Asian Farmers' Association

30/08/2026

Young farmers work side by side to harvest organic rice, showing the important role of youth in sustaining agriculture and building a resilient food future.

Photo by Jaringan Masyarakat Tani Indonesia (JAMTANI), Indonesia

29/08/2026

Food insecurity is one of the major challenges facing the world today. Climate change, environmental degradation and the excessive use of toxic chemicals are affecting the availability, safety and affordability of nutritious food, putting pressure on both small-scale food producers and consumers.

In response, farmers are increasingly turning to agroecology: a farming approach that works with nature while recognizing the interconnectedness of people, communities and ecosystems. It seeks to build sustainable food systems that protect soil, water and biodiversity while providing farmers and consumers with healthy, nutritious food.

In Sri Lanka, the Alpitiya SANASA Society is advancing this approach by supporting farmers in becoming “smart farmers” who combine traditional farming knowledge with modern technologies and practices.

In Alpitiya, smallholder farmers cultivate diverse crops and maintain rubber plantations, which also provide nectar for bees and support local honey production. Protecting soil, water sources, and forest reserves is a shared concern among cooperative members. These values are also passed on to younger generations through community activities and learning.

The cooperative has developed an organized marketing system that helps distribute locally produced food within the community. By connecting producers and consumers locally, the system helps reduce food waste and the carbon footprint associated with transporting food over long distances. It also gives members better access to nutritious food while creating more stable markets for farmers.

Working collectively also allows farmers to access finance and machinery, share risks, and strengthen their livelihoods.

29/08/2026

Daughters of the sun: Breaking barriers, building solar futures. Under the blazing sky of Asia’s largest solar park, these young women stand smiling; not as visitors, but as builders of the future. Trained by in solar installation and repair, they now assemble and fix the very panels that power thousands of homes.

In a place once dominated by men, they have claimed their space with skill, courage, and quiet confidence. Each bolt they tighten, each panel they lift, is a reminder that women’s hands can shape the energy of tomorrow.

Here, the sun isn’t the only source of power; their determination is.

Photo by Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA),

28/08/2026

Nearly four decades after the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, agrarian reform in the Philippines remains unfinished.

In this Op-Ed, AFA Coordinator for Land Rights Agenda Nikka Rivera reflects on the implications of the recent DOJ legal opinion on CARP and the five-hectare retention limit, and the bigger questions it raises about land rights, land concentration, and the protection of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Read the full op-ed in the comments. 👇

28/08/2026

Last meeting of the AFA delegation at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP17 Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

KAFLU. Kyrgyz Association of Forest and Land Users AGRI-COOP/Namac

28/08/2026

28/08/2026

28/08/2026

What was once abandoned land covered in dense vegetation is now becoming a productive fish farm for the IRADAN LTD Agricultural Cooperative in .

IRADAN LTD currently brings together 12 member leaders representing approximately 450 farmers.

In 2024, the cooperative expanded beyond crop production and ventured into fish farming, with USD 9,500 support from the - program. Through the project, the cooperative purchased and stocked around 20,000 high-quality white amur and carp fry, each weighing about 100 grams.

For fish farmer Mansurov Kasimzhan, this support has made a significant difference. After several unsuccessful attempts to raise locally sourced fry, the new fish are showing stronger and faster growth.

The cooperative is also investing in quality feed, pond infrastructure and equipment. It has purchased wheat, corn and specialized fish feed enriched with vitamins and minerals, while also producing corn on 1.5 hectares of cooperative land.

The farm is integrating agroecological practices as well. Trees planted around the ponds help stabilize the soil and provide shade, while reeds growing along the pond banks are harvested as additional feed for the white amur.

With improved fish stock, better nutrition and sustainable farming practices, IRADAN LTD is turning once-abandoned land into a new source of livelihood and opportunity for its farmers.

27/08/2026

At the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP17 Mongolia Side Event: “Youth4Soil Manifesto & Celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026,” held on 27 August, Erkin Konurbaev of KAFLU. Kyrgyz Association of Forest and Land Users, participated as a panelist.

The panel discussed intergenerational dialogue and meaningful pathways for securing women’s and youth’s land tenure rights, while strengthening their leadership in land and soil health restoration.

The discussion underscored the need to ensure that women and young people have secure access to land, a voice in decision-making, and opportunities to lead efforts to build healthy soils, resilient communities, and sustainable food systems.

27/08/2026

At the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP17 Mongolia Side Event: “Youth4Soil Manifesto & Celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026,” held on 27 August, Irish Baguilat, AFA Coordinator for Sustainable Agriculture and Women Farmers’ Agenda, participated as a panelist.

The panel discussed intergenerational dialogue and meaningful pathways for securing women’s and youth’s land tenure rights, while strengthening their leadership in land and soil health restoration.

The discussion underscored the need to ensure that women and young people have secure access to land, a voice in decision-making, and opportunities to lead efforts to build healthy soils, resilient communities, and sustainable food systems.