What is agroecology?

Introduction

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) summarizes Agroecology as “a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced. Agroecology is concurrently a science, a set of practices and a social movement and has evolved as a concept over recent decades to expand in scope from a focus on fields and farms to encompass the entirety of agriculture and food systems. It now represents a transdisciplinary field that includes the ecological, socio-cultural, technological, economic and political dimensions of food systems, from production to consumption” ([1]).

What is Agroecology?

In 2018, the FAO convened delegates from around the globe around the question of what agroecology is, and where the movement is going. FAO convened farmers, peasants, fisherfolk and fish workers, indigenous and traditional peoples, pastoralists and nomads, agricultural and food workers, the landless, urban and peri-urban communities living in poverty and food insecurity, consumers, youth, women and NGOs ([2]).

Delegates agreed that Agroecology cannot be understood as a simple set of techniques and productive practices. Instead, delegates defined Agroecology as “a way of life of our peoples, in harmony with the language of Nature. It is a paradigm shift in the social, political, productive and economic relations in our territories, to transform the way we produce and consume food and to restore a socio-cultural reality devastated by industrial food production. Agroecology generates local knowledge, builds social justice, promotes identity and culture and strengthens the economic viability of rural and urban areas”([3]). This definition by the global movement is centered around the sovereignty of people to access to agricultural seeds, soil amendments and other inputs. It is viewed as an alternative to the corporate, patent- and investor-oriented innovation and research paradigm in agriculture.

All farming methods that seek to produce food, while regenerating and mimicking natural cycles or interactions, draw their inspiration from agroecological principles that date back thousands of years. These include biodynamic or organic farming, permaculture, no-till agriculture, adaptive planned grazing, Silvopasture, short community-owned food value chains, and even participatory governance and community financing approaches. Agroecology is also contributing many specific tools to conventional farming, such as the use of predatory wasps for pest control in greenhouses, mycorrhizal inoculants in seed coating, the use of compost, or cover crop grazing to recuperate soil health.

Agroecological knowledge is usually disseminated by farmers for farmers, and agroecological research is contextual, often happens on farms and with the participation of farmers. Many agroecological remedies can be produced locally and even by farmers themselves, providing them with independence from patented and costly inputs. The participatory nature of Agroecology is a drastic distinction from the agricultural mainstream ([4]).

10 Elements of Agroecology

Agroecology is both the concept and practice of managing and boosting nature’s own ecological processes to improve productivity and avoid farming grieves, such as pest infestation, disease or degradation. Farmers rely on 10 Elements when designing agroecological farming systems ([5]):

Diversity

Agroecology recognizes diversity as the main strategy for building resilient and efficient food production systems. Aspects of diversity include

• Agrobiodiversity (location-adapted seed genetics and varieties for different uses and flavours),
• Biodiversity in production ecosystems (combining multiple organisms builds resilient soils and plant communities),
• Spatial and temporal diversity (vertical layering of different strata, e.g. in agroforestry systems, and temporal complements, e.g. in intercropping systems)
• Functional diversity (complexity of interactions and multitude of roles in the system)
• Farm product diversification (risk management for resilient production),
• Market diversification (avoid dependence on single buyers),
• Multiple management objectives (optimizing multiple management criteria often requires choosing solutions that are second-best from a narrow perspective, yet optimize the system in its entirety).

By embracing diversity in all its dimensions, Agroecology contributes to a range of production, socio-economic, nutrition and environmental benefits.

Co-creation and sharing of knowledge

The main “input” for Agroecological farming is context-specific knowledge, across the food system. This knowledge tends to be co-created by, and freely shared within, vibrant communities in ways that blend scientific understanding with the traditional, indigenous, practical and local knowledge of producers.

Synergies

Effective agroecological systems are designed to foster co-benefits. Co-benefits include positive interactions within communities of plants, animals and fungi; reuse of waste products e.g. when using manure as fertilizer or twigs for mulch; leveling labor demand with product diversification; or satisfying customers by offering multiple products. Synergies between farm enterprises help farms to function better, leading to improved soil fertility, natural pest regulation and increased crop productivity.

