How to feed nine billion within the planet’s boundaries: the need for an agroecological approach
This policy brief (PDF) by the Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative (SIANI) explains how agroecology could be a useful tool for creating sustainable and resilient food systems that put farmers in the centre. Drawing on the Planetary Boundaries framework, this brief suggests how agroeocological practices can reduce the pressure created by the existing agriculture practice on each of the nine Planetary Boundaries and pinpoints key interventions for facilitation of agroecological transformation. Seven steps for an agroecological transformation of farming
to feed the world within the planet’s limits are mentioned: 1. Raise awareness among policy-makers and extension agents of the benefits of agroecological farming; 2. Provide a new perspective on agriculture – particularly what is a ‘productive’ and ‘efficient’ system – among financial partners, governments and farmers; 3. Provide economic incentives to adopt agroecological practices on a landscape level; 4. Sharpen environmental laws and regulations (and their enforcement on a landscape level); 5. Build strong farmer-led, bottom-up knowledge and research systems; 6. Mainstream agroecology in agricultural education at all levels; and 7. Provide incentives for more sustainable diets and consumption patterns.