Demystifying agroecology in Brazil

Abstract

This paper reflects on the controversy between agroecology and modern conventional agriculture. As a counter-paradigm, agroecology criticizes and resists advances in agricultural sciences, including biotechnology. But does not offer concrete answers to the challenge of increasing food production in the world in a sustentably way. It is a view that denies the importance of modern agriculture to solve the problems of scarcity and food security and does not recognize the potential of genetic modification to decisively to promote sustainable agriculture, accelerating the overcoming of the so-called “chemical reductionist paradigm”. The principal argument is that agroecology, despite being an area of knowledge that can contribute to recovering natural resources and helping nature’s resilience, is not an alternative to modern conventional agriculture and has been trying to prevent advances in genetic engineering, a fundamental area for sustainability and for the low carbon agriculture. In the end, based on the importance of the controversy in the History of Science, presents the reasons why agroecology does not fulfill the requirements to be an agricultural science.

Agroecology and resilience of smallholder food security: a systematic review

“…The review provides empirical evidence that agroecology is a viable alternative to smallholder food security and resilience. From the 47 reviewed articles, only one article by Baiardi and Pedroso (2020) disagrees that agroecology could serve as a viable approach for enhancing the resilience and food security of smallholders. All 17 empirical studies suggest that agroecology could enhance resilience and food security among smallholders.…”