Agroecology Now!

Anderson, Colin; Bruil, Janneke; Chappell, M. Jahi; Kiss, Csilla; Pimbert, Michel

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-61315-0

Cited by 64 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…These functional multisectoral food systems platforms including not only governmental organizations but also the private sector and civil society then aim to contribute to data-driven strategic planning and resourcing and make city food systems more responsive to local ecological conditions and nutritional needs of its population in an inclusive manner ( 43 , 44 ). The example of Brazil, which used to be an exemplary case of governmental support for agroecology but then was completely wiped out by a change in political leadership ( 45 ), illustrates the importance of strong and resilient/robust multisectoral, local level food systems ownership.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE): Protocol of a multi-sectoral development project to improve food and nutrition security of secondary city populations in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda

Speich

Barth‐Jaeggi

Musard

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundSecondary cities tend to be better linked with local food systems than primate cities, acting as important platforms to trade agricultural produce with rural surrounding. COVID-19, conflicts and climate change continue to expose inefficiencies in food systems and have further exacerbated malnutrition, calling for substantial food systems transformations. However, tackling current food systems' challenges requires new approaches to ensure food and nutrition security. Nutritious and agroecologically produced food offer the potential to transform food systems by improving diets and alleviating pressure on the environment, as well as by creating jobs and reducing poverty. This paper describes the design of a project by a Swiss public-private consortium to improve food and nutrition security and to reduce poverty in city ecosystems in six secondary cities in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda through governance/policy and supply and demand side interventions.MethodsThe Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) project promotes well-balanced nutrition for city populations through interdisciplinary agricultural, food, and health sector collaborations along city-specific value chains. Adopting a transdiciplinary systems approach, the main interventions of NICE are (i) advocacy and policy dialogue, (ii) building of decentralized institutional capacity in multi-sectoral collaborations, (iii) support of data-driven planning, coordination and resource mobilization, (iv) anchoring of innovations and new approaches in city-level partnerships, (v) capacity building in the agricultural, retail, health and education sectors, as well as (vi) evidence generation from putting policies into practice at the local level. NICE is coordinated by in-country partners and local offices of the Swiss public-private consortium partners.DiscussionThe NICE project seeks to contribute to urban food system resilience and enhanced sustainable nutrition for city populations by (A) strengthening urban governance structures involving key stakeholders including women and youth, (B) generating income for producers along the supply chain, (C) triggering change in producers' and consumers' behavior such that nutritious and agroecologically produced foods are both in demand as well as available and affordable in urban markets, and (D) allowing a scale up of successful approaches to other national and international cities and city networks.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE): Protocol of a multi-sectoral development project to improve food and nutrition security of secondary city populations in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda

Speich

Barth‐Jaeggi

Musard

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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“…MARISCO differs from most approaches by placing greater emphasis on ecosystem functionality, system dynamics, change and future risks, with a particular focus on the effects and problems relating to climate change and by strictly following the ecosystem based approach (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2004;Salvaterra et al, 2016;Schick et al, 2017). While methodologically distinct, MARISCO also shares strong similarities with approaches found in the field of agroecology-in particular, its holistic perspective and emphasis on knowledge co-production (see e.g., Méndez et al, 2013;Audouin et al, 2019;Anderson et al, 2021). By facilitating iterative processes of collective learning, MARISCO also integrates principles found in participatory action research (Bloch et al, 2016).…”

Section: The Marisco Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adapting a Participatory and Ecosystem-Based Assessment Impacted by the Pandemic: Lessons Learned With Farmers in Tajikistan

Spies

Schick

Karomatov

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The paper presents a systemic and participatory assessment approach and scrutinizes how methodological changes necessitated during the Covid-19 pandemic implicated the process and its outcomes. The approach was applied in rural Tajikistan to evaluate changes effected by a development project that promoted the enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services in agrarian landscapes. The central building block of the assessment consisted of participatory workshops in 2018 and 2020 with farmers and other stakeholders to develop a systemic knowledge map and to evaluate the promoted strategies based on local expertise. The methodological basis was MARISCO (adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites), a holistic and participatory approach to ecosystem-based assessment and management that requires well-trained facilitators. While the activities in 2018 could be implemented as planned, major changes in the work plan were necessary in 2020 due to severe travel restrictions and social distancing rules. Conducting virtual workshops was not possible, as it would have excluded key stakeholders from the process. Instead of conducting a comprehensive assessment workshop guided by two German MARISCO facilitators as originally planned, a series of short and small workshops could be realized. These workshops were facilitated by Tajik scientists after receiving virtual training from their German colleagues. Although it was possible to bring the assessment to a satisfactory conclusion, the methodological changes revealed significant drawbacks. Radical simplifications of the methods were necessary that led to reduced depth of the assessment and missed learning opportunities for participants. Limited experience in workshop guidance by the new facilitators posed challenges to the participatory process and the quality of its outcomes. While the adapted method created training effects that would otherwise have been missed, it also put additional pressure on the capacities of local partners. Our experience during the pandemic offers valuable lessons learned for future applications of systemic-participatory approaches. Whereas, a complete shift to remote applications is problematic, there is a need to put greater emphasis on capacitating local partners. Methodological trade-offs are necessary for partially remote working processes, but principles of participation and systemic thinking should not be compromised.

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“…Subsequently, the Declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology, held in Nyleni in 2015, accepted agroecology as a key element in constructing food sovereignty. In asking for a transition to more sustainable food systems, this approach asks for a more just society that counters structural oppression, racial capitalism, and patriarchy [18]. Further, Schneider and McMichael [19] argued that food sovereignty has a significant role as an environmental countermovement needed to resolve ecological crises.…”

Section: Agroecology As a Sociopolitical Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Possibilities for Women’s Empowerment through Agroecology in Himachal Pradesh, India

Behl,

Osbahr,

Cardey

2023

Sustainability

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In 2018, the state of Himachal Pradesh in north India launched an initiative to convert all its farmers to natural farming (NF), an agroecological approach. The aim was to address multiple challenges related to rural livelihoods, high input costs, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. This paper is based on a qualitative case study of the state programme to transition farmers to NF. It seeks to understand how its mechanisms support and empower small and marginal women farmers. In addition to identifying mechanisms that facilitate the effective uptake of NF, the case study sought women’s views on whether these mechanisms increased spaces for decision making and developed capabilities and autonomy. Framed within the vision of reclaiming food sovereignty, various mechanisms such as training in villages, participating in NF groups and networks, visits to model farms, and adopting leadership roles offered new pathways for women farmers to gain confidence and capabilities. Women began to participate in spaces that had been culturally and structurally denied to them. This case study demonstrates how agroecology initiatives, with a particular emphasis on gender, can offer women various opportunities for decision making, income generation, and creative expression. These initiatives also expand community agency and enable the acquisition of knowledge necessary for sustainable ecosystems.

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Agroecology Now!

Cited by 64 publications

References 0 publications

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE): Protocol of a multi-sectoral development project to improve food and nutrition security of secondary city populations in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda

Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE): Protocol of a multi-sectoral development project to improve food and nutrition security of secondary city populations in Bangladesh, Kenya and Rwanda

Adapting a Participatory and Ecosystem-Based Assessment Impacted by the Pandemic: Lessons Learned With Farmers in Tajikistan

New Possibilities for Women’s Empowerment through Agroecology in Himachal Pradesh, India

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