Articles

On June 13, SWISSAID Geneva and Jai Jagat International invite you to a roundtable discussion on the challenges that international trade rules represent for peasant families. Starting from an international level, the discussion will focus on the specific case of India.

05.05.2022 | A delegation of six Swiss parliamentarians and the director of Alliance Sud visited Tanzania in mid-April to learn about several SWISSAID projects, particularly in the extractive sector. They also visited a small agroecological farm and met with the authorities, partners and the local population.

28.04.2022 | In the Ecuadorian Andes, SWISSAID supports women farmers in producing in an agroecological way, as well as in marketing their products on the markets and raising awareness among the urban population. Paul Van Mele went to the province of Tungurahua in Ecuador and took part in a training course for women farmers on how to market their products. An amazing performance that he recounts in an article on agroinsight.com. Here is his story.   

5.4.2022 | The world’s granaries are empty. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine have fallen drastically. This is causing prices to rise worldwide. In African countries in particular, the consequences are devastating. People are facing a major food crisis. The effects in our partner countries are also worrying, people are now even more at risk of hunger.

Four questions for Simon Degelo: the responsible officer for food sovereignty and seed policy at SWISSAID talks about seed policies in Switzerland and the countries in the South, and the impact these restrictive rules have on smallholder farmers.

07.03.2022 | SWISSAID is saddened by the developments in the situation between Russia and Ukraine. We express our solidarity with the civilian population in distress.

New genetic technologies are often presented as a solution to problems related to agriculture; global warming, pesticides, loss of biodiversity and soil fertility. According to SWISSAID, this is not the right approach. What is needed is a change towards sustainable and equitable agriculture, both in Switzerland and in the countries of the South.

28.2.22 | The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is releasing the second part of its climate report today. It takes stock of the situation and the prospects for climate change. SWISSAID is particularly attentive to this report since the health of the planet has a direct influence on the health of rural populations in the South.

21.2.22 | The emergency aid launched in December in the Dosso region of Niger is soon bearing its first fruit. Thanks to the rapid procurement of seeds, we have already been able to distribute 62 kilos of urgently needed plant seeds to the farmers. The first harvest is coming soon.

14.12.2021 | The fight against hunger is multi-faceted. It starts with women being able to inherit and own land. This is what Isabela, a farmer from Guinea-Bissau, is fighting for. With the help of SWISSAID, she has broken through the patriarchal traditions in her country.

12.11.2021 | Bundespräsident Guy Parmelin hat rund 30 Schülerinnen und Schüler im Bernerhof beim Bundeshaus empfangen. Sie hatten sich am jährlichen Verkauf von SWISSAID-Abzeichen beteiligt, um Geld für die Projekte der Stiftung zu sammeln. Parmelin dankte ihnen herzlich für ihr Engagement und beantwortete einige ihrer Fragen.

12.11.2021 | Today, COP26 in Glasgow comes to an end. While we wait for the outcome of the negotiations, Ibrahim Hamadou, a staff member of SWISSAID Niger, gives his perspective. He reports from an African country that has been suffering the consequences of climate change for many years.

26.10.21 | The network “Agroecology works!” has organized the “Agroecology Days”, a serie of events based on agroecology. These will take place from 1 to 6 November at various locations in Switzerland, as well as online. The programme includes 30 different events, which are co-sponsored by SWISSAID. The events aim to provide information about the many facets of agroecology and show how important it is for sustainable change in our food systems.

For many families in Chad, there is often only one meal a day – little enough for the hard work in the fields. But without work, there is no harvest. Women in particular suffer greatly; they are often responsible for the family’s survival and take care of the household chores and work. The famine also often leads to disputes among the farming families. SWISSAID helps families in Chad to fight hunger and prevent conflicts.

Millions of people in Chad – often the women – produce their own food while the men work in the city. Due to the difficult climatic conditions, growing their own crops is often not enough to feed the family, and many people suffer from hunger. This is also the case for Esther and her family. SWISSAID is working on the ground to help these people.

Women in Chad bear a heavy burden: they often provide for their families, mainly their children, on their own, without having the rights and means to do so. This is the case of Yaya Adoum. Despite her hard work, this widowed peasant woman was unable to provide for her family. With the support of a SWISSAID project, she found a way to fight hunger.

