agro-ecology

This issue explores innovative ways to demonstrate that agroecology provides critical solutions to the challenges of our time. Agro-ecology is gaining recognition for its potential to address climate change, biodiversity loss and malnutrition, and many successful examples exist. However, to garner the necessary support in policy and practice, looking differently at ‘progress’, ‘performance’ or ‘success’ of farming and food systems is key. »

This magazine illustrates how the collective creation of knowledge lies at the heart of agro-ecology rooted in family farming. It presents stories of diverse actors who have jointly created agro-ecological solutions that are suited to their own, local contexts. Agro-ecology can be seen as knowledge-intensive and for successful outcomes the combination of different types of knowledge is essential. In the context of climate change, knowledge co-creation is especially relevant and urgent since developing climate resilient agriculture needs knowledge related to locally rooted adaptation strategies. »

This paper by Nature.com assesses the role of trees on agricultural land and their significance for carbon sequestration at a global level, along with recent change trends. Agroforestry systems and tree cover on agricultural land make an important contribution to climate change mitigation, but are not systematically accounted for in either global carbon budgets or national carbon accounting. Remote sensing data show that in 2010, 43% of all agricultural land globally had at least 10% tree cover and that this has increased by 2% over the previous ten years. »

This report by IPES-Food is about the changes that the agricultural sector should make to move towards a diversified agroecological system. This should stop the negative climate effects of the current industrial agriculture system. Input-intensive crop monocultures and industrial-scale feedlots are now dominate farming landscapes. The uniformity at the heart of these systems leads systematically to negative outcomes and vulnerabilities. »

This paper by Practical Action uses the three pillars of Technology Justice (access, local innovation, and sustainable use of technologies) to assess the range of agricultural development pathways available. This policy briefing presents existing evidence and research in agroecology alongside case studies of successful initiatives with scalable potential, particularly where market systems are at the core of development practices. »

This book written by Jelleke de Nooy van Tol discusses how we can support and accelerate the transition to agro-ecology practices worldwide. Lessons learned from the frontrunners show that personal leadership and individual action are utmost important. De Nooy van Tol emphasizes that knowledge systems need to change, since now they are too tightly knit to industrial agriculture, and monoculture production systems. New thinking in agricultural research for development is needed to facilitate change instead of providing “objective” knowledge. »