Practical Action – community farming
In recent years, Peruvian farmers indiscriminately cleared vast areas of the Amazon rainforest to establish new coffee plantations. Unknowingly, poor communities were sacrificing their long-term survival, and that of the forest, to meet their immediate needs. Having been trained in agroecology by Practical Action, coffee growers now farm under the forest canopy, allowing them to be more productive while protecting their environment.
During seasonal flooding in Bangladesh, when cultivating crops on land becomes impossible, “floating gardens” provide one opportunity to produce much-needed food. A raft is constructed using aquatic weeds on which vegetables can be grown and seedlings can be raised, ready to plant after the flood waters recede. At the end of the growing season, the raft is used as compost for land-based farming.
Read more:
Practical Action Peru
Practical Action Bangladesh
Seeds of change
Growing coffee under the forest canopy, Peru © Practical Action Peru
Floating garden, Bangladesh © Practical Action Bangladesh