Efficiency

Systems are efficient when external resources maximize the production of benefits while minimizing waste. Agroecology use few external resources, and waste products of one farm enterprise become inputs for another. This way, agroecology also reduces operational costs and negative environmental impacts, while conserving precious resources like water and protecting biodiversity.

Recycling

At all levels, recycling is a key agroecological design principle to self-sustaining, self-correcting, resilient farm systems. Ecosystems don’t create waste because all “losses” of one process are reused by another. Agroecological design imitates ecosystems and recycles nutrients, biomass, water, and all other fluxes of matter and energy.

Resilience

Systems increase resilience if they have a greater capacity to recover from disasters. Agroecological farms are resilient because they recover more easily from natural disasters (drought, floods or hurricanes or pest and disease attack) and against socio-economic disruptions (price collapse of certain commodities, scarcity or cost inflation of inputs, or the loss of a buyer). For example, closing nutrient cycles enhances resilience against fertilizer price hikes during the Ukraine-Russian war.

Human and social values

Agroecology places a strong emphasis on human and social values, such as dignity, equity, inclusion and justice. As people-centered approach, Agroecology recognizes the aspirations and needs of those directly depending on the food system: producers, processors, distributors and eaters.

Culture and food traditions

Agroecology recognizes agriculture and food traditions as part of humankind’s heritage. In many “modern” cultures, food habits are disconnected from local food availability, seasonality, nutritional requirements that vary greatly among human occupations and ages, and traditions how food used to connect communities and families. Agroecological food habits reconcile tradition and modernity in a harmonious way that promotes local, seasonal food and healthy, diversified and culturally-appropriate diets that reconnect communities and deliver good nutrition, while greatly reducing the food industry’s negative impact on the living world.

Responsible governance

Governance describes how societies organize access to land, water, finance, and markets. Agroecology supports governance mechanisms that are transparent, accountable and inclusive on different scales. Equitable access to land and water, and the protection of biodiversity in landscapes are regarded as key to social justice that also draws long-term investment. Many agroecological initiatives also work with cooperative ownership structures, keeping governance local.

Circular and solidarity economy

Agroecology strives toward embedded local food systems, such as local markets, fair trade, and community-owned distribution and processing. Like closed nutrient cycles in ecological systems, frequent recirculation of money in economic systems fosters abundance and well-being. Short, value-based food chains and cooperatively owned intermediaries reduce financial extraction to outsiders, and fair trade labels ensure that all workers receive a living wage.

Variations of these 10 elements are also formulated as 13 agroecological principles ([6]). These principles explicitly add community participation, distinguish between biological and economic diversity, and articulate requirements of soil and animal health. Regardless, all elements and principles are interconnected in various manners and provide powerful guidance and intervention points for transitioning agricultural systems and food chains ([7]).

Example of Agroecology

In Andrah Pradesh, Zero Budget Natural Agriculture (ZBNF) is an agroecological approach that fosters natural growth of crops without the addition of chemical fertilizer or pesticides. It requires “zero budget” for agrochemical inputs ([8]). Its principles are fully aligned with agroecological values and elements: “[ZBNF’s] greatest strength is that it is based on the latest scientific discoveries in agriculture and, at the same time, it is rooted in Indian tradition,” (RySS’ website).

ZBNF uses seeds coated with a microbe-rich formulation produced from cow urine and dung, similar to seeds in bird droppings in the wild. This coating inoculates the soil with microbes, protects the seeds from rot during the monsoon season, provides first nutrients, and – by decomposition of organic matter into CO₂ and H₂O – supplies minute quantities of water that moisten the seed during the germination phase, thus allowing pre-monsoon seeding ([9]). Secondly, the soil microbiome is amended with fermented cow excrements and other local waste products, benefiting microbes and earth worms. Thirdly, cover crops are planted to provide mulch as soil cover. This mulch reduces evaporation and further fosters microbial life. Finally, improving soil health then also increases soil aeration and water infiltration, leading to greatly increased water availability. Together, these four principles increase plant health, rooting depth, and crop stability – as demonstrated with far better survival of plants during tropical storms. The dissemination of these technologies are based on farmer-to-farmer extension, empowerment and education of women, and community-wide initiatives. They resulted in the impressive conversion of many villages to organic practices within only 5 years, and the statewide adoption of practices by 6 million farmers.

