Agroecology as a Pathway towards Sustainable Food Systems

This report summarizes the results of impact studies about agroecological interventions in semiarid regions in three countries, namely, Pernambuco state in Brazil, Fatick district in Senegal, and Osmanabad district in India. The work was carried out by partner organizations funded and supported by MISEREOR. The results provide strong evidence of the impact and potential of agroecology as a pathway towards more sustainable agriculture and food systems. In line with other contemporary studies, academic literature, and international demands for agroecology, it supports calls for substantially increased support for diversified, agroecological farming and food systems. Agroecology enhances the livelihoods of local communities, including improved economic viability and income, food and nutrition security, and sociopolitical empowerment, while generating more stable and sufficient yields. The radical shifts required will entail changing attitudes around conventional rural development approaches in order to promote diversified practices and apply a framework of participation, inclusion, and social, economic and environmental justice. The results in this report present the main strengths of the various initiatives carried out by partners with smallholder family farmers in each region. It concludes with recommendations around the continued and future support needed to secure and expand successful agroecological interventions, grounded in a transformative vision of agroecology that will allow a scaling-out of farming and food systems that put people and nature before profit.