Since 2002, AFA has organized for its members, 15 regional and 13 national consultations on agricultural trade liberalization, mainstreaming sustainable agriculture, climate change, regional economic integration; 4 training workshops on leadership, organizational management, advocacy: 3 farmers' exchange visits on farmers' organizing, agrarian reform, sustainable agriculture technologies, farmer-led marketing and trading, agricultural processing; 7 issue papers translated in eight Asian national languages; participated in 48 gatherings organized by UN, FAO, IFAD, ASEAN, key CSO coalitions.

Prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change and published in September 2006, this paper provides an in-depth role of the agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions.

Partners in this advocacy coalition are over 150,000 businesses and 300,000 business executives, owners, investors, and others—all working for public policies that support a vibrant, just, and sustainable economy. It advocates, for example, expansion of green jobs and an end to corporate tax-haven abuse.

AmericaSpeaks gives citizens an authentic voice in local, regional and national decision-making on the most challenging public issues of the day. Their vision is that the public's business will be conducted differently - that by developing a rich national infrastructure for democratic deliberation through our projects, innovation and collaboration, we can access the collective wisdom of the American people.

by Barbara Kingsolver
(New York: Harper Perennial, 2008)

Both AFA and AsiaDHRRA are part of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples' Advocacy (SAPA) which looks at policy advocacy and engagement of key intergovernmental bodies at regional and global levels, where AsiaDHRRA is a member of the Steering Committee and co-convener of the Rural Development Working Group (RDWG) under SAPA. Both are members of the ASEAN-Working Group which engages ASEAN on its three community pillars
towards integration (Political and Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural).

The Center for Deliberative Democracy, housed in the Department of Communication at Stanford University, is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling®. This process polls a representative sample and invites the participants to a weekend discussion with trained moderators, offering carefully balanced briefing materials. At the end of the experiment, a new poll is conducted, showing how highly informed and engaging discussions affect the conclusions people make on public issues.

An international training and consulting group offering an approach to communication that enables people to “peacefully and effectively resolve conflicts in personal, organizational, and political settings.” Active in over 65 countries, the Center seeks to develop more sustainable, compassionate human interactions, both personally and professionally. The Women’s Project in Nagpur, India offers counseling and reflective meditation to victims of domestic abuse and challenges both men and women’s attitudes on violence within society.

CNCR was created in 1993 and contributes to the development of peasant farming in Senegal through the organization of the various rural actors. It promotes communication and cooperation of its members and of the political dialogue with political decision-makers of the region of West- Africa.

Formed as a response to the right-wing Tea Party Movement, the Coffee Party is a grassroots organization that defines government not as the enemy of the people, but instead as the collective will of its citizens and subsequently, we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face as Americans. Since its founding in 2010, they have attracted more than 300,000 followers in nearly every state in the Union.

A consulting group that “puts participatory values into practice.” The organization facilitates group decision-making and studies the dynamics involved in reaching sustainable agreements. It then creates workable models and methods to solve our world’s toughest issues through a combination of social activism, business, and social sciences. The organization’s Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Decision-Making and its training helped those creating the student-led sustainability course at University of California—Santa Cruz succeed, mentioned in Thought 4.

The CONSEA is an instrument of articulation between government and civil society for the proposal of guidelines for action in food and nutrition safety. Installed in 2003, the Council is consultative and advises the President of the Republic in the formulation of policies and definition of guidelines so the Country secures the human right to food. CONSEA encourages society to take part in the formulation, execution and monitoring of the Food and Nutritional Safety policies and regards the organization of society as an essential condition for social conquests and definitively surmount exclusion.