iPES Food published seven additional larger-scale transitions from industrial to agroecological farming systems ([10]). These exemplify how shifts in farming practices are interrelated with changes in the approach of research, breed and variety development, knowledge dissemination and education, participation of community, development of new market relationships, supportive financing, and participatory governance.

Benefits of Agroecology

Benefits of agroecology are extensive – enhanced climate Change resilience, revival of biodiversity on land and in waterways, culturally appropriate and healthy diets, strengthening of local communities and the many economic and spiritual benefits that come along with interdependent economies, and multiple socio-economic benefits to marginalized groups. The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), the world’s largest and most thorough investigation of the future of food and agriculture, concluded that “business as usual is no longer an option” and that the future of agriculture lies in biodiverse, agroecological-based farming that can meet social, economic and environmental goals as well as maintain and increase productivity ([11]). FAO recognizes Agroecology as an approach that can feed the world and regenerate the planet’s biosphere in crisis ([12]) – something that FAO has not recognized for any other agricultural production approach.

How does Agroecology Play into Regenerative Agriculture

The principles of Regenerative Agriculture are fully reflected in Agroecology, though both movements have different origins and roots. Agroecology is a concept of the Global South with a strong social justice lens, whereas the principles of regenerative agriculture were derived for large-scale farming in the North American context. However, deeper discussions among regenerative advocates often indicate that regenerative farming systems should also encompass concerns for the health and well-being of agricultural workers, eaters, and communities. A research agenda to translate agroecological principles to large-scale farming ([13], [14]) fully overlaps with regenerative agriculture research needs; priority areas are breeding for diversity, scaling up complexity management, managing cycles beyond fields and farms, sharing the cultivated landscape, and co-innovating with farmers, value chains and policy makers.

Conclusion

Agroecology provides a framework for holistic regenerative food systems. While Agroecology is often considered the “science behind sustainable agriculture”, Agroecology has evolved to a much broader concept: “Agroecology is not only a science and a practice but a movement for social change” (S. Gliessman).

[1] https://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/

[2] https://www.fao.org/about/meetings/second-international-agroecology-symposium/en/

[3] https://viacampesina.org/en/declaration-at-the-ii-international-symposium-on-agroecology/

[4]  https://agroeco.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Agroecology-training-manual-TWN-SOCLA.pdf

[5] https://agroeco.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Agroecology-training-manual-TWN-SOCLA.pdf

[6] https://www.agroecology-europe.org/our-approach/principles/

[7] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-020-00646-z

[8] https://futureoffood.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Andhra-Pradesh-Zero-Budget-Natural-Farming-a-concept-note-.pdf

[9] https://soilcarboncoalition.org/andhra-pradesh-successes/

[10] http://www.ipes-food.org/pages/Seven-Case-Studies-of-Agroecological-Transition

[11] https://www.globalagriculture.org/report-topics/about-the-iaastd-report/about-iaastd.html

[12] https://www.fao.org/3/cb0438en/CB0438EN.pdf . Leippert, F., Darmaun, M., Bernoux, M. and Mpheshea, M. 2020. The potential of agroecology to build climate-resilient livelihoods and food systems. Rome. FAO and Biovision. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb0438en

[13] Ewert F, Baatz R, Finger R. Agroecology for a sustainable agriculture and food system: from local solutions to large-scale adoption. Annual Review of Resource Economics. 2023 Oct 5;15:351-81.

[14] Mier y Terán et al. Bringing agroecology to scale: Key drivers and emblematic cases. Agroecology and sustainable food systems. 2018 Jul 3;42(6):637-65.