Dear Friend,

This week, tens of thousands of Indigenous Peoples, youth and their allies are taking action for climate justice across the country. Our ally the Indigenous Environmental Network is among those marching to demand that President Biden makes real substantive commitments.

Did you know that agribusiness is one of the biggest contributors to climate change?¹ And that the food sovereignty movement of peasants, small farmers and Indigenous Peoples offers a real way forward for people and the planet? That’s yet another reason why we’re celebrating, and resourcing, movements for the 25th anniversary of food sovereignty through our Sustaining the Struggle campaign.

Take We Are the Solution (WAS), our partner in West Africa.

The “Green Revolution” brought fossil-fuel-based fertilizers to Africa. For decades, business spokespeople have claimed these are necessary to feed the world. Yet these costly inputs burden small farmers. Synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizer sends nitrous oxide up into the atmosphere, more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so a major threat to the climate.

But We Are Solution, like many food sovereignty movements, is building an alternative. At a training in Senegal with small farmers, Mariama Sonko of WAS showed off a natural fertilizer made from readily available local ingredients that are simple for any small-scale farmer to make.² This bio-fertilizer known as Bokashi is cheap, powerful, good for the environment — and a perfect example of the power of food sovereignty and agroecology.

We Are Solution hosts trainings like this one with farmers across West Africa, to teach them how to make this fossil-fuel-free fertilizer, save Indigenous seeds, and support themselves in sustainable ways. But all this work protecting people and the planet requires resources.

That’s why I hope you’ll support our Sustaining the Struggle Campaign. From now until October 22, we’re raising $14,000 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of food sovereignty and the work of movements around the world. Can you commit to giving $10, $25, $50, or more in solidarity with these and other movements?

From the streets of Washington, D.C. to the rural farms of West Africa, join us in building and resourcing movements for climate justice and food sovereignty.

In solidarity & gratitude, Chung-Wha Hong Executive Director

P.S. Don’t forget! Join us this Saturday at 6 PM Eastern for the celebration of the Food Sovereignty Prize!

[1] IPCC, “Climate Change and Land”