For nearly thirty-five years, Corporate Accountability International (formerly Infact) has run highly effective campaigns to save lives, protect public health, and preserve the environment. Its campaigns have compelled dramatic changes in corporate conduct, from curbing the life-threatening marketing of infant formula in the developing world to securing strong new global protections against the marketing of tobacco products to children. The organization works to protect water resources, guarantee universal access to clean drinking water, and promote the long-term viability of public water systems. Its Challenging Corporate Abuse of Our Food campaign is helping to reverse the deadly epidemic of diet-related disease.

by Archon Fungm and Erik Olin Wright
(Brooklyn: Verso, 2003)

by Randolph Hester
(Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2006)

by Bill Moyer, JoAnn MacAllister, Mary Lou Finley, and Steven Soifer
(Jackson, TN: New Society Publishers, 2001)

Here you can learn about a proven, practical method of inclusive, democratic decision-making in complex organizations. Created in the Netherlands in the 1970s, DG is now proving effective not only in businesses, but also in human development organizations, co-housing communities, and families. Governance Alliance has worked with non-profit organizations to balance financial needs with public responsibility.

by Miriam Horn and Fred Krupp
(New York: Environmental Defense Fund, 2008)

Featured in the final chapter for its agroecological work in Guatemala, this empowering organization works with communities to foster sustainable livelihoods while at the same time protecting biodiversity. In Central America and Mexico, it helps poor, rural communities take charge of managing local natural resources, enabling local partners to become environmental stewards of the land.

Everyday Democracy helps people of different backgrounds and views talk and work together to solve problems and create communities that work for everyone. They place particular emphasis on the connection between complex public issues and structural racism. Issues addressed include: poverty and economic development; education reform; racial equity; early childhood development; police-community relations; youth and neighborhood concerns.

This report from Doug Gurian-Sherman of the Union of Concerned Scientists evaluates the contribution of genetic engineering (GE) to increasing crop yield in the United States, contrasts that contribution with yield gain from other agricultural methods and technologies, and discusses the challenge ahead for the global food system.

FairVote is a catalyst for reforming American elections to respect every vote and every voice through bold approaches to increase voter turnout, meaningful ballot choices and fair representation. As the national organization most focused on fundamental structural reform of American elections, they act as a traditional think tank through careful research, innovative analysis, effective educational resources and timely conferences, but also creatively engage with leading reformers, thought leaders and the media to turn new ideas into widely accepted policy options.

Mindi Schneider, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2011

In the 12 years since an IATP report debunked the industry claim that corn and soybean exports help reduce global hunger, both exports and hunger are still on the rise. What has changed in that time, and what hasn’t?

Julia Olmstead, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2011

change-congress.org is a a non-partisan advocacy organization whose sole purpose is to protect the independence of Congress by fighting the influence of money in politics. They hope to do this by passing a hybrid of small-dollar donations and public financing of elections.

Food Democracy Now! is a grassroots organization, launched in 2008, to address our failing food system. Its aim: equal access to healthy food and respect for the dignity of the farmers and
farm workers producing food sustainably. In December 2010, Food Democracy Now! delivered more than 200,000 public comments to the Department of Justice and USDA asking that they end monopoly abuses in food and agriculture.

by Peter Rossett
(London: Zed Books, 2006)

GoodGuide provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home. They make information available and easy to use so each of us can express our own values and concerns in the marketplace. They now have a "GoodGuide Mobile App" available for iPhones and a text messaging system for all cell phones.

Understanding “development” as partnership, for three decades Grassroots has worked shoulder to shoulder with initiatives of peasants, family farmers, women, and indigenous groups through grant making, education, and advocacy. It works internationally and with US activists, allies, and donors to build a global movement for the human right to land, water, and food and to remove obstacles in the path of people working for food democracy and dignity.

This UNDP publication is a collection of articles and excerpts that illustrate green economy and sustainable development efforts featuring Frances' piece "Our Challenge- Developing an Eco-Mind" on page 8.

Gar Smith, Agribusiness Action Initiatives – North America, 2010.

IATP works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. The Trade and Global Governance program promotes democratic institutions, human rights, a healthy environment, and fairer global rules in food and agriculture. IATP supports the notion of food sufficiency as a means to frame a new model for agriculture that strengthens the Right to Food and promotes concrete policy reforms to support resilient, local food systems and sustainable agriculture.

Industrial Areas Foundation is non-ideological and strictly non-partisan, but proudly, publicly, and persistently political. The IAF builds a political base within society's rich and complex third sector - the sector of voluntary institutions that includes religious congregations, labor locals, homeowner groups, recovery groups, parents associations, settlement houses, immigrant societies, schools, seminaries, orders of men and women religious, and others. And then the leaders use that base to compete at times, to confront at times, and to cooperate at times with leaders in the public and private sectors.