27.09.2021 | The United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 (UNFSS) took place from 23 to 24 September in New York. On this occasion, SWISSAID met with six women farmers from the South and from Switzerland. The aim was to give a voice to those who are in daily contact with the land and are working hard to feed the community. A report, which was handed over to Christian Hofer, Director of the Federal Office for Agriculture, on the eve of the Summit, describes their struggle and highlights the benefits of agroecology.

03.09.2021 | Since September 2020, Régina Clément Likopéro has been an intern at SWISSAID Tanzania. Far from the university benches, the young woman has found herself thrown into the world of work and has grown from it. She tells us about her experience.

27.08.2021 | More than 70 people participated in the webinar on local markets and food sovereignty organized by SWISSAID on August 24. All speakers as well as the guests agreed: Many people in the South are dependent on local markets. They, especially women, deserve more help, remuneration and weight for their products.

24.08.21 | Local markets are an essential source of income for small-scale producers. Furthermore, they are a main source of food supplies in the South. The pandemic has highlighted their vital role in access to food and the advantages of short circuits. Local markets are thus key factors for food sovereignty. Nevertheless, they must face the pressures of international markets. On the eve of the United Nations Summit on Food Systems, the question of their future is more important than ever.

16.08.21 | In Gámeza y Mongua, Boyacá, five peasant organizations have strengthened their knowledge of territorial development by appropriating the environment and working collectively to generate positive changes in their communities. Achieving the recovery of 18 types of ancestral seeds and the expansion of the vegetation cover of 160 water sources.

30.6.21 | Hunger and malnutrition are still widespread in large parts of Africa and Asia. Heating climateand the loss of soil fertility are further exacerbating the problem. The new SWISSAID project CROPS4HD focuses on local, almost forgotten crops to improve the situation of people in the South.

09.06.2021 | The sanitary, social and economic crises that have been shaking our planet for several months have not deterred many donors from supporting us. According to SWISSAID’s 2020 annual report, despite the pandemic, there is still solidarity. Last year, the amount of donations and project contributions even increased from CHF 11.2 million in 2019 to CHF 11.6 million in 2020.

11.05.2021 | In the shadow of the Corona and climate debate, the most existential challenge of our time is often forgotten: the biodiversity crisis. On 25 May, SWISSAID discussed the silent death of biodiversity and its impact on the spread of diseases, agriculture and the central role played by women farmers.

30.4.21 Not long ago, the Corona situation in India seemed under control. In February 2021, India’s government declared that it had defeated the pandemic. Now the situation is worse than ever. SWISSAID is following the situation with great concern. Kavita Ghandi, Head of the SWISSAID office, tells us what the situation is like on the ground and what impact the pandemic is having on our projects. – translated with DeepL

Ermelinda Pedro Mendonça is president of the farmers’ association Granja Pessube. This mother of 4 children has both suffered the crisis and participated in the solution, distributing emergency aid. One year later, we asked her about the situation in the country, the changes that have taken place and her vision for the future.

21.04.2021 | One year ago, Covid-19 plunged our planet into uncertainty and fear. The consequences of this pandemic include an alarming increase in the number of hungry people.

16.03.2021 | More than 130 people attended the webinar on “agroecology against climate change and pandemics ” that took place on 9 March 2021, co-organised by SWISSAID and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) of the University of Bern. The participants were unanimous: the time has come to change the world’s agriculture and food systems. There is an urgent need to develop agroecology in the North and the South. In 30 years, it will be too late.

09.03.2021 | In a letter to the LBMA, SWISSAID and four partner organisations point out the shortcomings of the certification of the international standard. The standard only partially meets its own criteria and some certified refineries are still sourcing gold of doubtful origin.

24.02.2021 | SWISSAID works locally and in Switzerland to improve the living conditions of people in the Global South. Information, awareness-raising and advocacy: here is an overview of our activities.

Climate extremes, the loss of natural resources and pandemics are shaking up our food systems. What do practical solutions look like so that we can continue to nourish ourselves in the future? In the webinar on 9 March, SWISSAID discussed the urgently needed paradigm shift in our food systems.

