FAQ

What is LEISA?

LEISA stands for Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture. It is about inspiring farmers to use local resources, natural processes and their knowledge, culture and values to improve productivity and income in an ecologically sound way. LEISA is an umbrella approach, and a political message, seeking to influence policy formulation to support small-scale farmers.

Are LEISA Magazine and Farming Matters the same thing?

Basically yes. LEISA Magazine was the previous version of the global magazine which since December 2009 has been renewed and changed its name in Farming Matters. The change reflected our awareness of the fact that, as our director – Edith van Walsum – pointed out:  “LEISA [i.e. Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture] practices are not an aim in themselves but one of the means towards an end”. To learn more, have a look at our Special Jubilee Edition.

Besides Farming Matters, the AgriCultures Network also produces six regional magazine editions, in different languages. Read more.

Are there any training, courses, forums, correspondences, PhD scholarships offered by your organization? Or, can you fund my project?

Unfortunately we cannot afford to provide funding to people or projects.

Do you offer the chance of internships within your organisation?

If you are interested in being an intern at ILEIA please contact us.

Do you have any vacancies at the moment?

We publish our vacancies on the website whenever we need to increase our workforce. Please check the vacancy section if interested.

Can I work for you as a volunteer?

In principle yes. If you live in the Netherlands and would like to give some help to our secretariat at ILEIA, please contact us. We will consider your offer. If you live abroad, we welcome all texts, information, articles, etc. Please check our open calls for contribution. If you live in another country, you can contact our member groups.

Can I publish something in your magazine?

We really encourage our readers to contribute actively to our activities. This could involve sharing with us your personal experiences, opinion, stories, and pictures. The magazine is published every three months, each time with a focus on a different topic. If you believe to have some interesting material for the forthcoming publications, please do not hesitated to send it to us. We will evaluate it and decide if it is suitable for our magazine.

Can I subscribe to the magazine free of charge?

The first year of your subscription is for free. After that, a subscription costs €15. A PDF version is however available, free of charge, through the website. Nevertheless we would also like to draw your attention to the possibility to take a solidarity subscription of €25 to our magazine. Each solidarity subscription to Farming Matters will give the chance to one or more people in the South to receive the magazine for free. Therefore, by joining our ‘family’ you will not only receive the magazine every three months, you will also help us reach many others.

Where does AgriCultures Network get its funding from?

The AgriCultures Network is founded mainly by governmental subsidies. Subscriptions to our magazines contribute to its distribution. Some subscribers take a solidarity subscription, through which they not only receive their own copy of the magazine, but also entitle one or more farmers in the South to receive the magazine free of charge.

What is the role of ILEIA within the AgriCultures Network?

ILEIA is the Centre for learning on sustainable agriculture and it is responsible for producing Farming Matters, the global edition of the magazine. It is also the secretariat of the global AgriCultures Network which has six other members around the globe. To know more about the organisation and its structure read here.

Can I get a reciprocal link posted on the AgriCultures Network site?

Every chance of publicity is, of course, more than welcomed. However we do not guarantee the chance of a reciprocal link to your website: we need to evaluate whether it is consistent with our values and purposes. If you believe this could be the case, please contact us.

Can you send me more information on specific types of farming e.g. bee farming and info on small animals?

With our magazine and website we provide information about different types of farming. We suggest you to have a look at our magazine archive or to browse the section 'Resources' of our website in order to find out more information about your area of interest.

I have read one of your book reviews and I have found the book really interesting. Where can I purchase it?

If you are interested in any of the books mentioned in our magazine or website we suggest contacting the publishers or simply ask in your favorite bookshop.