Initiated in Tanzania with twelve high school students twenty years ago, this movement has grown into a global environmental and humanitarian network involving tens of thousands of young people of all ages in more than 125 countries. It is youthdriven and members are empowered to choose projects and take action to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment. They acquire leadership skills, develop a global perspective, and seek ways to promote peace with each other and the natural world.

KIDS Consortium is a nonprofit organization that serves schools and community organizations in Maine, throughout New England and beyond. KIDS staff train and assist teachers, administrators and community partners as they work with K-12 students to identify, research and address real community challenges (an approach known as service-learning).

Lawrence Community Works- Poder Institute is a leadership building experience for Lawrence residents who are part of the Community Works Network. The Institute provides an intensive semester of training for emerging leaders who want to become more effective in the effort to revitalize the City. Throughout the course, members develop their skills as facilitative, participatory and transformational leaders.

Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy is a leading advocacy organization dedicated to building a new economy for all. Combining dynamic research, innovative public policy and the organizing of broad alliances, LAANE promotes a new economic approach based on good jobs, thriving communities and a healthy environment.

Meetup, Inc. is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities. Its mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.

Metro Alliance is a coalition of congregations, schools, and unions coming together so that we can effectively act on behalf of families. C.O.P.S. and the Metro Alliance work within each of these institutions to identify a diverse, broad-based leadership that can connect to each other in new ways in order to act effectively on behalf of children, families, and neighborhoods. By learning to work together for the public good, C.O.P.S. and Metro Alliance leaders are able to work with the business community and elected officials to make San Antonio a better place for families.

National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is a loose-knit community of practitioners, researchers, activists, artists, students, and others who are committed to giving people a voice and making sure that voice counts. NCDD’s mission is to bring together and support people, organizations, and resources in ways that expand the power of discussion to benefit society. They envision a society in which systems and structures support and advance inclusive, constructive dialogue and deliberation.

Natural Resources Council of Maine is a nonprofit membership organization protecting, restoring, and conserving Maine's environment, now and for future generations. They work to improve the quality of Maine's rivers; to reduce toxic chemicals threatening the health of Maine families and wildlife; to decrease air and global warming pollution, and to conserve Maine lands. NRCM harnesses the power of the law, science, and the voices of more than 12,000 supporters statewide and beyond.

This report by Catherine Badgley et. al, in the June 2006 edition of Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, evaluates the ability of organic agriculture to significantly contribute to the global food supply.

Click to view a printer-friendly, black & white version of the Organic Agriculture Fact Sheet.

Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) is a network of smallholder farmers in East, Central and Southern Africa that works to improve the livelihoods of farmers and the sustainability of farming communities by promoting policies, skills and research for ecological land use management.

Yet another movement fueled by the power of youth, this coalition of more than fifty youth-led environmental and social justice organizations works for “bold action on climate and energy” now. It has convened three national youth climate summits, known as PowerShift, bringing as many as 10,000 young leaders to Washington, DC, for common action.

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Their pioneering Placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs.

One of RAN’s focus areas is the impact of the world’s largest agribusinesses on rainforest destruction and climate change. Check out their latest news and action alerts.

Real Food Challenge is an exciting effort to leverage the purchasing power of university campuses in order to transform the food industry into a just and sustainable food system. The campaign aims to increase the amount of "green" foods purchased by colleges to 20 percent by 2020.

Timothy A. Wise and Sophia Murphy, Global Development and Environment Institute and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, 2012

ROPPA, created in 2000, is the network of the national FOs of the fifteen ECOWAS countries and maintains regular coordination with some of the largest national organizations from the other three countries – namely Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. It represents about 45 million small producers, cattle farmers and fishermen, to whom the national organisations deliver advice, support and diverse services for the promotion of their activities and profile. ROPPA's objective is to strengthen the capacities of African FOs to defend the interests of their members and to influence the policies linked to agriculture, rural development and food security.

