Agroecologies around the worldWhat is agroecology? It actually has a lot of different meanings and applications. I'll describe a little about how I apply it - and here are a few resources if you have access to journals. A great review article: Agroecology as a science, a movement, and a practice. A review. A 2013 Special Issue in the journal Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems: Agroecology and the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems: Transdisciplinary and Participatory Perspectives Authors include many of the leaders in the field.
An important aspect of working with smallholder farmers is understanding the context, including the environment, gender and cultural norms, and socio-economic conditions. This is at the heart of my research in agroecology - working within the given context and across knowledge systems, to create sustainable and nourishing cropping systems that meet household needs and provide more ecosystem services. How do we maintain and develop diverse crops and varieties for these niche environments? How do we build on existing (and successful) informal seed systems to ensure that improved and preferred varieties reach the communities that want and need them most? How do we empower people in the process of research so that they have new skills to continue on? Another forum for learning more about applied agroecology is through a group I am part of, the Global Change Learning Lab in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a learning lab and network of colleagues that engage in science without borders, with a focus on agroecology. The breadth of research and engagement that these scientists practice provides some perspective on the multiple disciplinary focuses within agroecology and how it can be applied to real world situations. The Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research
The Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research is a great resource of publications, newsletters, for practitioners, activities, and researchers alike. The overall goal is to enhance knowledge of the sustainable use and management of agricultural biodiversity - and many of the concepts espouse food sovereignty and overlap with agroecology. From their newsletter: “Created and managed by farmers, pastoralists, fishers and forest dwellers, agrobiodiversity continues to provide many rural communities throughout the world with stability, adaptability and resilience in their farming systems and constitutes a key element of their livelihood strategies.”
On the website you can find newsletters and featured publications about agriculture and nutrition, this publication reviewing the state of knowledge on agriculture and health, landscape and spirituality, land sharing, and many other topics. Indigenous Terra Madre
|
What is Agroecology?
Agroecology Knowledge Hub - FAO
Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research
Global Change Learning Lab in Sub-Saharan Africa
Food Sovereignty
|