This is an interview with Aidai Asangulova, one of the most well-known young felt-maker artisans in Kyrgyzstan, and a leader of Min Kyial (an artisan organization). The interview was translated from Kyrgyz into English by Aibek Samakov. 

How did you learn the art of traditional felt-making?
I grew up in my grandparents’ house in Kyzyl-Tuu village of [...]

Kenson and Cymbol are successful parents and homeowners in the island nation of Vanuatu. They garden, spend time with their kids and eat well. To pay for their children’s school fees, Cymbol weaves valuable straw mats that serve as local currency. The family lives off the bounty of their ancestral lands and has very little [...]

On a recent sunny day in southwestern Ethiopia, the Konso people danced through the streets and sang enthusiastically to the music of a marching band.
Their colorful clothing, traditional masks and shields, and decorative feathers hinted at what a special occasion they were marking: the announcement by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) [...]

In the Markham Valley of Papua New Guinea, traditional village life revolves around food. Families rise early to tend their gardens, harvesting bananas, taro and sweet potatoes. Adding to the bounty of the local landscape are fresh watermelon, peanuts, cucumbers and mangoes, supplemented with protein sources like the meat of the wild bandicoot. It’s the traditional diet of an [...]

In a rare, inclusive gathering last month in Accra, Ghana, small-scale West African farmers engaged in a high-level policy dialogue with representatives from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and their primary funders. More than one hundred participants including farmers from Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal and Sierra Leone; AGRA’s President [...]