School Mediation Associates transforms schools into safer, more caring, and more effective institutions. Through: encouraging young people to become leaders in their schools, and disseminating an approach to problem solving that values diversity and respects differences of opinion.

Sierra Club is the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States. With over 1.3 million members, the organization focuses on reversing global warming and increasing our renewable energy resources.

Slow Food boasts 100,000 members in 150 countries “helping people understand the importance of caring about where their food comes from, who makes it and how it’s made.” In the US, Slow Food has partnered with schools to bring fresh and organic foods to students from kindergarten to college. The Small Planet Institute teamed up with Slow Food to create fact-filled “table tents” college students and others can use to share key facts about food-related energy and climate challenges.

Eric Holt-Gimenez and Annie Shattuck, ActionAid International and Food First, 2009.

by Benjamin Barber
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004)

Sustainable Connections works with local, independently owned businesses that have the autonomy to make any transformational change in their business that they can imagine… reexamining where we buy goods and services, how we consume energy, grow and distribute our food, build homes, and even, how we define success in business.

EcoTipping Points are levers for restoring sustainability to our imperiled environment – small actions that tip the balance from decline to restoration by tapping the inborn power of nature and human societies to heal themselves.
Many environmental and social problems are so complex and overwhelming it’s hard to know where to begin. But pioneering communities around the world are showing what it takes to succeed. The EcoTipping Points Project is dedicated to making the stories and their lessons known through the media, workshops, and direct collaboration with community groups.

a short film by WhyHunger

A report from Richard Heinberg and Michael Bonford of the Post Carbon Institute, on transitioning our food system away from it’s current dependence on fossil fuels.

For many years The Green/EFA Gropup has been running the Green Food Campaign ("Join the Food Revolution") putting pressure on policy makers and European Institutions to reform the European Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) in order to move away from industrialized and export oriented factory farming and to reconnect farmers with consumers to achieve fair farm gate prices and reasonable consumer prices, to sustain the diversity of European family farming and to promote sustainable food production and consumption systems.

The Listening Project is an organizing tool for nonviolent social change, especially useful in communities where conflict and disempowerment weakens efforts toward community development, justice, peace or protecting the environment. Listening Projects use trained volunteers to conduct one-on-one “deep listening” interviews that build bridges of understanding between diverse and even opposing groups. It also provides new skills, resources, relationships, and effective strategies for substantive change. A Listening Project:

• Identifies problems and issues that people care about
• Includes often unheard or unheeded voices
• Develops new community leaders
• Builds community organizing skills and resources
• Generates creative solutions for community needs and problems
• Promotes insight, empathy, and understanding among people with conflicting views
• Forms uncommon coalitions and alliances through which diverse viewpoints resolve, rather than clash over – difficult issues
• Creates long-term capacity for collaborative community action

by Matt Leighninger
(Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2006)

TransFair is one of twenty members of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), and the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States. They audit transactions between US companies offering Fair Trade Certified™ products and the international suppliers from whom they source, in order to guarantee that the farmers and farm workers behind Fair Trade Certified goods were paid a fair, above-market price. In addition, annual inspections conducted by FLO ensure that strict socioeconomic development criteria are being met using increased Fair Trade revenues.

Administered by Tuft’s Global Development and Environment Institute, this blog brings together thoughtful analysis on the simultaneous crises in finance, development, and the environment occurring globally and includes ample material on food and climate.

Documentary chronicling the development of the UMASS permaculture garden, one of the nation's first student-led gardens created on a 1/4 acre campus grass lawn.

This report compiled by the Oakland Institute gives voice to African farmers and activists in a direct challenge to “Western-led plans for a genetically engineered revolution in African agriculture… [it] presents African resistance and solutions rooted in first-hand knowledge of what Africans need.”

by Beth Simmone Noveck
(Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2009)

The World Development Movement (WDM) is an anti-hunger campaigning organization based in the UK that focuses on establishing economic justice. Known for tackling hard-hitting, controversial issues, WDM investigates and challenges governmental policies and corporate actions by researching and promoting positives solutions to global inequality.

Sara J. Scherr and Sajal Sthapit, Worldwatch Institute, 2009.