-Saharan Africa

      Study

      The aim of our baseline study is to contribute to a solid base for debates and to consequently

      Study

      The aim of our baseline study is to contribute to a solid base for debates and to consequently gain a thorough understanding of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in the agricultural sectors of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and India. This includes collecting information about the developments as well as the nature and extend of the FDIs. Study by Martin Franz and Philip Müller (2015).

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      The Future of Seeds and Food under the Growing Threat of Patents and Market Concentration

      The Future of Seeds and Food under the Growing Threat of Patents and Market Concentration

      Report

      This report was written against the backdrop of a pending decision at the European Patent

      Report

      This report was written against the backdrop of a pending decision at the European Patent Office (EPO) that will have a major impact on the international market for seeds and food, and, consequently, on global food security. To illustrate the severe consequences created by excessive seed patenting this report will describe the situation of farmers in the United
      States, where patents on seeds have been allowed for several decades.
      This report will also present the results of new, detailed research on patents in the field of conventional breeding.

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      Small-scale Sustainable Agriculture – a Strategy for Food Security and Sustainable Development

      Small-scale Sustainable Agriculture – a Strategy for Food Security and Sustainable Development

      Policy

      This policy document, compiled in October 2008, reflects Misereor’s fundamental position on

      Policy

      This policy document, compiled in October 2008, reflects Misereor’s fundamental position on the role of agriculture and rural development. Experience gained with project partners on all continents demonstrates that alternative paths to poverty alleviation are possible if development processes are based on human potential and sustainable agriculture.

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      Right to Adequate Food Security

      Right to Adequate Food Security

      Guideline

      Voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food

      Guideline

      Voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security.

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      Access to Land

      What are the effects of large-scale land acquisitions on selected economic and social indicators?

      What are the effects of large-scale land acquisitions on selected economic and social indicators?

      Publication

      The study reviewed scientific literature on the microeconomic and social effects of

      Publication

      The study reviewed scientific literature on the microeconomic and social effects of large-scale land acquisitions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

      • Launch: June 2021
      • Publisher: Misereor
      • 57 pages
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      Resource Book on Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS)

      Resource Book on Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS)

      for land rights advocates

      This resource book is part of a two-volume publication which aims to equip

      for land rights advocates

      This resource book is part of a two-volume publication which aims to equip the users with the necessary knowledge, attitude and skills on Community Mapping and Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS). It focuses on data collection, database management, data processing, and analysis for the production of digital maps useful in advancing the land rights agenda of rural communities, particularly indigenous communities and smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia.

      It is intended for land rights defenders, institutions advocating for land rights, development practitioners, and communities to defend their rights to land and the sustainable use of natural resources.

      Part two with the focus on the "how to" is in progress.

      Download
      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in Yusomoso, Myanmar - Report of a Participatory Action Research

      Livelihood, Land Use and Customary Tenure in Yusomoso, Myanmar - Report of a Participatory Action Research

      Publication of our partner organisation KMSS-Loikaw

      This report is a result of a participatory

      Publication of our partner organisation KMSS-Loikaw

      This report is a result of a participatory action research (PAR) conducted by members of Yusomoso community in Kayah State/Myanmar between January and June 2016. The report documents the community’s natural resource management, customary tenure and governance system and proofs the community’s long and close relationship to and dependence on its land and resources.

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      Appetite for Land

      Appetite for Land

      Policy

      Large-Scale Foreign Investment in Land. In the wake of the food price fluctuations in 2007

      Policy

      Large-Scale Foreign Investment in Land. In the wake of the food price fluctuations in 2007 and 2008, and further driven by the rising demand for agricultural raw materials for energy production, interest in foreign land investment has increased dramatically. Although foreign land purchases and leases are nothing new, their numbers and magnitude have surged in recent years. Misereor is very concerned about the current trend of increasing land acquisitions by foreign companies and governments because they harbour the following risks and developments...

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      Access to Land as a Food Security and Human Rights Issue

      Access to Land as a Food Security and Human Rights Issue

      Discussion Paper

      A Misereor discussion paper for dialogue with its partners. The policy paper

      Discussion Paper

      A Misereor discussion paper for dialogue with its partners. The policy paper identifies several problems involved, such as the lack of access to productive resources, including land, water, forests, biological diversity etc. and the diverse problems concerning ownership which may even evolve in violent conflicts. Not only the growing concentration of land and the failure of land reform processes, but also the fragmentation of land and the overuse of existing natural resources have a tremendous impact on the scarcity of land.

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      Access to Land as a Food Security and Human Rights Issue - a Dialogue Process

      Access to Land as a Food Security and Human Rights Issue - a Dialogue Process

      Report

      The question of access to land being one of the key questions of our time, Misereor has

      Report

      The question of access to land being one of the key questions of our time, Misereor has drafted a discussion paper on ‘access to land’ for the dialogue with partner organisations in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. From July to September 2005, the paper has been sent to a number of Misereor partners for critical commenting. The following issues have been in the focus of discussion...

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      Water

      Water is the source of life

      Water is the source of life

      Publication

      Table of Content

      • Water is in very short supply
      • Agriculture is the largest consumer of
      Publication

      Table of Content

      • Water is in very short supply
      • Agriculture is the largest consumer of water resources
      • Water: The stuff of which conflicts are made
      • Water issues affect all of Misereor's development project areas
      • ...
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      Access to Markets

      Can Market Access in the North to Agricultural Exports from the South Have Positive Impacts on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development?

      Can Market Access in the North to Agricultural Exports from the South Have Positive Impacts on Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development?

      Publication

      Draft presented for discussion to prepare a Misereor position paper.

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      Ecofair Trade

      Ecofair Trade

      Ecofair Trade

      Leaflet

      The ECOFAIR Trade Dialogue is a project carried out in cooperation with Misereor. The

      Leaflet

      The ECOFAIR Trade Dialogue is a project carried out in cooperation with Misereor. The overall aim of this project is to enrich the debate on the reform of the current regime of global agricultural trade by developing and recommending forward looking guidelines and instruments, taking the concept of food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture as reference points.

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      Slow Trade - Sound Farming

      Slow Trade - Sound Farming

      Framework

      A Multilateral Framework for Sustainable Markets in Agriculture.

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