Groundswell International

06/01/2026

05/28/2026

⭐️Field to Film Festival Highlights: Kawsay Papa, la papa que da vida, Ecuador

Set in Atocha, in the Andes of Ecuador, this creative short film in Spanish and Quechua reflects on the many colors, names, stories and uses of native potatoes in the Andes. Through memory, intergenerational exchange and return, this fiction film frames native potatoes as living heritage, linking seed conservation to family knowledge, food, and cultural continuity.

Produced by youth storytellers from Ecuador with our local partner Rural EkoRural as part of our Youth Storyteller Program - a program empowering youth from smallholder farmer communities to document and share how their communities are transforming food systems with agroecology.

Watch and share tu support rural youth's work 👐https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeFdZfPhdIY&list=PL45XYgl8ZQnV40gffh9YdDOMoP7FnH1EJ&index=6

🎬 Part of Field to Film Festival 4th Edition | Latin America & the Caribbean | UN International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026

Set in Atocha, in the Andes of Ecuador, this creative short film in...

05/26/2026

Hear from our founder Steve Brescia on why farmer-led innovation is central to driving real systems change in agriculture. Featured by the UVM Institute for Agroecology, the piece explores the importance of grassroots, community-driven approaches to transforming food systems.

Read the full piece on UVM Institute for Agroecology’s blog (link in comments) 💬

05/18/2026

Amid one of the world's most underfunded crises, 7,600 smallholder farmers in Haiti are taking back control of their food systems.

Across the Central Plateau and the Northern region, farming communities are organizing to learn and spread agroecological practices, regenerating degraded land, saving seeds, strengthening local markets, and building fair, resilient local food systems.

This work is part of a 3-year program (2024–2027) supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, bringing together Groundswell International and two Haitian organizations: our local partner Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL), with deep experience in agroecological training and strengthening peasant organizations, and Acceso, a Haitian-led social enterprise that connects farmers to formal markets through training, guaranteed prices, and quality support.

Through this partnership, farmers access conditions that enable them to lead and build local resilience and independence. In two years:

🌱 7,600+ farmers trained in agroecology
👩‍🌾 660+ youth participating
🌾 3,700+ gained access to quality seeds
💰 $2.9 million in farm income generated
🏦 300+ community savings & credit groups
🌳 53 seed banks, 50+ tree nurseries, 92 micro-orchards
🍠 4,000+ farmers linked to formal markets

Learn more about this partnership on our blog: https://www.groundswellinternational.org/blog/joining-forces-to-support-resilient-food-systems-in-haiti-acceso-pdl-groundswell-internationals-partnership/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=haiti

05/07/2026

Youth Storyteller Film Festival highlights #3: Women leading agoecological change in Haiti 🇭🇹

This short film documents the shift in women’s roles in agriculture in Haiti, from being excluded from decision-making, training, and income-generating activities, to current roles as agroecological farmers, mentors, and community leaders. The film highlights how access to knowledge, land, and spaces for women to organize can strengthen access to food and autonomy, with youth increasingly playing key roles in shaping the future of farming in the region.

Produced by youth storytellers from Haiti with our local partner Partenariat pour le Développement Local (PDL) as part of our Youth Storyteller Program - a program empowering youth from smallholder farmer communities to document and share how their communities are transforming food systems with agroecology.

📸Pictured: snippets of some of the powerful words from the women featured in the film

Watch the short film on our Youtube page (in Haitian Creole with English and Spanish subtitles): https://youtu.be/bfuiQEVaCKE

🎬 Part of Field to Film Festival 4th Edition | Latin America & the Caribbean | UN International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026

05/06/2026

05/05/2026

For Earth Day, youth from Santa Ana Zegache in Oaxaca gathered in a parish garden for a reflection circle led by our partner Centeotl as part of our Youth Storyteller Program. They shared what Mother Earth means to them, listened to the sounds of nature around them, and asked themselves: are we ready to evolve at the pace the Earth needs?

Each participant then created a beautiful collage of what they would protect if they were a guardian of the Earth.

This activity is part of Centéotl's 4S methodology: Saber, Sentir, Servir y Salud - knowledge, feeling, service, and health, which connects learning with emotion and action.

04/28/2026

⭐ Field to Film Festival highlights: Film #2: Madame Grace Sanker: Women practicing agroecology in Northern Ghana

Watch Madam Grace Sanker and other women farmers in Northern Ghana explain how practicing agroecology has helped them increase soil fertility, produce more food, and share resources with neighbors. Their work is at the heart of transforming local food systems and sustaining communities in the face of climate change in Ghana.

Filmed by Zimale, Arnold, Judith, Niminye and Cynthia with our local partner CIKOD as part of our Youth Storyteller Program - a program empowering youth from smallholder farmer communities to document how their communities are transforming food systems with agroecology. This was their first time participating in the program!

"Agroecology is not just about growing crops. It is about growing together. It brings people closer, builds trust, and keeps hope alive in our communities.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9ykjwzYfxs

🎬 Part of Field to Film Festival 4th Edition | West Africa | UN International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026

Madame Grace Sanker: Women practicing agroecology in Northern Ghana

04/24/2026

This week in Riobamba, Ecuador, 100 practitioners from across Latin America are convening for a multi-day workshop on soil health and ecosystem restoration. Several of our network members are joining this gathering and Edwin Escoto, our Regional Coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean, is leading a session today along with Priscila Prado of our local partner EkoRural on farmer-led experimentation - one of the core approaches of our work with farmers.

The goal of this multi-day workshop is to democratize science by equipping farmers with open-ended learning tools and the latest ecological soil management insights, strengthening their ability to experiment and adapt.

Participants are engaging in 12 intensive sessions, covering topics from trophic analysis and bioindicators to micro-algae, fungal composting, and regenerative practices.

Follow future updates and learnings from the event at: www.codigoabierto.ec