Challenges for agroecology development for the building of sustainable agri-food systems

Abstract

Environmental and social crises in agriculture have led to growing recognition that more ecologically sustainable and socially just food and agricultural systems are needed. This thematic number of the International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources gathers the papers submitted to the workshop “Challenges for agroecology development for the building of sustainable agri-food systems,” an OECD Co-operative Research Programme-sponsored conference. The aim of the workshop was to promote the transition from conventional agriculture towards agroecology as a science, practice and social movement through sharing the experiences of different OECD countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United States. The main topics discussed at the workshop included i) agroecology development in OECD countries: local experiences and international collaboration; ii) agroecology as a social movement and related public policies; iii) agroecology education to promote sustainable agri-food systems; and iv) science, innovation and technologies in agroecological systems. While not a comprehensive assessment of the state of agroecology in OECD countries, this thematic number integrates diverse perspectives on some main research and policy advances and uncovers some existing gaps in agroecology practice as an approach for transitioning towards ecologically sustainable and socially just agricultural systems

Attempts for undoing the ecological incompatibility of agricultural technologies: from ecological pest management to agroecology

“…The ecological approach is additionally gaining ground within the social and public policy approaches to agricultural practices. The use of plant protection products has now been evaluated from the point of view of sustainability, from which agroecology has also grown as a concept (Altieri, 1987;Salazar et al, 2020;Székács et al, 2020). Agroecology attempts to achieve true sustainability by incorporating ten elements in its approach: diversity, cocreation of knowledge, synergies, efficiency, recycling, resilience, human and social values, culture and food traditions, responsible governance, and circular and solidarity economy (FAO 2018; Barrios et al 2020).…”

How does Innovation Contribute to a Sustainable Agri-Food Chain? A European Overview

“…Other papers offered comparative studies between countries or regions (Ilieva & Hernandez, 2018); (Vasa, et al, 2018), while some authors depicted the subject of sustainability in agriculture at country or group of countries level (Perez-Mesa, et al, 2019); (Patidar, et al, 2018); (Adhikari and Prapaspongsa, 2019); (Salazar, et al, 2020); (Zollet and Maharjan, 2021). Furthermore, sustainable agri-food systems were investigated at the crop level as follows: honey (Pippinato, et al, 2020); cocoa (Moreno-Miranda, et al, 2019); (Lerner, et al, 2021); Parmigiano Reggiano (Arfini, et al, 2019); legume-based food (Balazs, et al, 2021); wine industry (Pullman, et al, 2010); (Martucci, et al, 2019).…”

Nitrogen Fertilizer Efficiency Determined by the 15N Dilution Technique in Maize Followed or Not by a Cover Crop in Mediterranean Chile

“…Agriculture in the XXI century faces multiple challenges: (i) it must produce more food for a growing population, with less land and labor availability, and incorporate greater efficiency in the use of resources to contribute to the global development of many developing countries, and (ii) it must employ more efficient and sustainable production methods, associated with climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, increasing the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems [1,2]. Maize (Zea mays L.) is a leading staple crop worldwide, whose production has been controversial in most producing countries, as its high demand for inputs is frequently linked to a high environmental impact [3].…”

“…1 Average values of the variables ± error. Different letters in the column indicate statistically significant differences between the treatments based on multiple LSD Fisher comparisons (α ≤ 0.05) 2. p value (<0.05) corresponds to the dose factor plus the effect of crop rotation vs. time.…”

“…Average values of each variable ± standard error. Different letters in the column indicate statistically significant differences between the levels of each factor, based on multiple LSD Fisher comparisons (α ≤ 0.05) 2. p value (<0.05) corresponds to the effect of the crop rotation and N dose factors and the interaction of the factors.…”