The pandemic COVID-19 has proved that the centralized governance, education, and economic systems do not function well. Many people have encountered many challenges, including food insecurity. The macro-mono-plantations do not meet the market demand in the time of crisis. Thus, we believe that we need to strengthen traditional knowledge systems and promote the local seeds that are available and accessible in the local communities and build resistance for smallholder farmers and communities. 

The aim of having this self-reliance and resilience activity is to improve resilient and quality food production by strengthening traditional knowledge systems and practices in agrobiodiversity, and to increase the demand for agroecological products for economic and health benefit sharing from agrobiodiversity. Under this livelihood program, we will have a local seeds bank, an awareness raising program on multi-plantation methods, vocational trainings for women and youth for income generation from agroecological products, and promoting the traditional knowledge and indigenous wisdom on food sources. Youth will document elders’ traditional food practices and make a seeds inventory. This will support them in further involvement to save the local seeds, food production and processing systems rooted in the social and economic practices.

Through those approaches, we believe that we will have resource people who know their fundamental rights and have confidence to take action on development issues, and are also able to prevent the foreseen conflict by cooperations and development projects. If people are aware of their fundamental rights and can engage in the decision-making processes, the cooperations and developers will be mindful to follow the existing laws and regulations.