26.01.2021 | From sustainable fish farming on the coast to organic watermelon cultivation and responsible mining of raw materials in gold mines in the interior: SWISSAID is active in Tanzania in many different areas. Our new programme officer Christina Aebischer reports on her project visit.

2.12.2020 | The 13-year-old student Maria experiences the lockdown in a small village in Tanzania. Her school is closed. She no longer sees her friends. But her dreams live on.

29.11.2020 | The Responsible Business Initiative was rejected. Despite the defeat, civil society has proven that it can go far together – and must continue to fight for a fairer world.

20.11.2020 | Within a very short time Nicaragua has been hit by two devastating hurricanes. Many people in our project areas are severely affected by the consequences. In Nicaragua we are immediately switching all our activities and concentrating on emergency aid.

October 2020 | SWISSAID supports women in its projects in the South and campaigns for women’s rights in the Swiss landscape. The same fight is waged in many different ways. Like in October 2020, for example, when SWISSAID launched a week of action under the motto “I step out of the shadows”.

24.10.2020 | The Valcambi gold refinery in Switzerland is threatening to file a lawsuit against SWISSAID if its study “The hidden face of the gold trade”, published in July, is not “withdrawn or corrected” by the end of October. SWISSAID sticks to the results of the study and will therefore not withdraw it. For the sake of transparency, however, we are publishing the points disputed by Valcambi here.

27.08.2020 | Two years ago, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants was created. Switzerland was very strongly committed to this process and successfully lobbied for its adoption. Despite this, a new study shows that its implementation is lacking both in Switzerland and abroad translated with DeepL

July 2020 | The Covid pandemic was a clear wake-up call: Only local agriculture can ensure healthy nutrition for the population. Farmer-owned seeds have a key role to play in this. SWISSAID organized a webinar on this topic in summer 2020 to enable an exchange and dissemination of knowledge between countries and experts.

15.07.2020 | From where is the gold in our smartphones sourced? Is the gold shining on your wrist of the ‘dirty’ variety? Have children worked themselves to death for the gold bars stored in the vaults of our Swiss banks? Unfortunately, such is very likely the case. In a study, SWISSAID has traced gold’s journey from Africa to Dubai and on to Switzerland. The research reveals the relationship between Swiss refiners and companies in the United Arab Emirates that trade with gold from conflict zones.

As a foundation for development cooperation, SWISSAID is also heavily affected by the corona virus. Faced with the crisis, each employee and each project had to reinvent themselves and often work in a hurry. On this page, you will find news from our partner countries for the months of March and April. –Translated with DeepL

15.04.2020 | Washing hands, restricting contacts, exposing fake news: the measures against the coronavirus in our partner countries in the south are similar to those in Switzerland. The only difference is that the general conditions are much more difficult. How SWISSAID is tackling the problem – and why hygiene is not only fundamental to health, but also counteracts the threat of conflict.

01.04.2020 | The spread of the coronavirus raises tremendous challenges for the world. It reminds us of how fragile our system is, how abstract our boundaries are and how much a change is needed.

25.03.2020 | The global corona crisis does not affect everyone equally. Some people are much more economically and socially affected than others. Women, who are often victims of domestic violence as well as being the sole earners of their families and in precarious employment, are especially under pressure.

As a foundation for development cooperation, SWISSAID is also heavily affected by the corona virus. Faced with the crisis, each employee and each project had to reinvent themselves and often work in a hurry. On this page, you will find news from our partner countries for the months of March and April.

On March 4, a meeting was held in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, organized by the National Alliance “Semillas de Identidad“. This alliance was founded years ago by SWISSAID. The aim of the event was to exchange knowledge and experiences among producers of locally adapted seeds.

4.03.2020 | Doing good and learning new things: Renate Bach from Gstaad has been taking part in SWISSAID trinket sales with her school class for 41 years. She is convinced that “it gives the children valuable experience”. -translated with DeepL

10.03.2020 | In Tanzania, the demand for organic products is increasing – farmers are adapting by switching to agro-ecological cultivation methods. A win-win solution for producers, consumers and the entire country.

