Agroecology as a Science, a Movement and a Practice

Wezel, Alexander; Bellon, Stéphane; Doré, Thierry; Francis, Charles; Vallod, Dominique; David, Christophe

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0394-0_3

Cited by 116 publications

(128 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Empowerment and participation, based on techniques and ideas pioneered by Robert Chambers [13,19], are viewed as central to bringing about positive change [20,21]. These approaches explicitly position practical agroecology as a social movement for change, and theorise it as a counter-movement to mainstream agri-food systems [1,2,5,22], which leads to the next stream of agroecology.…”

Section: Streams Within the Agroecology Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include improving agroecologists' theorising around scale; for example, there is a need for greater consideration of the nature of the relationship between farmers' actions and changes at a state or international level [8], and around the sorts of territorial and institutional arrangements that will bring about sustainability [27]. Second, Wezel et al [1] (p. 40) note that agroecology can be a "vague, confusing and ineffective" term and thus strongly open to use by a variety of actors with potentially contradictory agendas-the question of who is using the term and why is under-analysed. For example, there is currently little empirical research on the various definitions of agroecology used by corporate, NGO and development actors.…”

Section: Streams Within the Agroecology Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, agroecology, along with agriculture more generally, has contradictory features in Brazil. On the one hand, civil society, religious organisations and farmers' movements have created a political and social movement based on food sovereignty, farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing and autonomy of the local populations from state or corporate food production systems [1,2,30]. These organisations have been successful in institutionalising agroecology, with influential civil society groups including the Latin American Consortium on Agroecology (CLADES), the National Agroecology Alliance (ANA) and the Brazilian Agroecological Association (ABA-Agroecology), along with scientific institutions like the Brazilian Agricultural Research Organisation.…”

Section: Case Study: Brazilmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Turning to questions of epistemology, there has been substantive consideration of whether agroecology is a science [1], with Dalgaard et al [9] concluding that the principles of scientific agroecology adhere to Western scientific epistemologies, norms and methodologies. As previously discussed, several agroecologists consider that science is moving beyond disciplinary silos, and agroecology represents a dynamic opportunity for genuine transdisciplinary innovation and the opportunity to embrace imperfection and uncertainty in knowledge claims [12].…”

Section: Further Research and Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The growth of agroecology is in part a response to these disparities and aims to redress the ecological, social, economic and political imbalances in the current agri-food system. Agroecology, for some, is a contested and confusing term, with some authors calling for "those who publish using this term (to) be explicit in their interpretation" [1] (p. 503); [2]. The multiple uses of the term are due to cultural, historical, geographic and epistemological reasons, and the definition and content of the term has evolved, as has the political and scientific agendas associated with the concept.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Addressing the Knowledge Gaps in Agroecology and Identifying Guiding Principles for Transforming Conventional Agri-Food Systems

Bellamy

Ioris

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:Today's society faces many challenges when it comes to food production: producing food sustainably, producing enough of it, distributing food, consuming enough calories, consuming too many calories, consuming culturally-appropriate foods, and reducing the amount of food wasted. The distribution of power within the current mainstream agri-food system is dominated by multinational agri-businesses that control the flow of goods and wealth through the system. This hegemony has implemented a regime whose structures reinforce its control. A growing response to the current agri-food regime is the rise of agroecology, in both developed and developing country contexts. This is not a new phenomenon, but it has evolved over time from its Latin American origins. However, agroecology is not a monolithic block and represents many different perceptions of what it means to advance agroecology and ways in which it can help today's society tackle the crisis of the agri-food system. This paper addresses these sometimes discordant view points, as well as the gaps in our knowledge regarding agroecology in an effort to lay out some guiding principles for how we can move forward in transforming the current agri-food system to achieve sustainability and a more equitable distribution of power and resources.

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Section: Streams Within the Agroecology Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Streams Within the Agroecology Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Case Study: Brazilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Further Research and Knowledge Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Addressing the Knowledge Gaps in Agroecology and Identifying Guiding Principles for Transforming Conventional Agri-Food Systems

Bellamy

Ioris

2017

Sustainability

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Global Prosperity and Sustainable Development Goals

Moore¹

2015

J of Intl Development

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Negotiations around Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 development agenda should go beyond just re-writing goals and targets that adhere to 'sustaining' the same old economic and social models. Instead, societies and governments should take this as an opportunity to advance more radical conceptual and practical approaches that challenge this reductive understanding of 'sustainability'. The paper argues that we should turn our attention to prosperity rather than to development per se, recognising the critical role political and social innovation should have in unleashing individuals' potential to flourishing in a context of finite resources. The interwoven, interdependent and ever-evolving nature of socio-ecological systems, together with the uncertainties and 'unknowns' that characterise contemporary reality, questions the relevance of one-size-fits-all goals. There is no single route to prosperity; diversity of objectives is essential and fundamental. Learning from initiatives in the Global South, such as the case of agroecology, might pave the way towards this paradigm shift.

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Potential of genomics for the improvement of underutilized legumes in sub‐Saharan Africa

et al. 2021

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Underutilized, or orphan legumes, are widely distributed across farming landscapes in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) but often have low yields and do not fulfill their potential due to very limited research, breeding, development, marketing, and awareness of their benefits. These advantages include nutritional quality and climate resilience. In this review, we focus on Bambara groundnut, African yam bean, and Kersting's groundnut. Knowledge of the challenges and rewards of exploiting them will provide opportunities for concerted approaches to their revival and contribution to future global food systems, especially in the context of climate change. This review identifies the institutional and noninstitutional challenges, the constraints, the prospects, and the rewards that can be derived from exploiting orphan legumes in SSA. The genetic resources center (GRC) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) conserves a diverse collection of about 2500 accessions of these crops with the majority from Africa. In this review, we focus on the ex situ conservation of the genetic resources of these indigenous African legume crops, their characterization and evaluation, prospects for the development of improved cultivars, and the role they could play, particularly with respect to nutrition and adaptation to climate change. We emphasize progress made in recent years concerning the assembly of information required for application of genomics tools to these crops and how this will underpin the development of improved varieties.

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Agroecology as a Science, a Movement and a Practice

Cited by 116 publications

References 33 publications

Addressing the Knowledge Gaps in Agroecology and Identifying Guiding Principles for Transforming Conventional Agri-Food Systems

Addressing the Knowledge Gaps in Agroecology and Identifying Guiding Principles for Transforming Conventional Agri-Food Systems

Global Prosperity and Sustainable Development Goals

Potential of genomics for the improvement of underutilized legumes in sub‐Saharan Africa

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