Power is concentrated in very few hands
The mafority of our global food supplies is produced in family farming. However, the international agricultural market is dominated by a few corporations. They have great power and determine many conditions.
On the other hand, farming families often struggle with too little land and poor soil. Their farms are often far away from markets. And they are often not considered creditworthy by banks.
Monocutluralism increases vulnerability
Sustainable agriculture needs biodiversity. There are 7,000 seed varieties and 40 livestock varieties worldwide. Industrial agriculture, however, concentrates on only a few species and cultivates in monocultures. Large quantities of chemical/synthetic pesticides and artificial fertilisers pollute the environment.
Farms that operate according to the principles of agroecology endeavour to work with nature and not against it. This makes them more resilient to crises and significantly less harmful to soil, air and water.
Sarah Schneider
Policy Officer for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
- Telephone
- +49 241 442164
- sarah.schneider@misereor.de
We need shepherds!
How they work with farmers to preserve fertile landscapes
Shepherding communities worldwide face…
How they work with farmers to preserve fertile landscapes
Shepherding communities worldwide face existential threats from, amongst other things, mining, ‘green’ energy projects, monocultures and nature reserves. This dossier highlights the contributions shepherds make to food security, the economy, the environment and climate protection.
- Publisher: welt-sichten
- Year of publication: 2026
- Number of pages: 20
How they work with farmers to preserve fertile landscapes
Shepherding communities worldwide face existential threats from, amongst other things, mining, ‘green’ energy projects, monocultures and nature reserves. This dossier highlights the contributions shepherds make to food security, the economy, the environment and climate protection.
- Publisher: welt-sichten
- Year of publication: 2026
- Number of pages: 20
A mid-term review of the 2024 traffic light government.
With this review paper, an alliance of 43…
A mid-term review of the 2024 traffic light government.
With this review paper, an alliance of 43 organisations and associations from development cooperation, peasant agriculture, organic farming, the environment and the food trade are once again putting the (international) commitment of the German government to the test. Four years ago, numerous organisations and associations from this spectrum had already called on the German government to change course in line with the guiding principle of agroecology in a position paper. The mid-term of the traffic light coalition is now a current opportunity for us to highlight the light and shadows of the government's work to date and to take stock.
- Publication date: January 2024
- Number of pages: 6
A mid-term review of the 2024 traffic light government.
With this review paper, an alliance of 43 organisations and associations from development cooperation, peasant agriculture, organic farming, the environment and the food trade are once again putting the (international) commitment of the German government to the test. Four years ago, numerous organisations and associations from this spectrum had already called on the German government to change course in line with the guiding principle of agroecology in a position paper. The mid-term of the traffic light coalition is now a current opportunity for us to highlight the light and shadows of the government's work to date and to take stock.
- Publication date: January 2024
- Number of pages: 6