Bastienne Joerchel (54) has been active in development cooperation for more than 20 years. Alongside Fabian Molina, the French-speaking Swiss is the new Co-President of SWISSAID. She believes in the change that the Foundation is making to combat poverty in the world. And she will do everything in her power to support this commitment. -translated with DeepL

Since 2019 SP National Councillor Fabian Molina is the new Co-President of SWISSAID alongside Bastienne Joerchel. In an interview, he talks about his relationship with SWISSAID and what impressed him most on his trip through Colombia. -translated with DeepL

The 17 SDGs, also known as Agenda 2030, commit the international community to making its contribution to a fairer and less poor world. SWISSAID is working actively and energetically to achieve some of these goals. -translated with DeepL

By demanding strict plant variety protection (UPOV91) in free trade agreements, Switzerland helps agribusiness to monopolize seeds and thus promotes hunger.

2020 is a crucial year for the responsible business initiative: after years of debating proposals and counter-proposals, the Swiss Parliament will hold a referendum on 29th November. But what is it all about?

Syngenta sells lethal pesticides in India that have long been banned in our country. Glencore poisons rivers in Colombia. Time and again, Swiss-based corporations violate human rights and ignore minimum environmental standards. Three concrete examples.

Dick Marty, former public prosecutor of the Canton of Ticino and member of the Council of States (1995-2011), is at the forefront of the Responsible Business Initiative as co-chair of the Initiative Committee.

10.03.2020 | Sensitive and competent: that’s how we report on people, topics and projects. We rely on large pictures so that everyone can see – and on depth of content as a breeding ground for sustainable change.

October 2019 | SWISSAID has set itself the task of bringing experts from the global south into conversation with the Swiss public. We organize events with them or realize media appointments. In October 2019, Aissé Barry, from SWISSAID Guinea-Bissau, spent time in Switzerland for this purpose.

At the beginning of October 2019 conflicts broke out between the indigenous population, represented by their umbrella organisation (CONAIE), and the Ecuadorian government. The reasons were the announcement of new budget cuts, labour law reforms and the increase in fuel prices. Dissatisfaction with the new economic measures has mobilised more than 25,000 indigenous people, as […]

  A comprehensive new study published by three groups of scientists – Critical Scientists Switzerland, the European Network of Scientists for Social and Ecological Responsibility and the Association of German Scientists (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler) – says that ‘many claimed features of gene drives are unrealistic and carry a high degree of scientific uncertainty and unpredictability’. Given […]

For thousands of years, small farmers around the world have been the guardians of the knowledge and endogenous genetic heritage of local communities. Through cultivation, replication and propagation, they have created an incredible diversity of varieties. In Niger, over 60% of farmers select their own seeds – a system that ensures food security, health and […]

A new study makes it clear that the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV 1991) does not bring any benefits to West Africa. -translated with DeepL

What are the challenges facing family farms in developing countries? Christine Badertscher, an agricultural expert at SWISSAID, spoke on this topic at the annual conference of the Swiss Society for Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Sociology (SGA). Over 70 experts from all over Switzerland exchanged views on agricultural topics in Wädenswil. -translated with DeepL

In Davos, the Federal Council is to campaign for human rights and the Paris Climate Agreement. In particular, Jair Bolsonaro, the new President of Brazil with whom Switzerland is currently negotiating the Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, will be in the spotlight. -translated with DeepL

The issue of gender equality is to be given even greater weight: This is what SWISSAID decided together with employees from Switzerland and the nine countries on the occasion of the development cooperation strategy for the years 2019-2024. For ethical reasons, and also for practical reasons: projects that take gender relations into account usually have a greater impact and more sustainable results. -translated with DeepL

On the occasion of the International Day of Countrywomen, the Swiss Farmers’ Association (SBLV) and SWISSAID are giving countrywomen in Switzerland and Chad a voice to report on their situation and developments since the International Year of Family Farming in 2014. -translated with DeepL

The SWISSAID Tanzania team not only impressed the public at the “Nanenane” national agricultural exhibition: thanks to agroecology, it was able to win first prize at the first attempt. -translated with DeepL

We, the signatory organisations, are calling upon European politicians and governments to stop the European Patent Office from promoting the sell-out of resources needed for our daily food, and effectively limit the monopolisation of seeds needed for conventional breeding and food production. Even though European patent law prohibits patents on plant varieties and «essentially biological» […]