Greening the economy – June 2012 – Issue 14.2

Through this issue, we have brought together experiences of small farmers, individuals and institutions who are working towards making this planet green and safe. We appreciate and recognize the efforts of all those small farmers who are making the shift to ecologically sound agriculture.

The livelihoods of small farmers are intricately linked with fragile environments and ecosystems. While conventional agriculture puts substantial pressure on the ecology and the environment, farming based on agro-ecological principles has a great potential in sequestering carbon. Both the problem as well as the solution lies in the way we farm.

Smallholders are already practicing sustainable approaches and showing that these approaches can ensure sustainable food production. However small their contribution may be, its time we recognize their role in greening the economy. There are already a number of successful experiences which have largely remained localised. Up-scaling has been a major challenge.

However, of late, sustainable forms of agriculture are gaining global attention and are being discussed in various international debates. It figures prominently in the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development, being held currently.

Editorial – Greening the economy

Poverty alleviation – Dignity, ecological growth or just money?

P.V. Satheesh

The ‘seed to market’ initiative – A move towards a green economy

R Manikandan , Subhashini Sridhar

Money shades of green

Sudhirendar Sharma

Hydram – A low carbon technology

Lachana Shresthacharya

“We can talk about a paradigm shift”

Marta Dabrowska , Laura Eggens

Coping with climate change