Skip to main content

Agroecological Farming for Inclusive and Sustainable Agriculture

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Zero Hunger

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

  • 71 Accesses

Definition

Agriculture is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable when, on the one side, it improves the terms on which rural dwellers actively participate in rural economy and society and, on the other, when it is capable to preserve the environment. Agriculture is inclusive when it empowers all people, especially those socially and economically disadvantaged, by reducing barriers that preclude them from participating in agriculture and other food system activities. Agriculture is environmentally sustainable when it minimizes negative impacts on the environment while optimizing production by protecting, conserving and enhancing natural resources and using them efficiently.

Introduction

Agriculture it is the main source of food for the world population producing an average of 23.7 million tonnes of food every day (FAO 2014, 2018c). Since the 1960s, the world agriculture and food system have responded to a doubling of the world population and global nutrition, bringing more...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ahmed AU, Vargas Hill R, Smith LC, Frankenberger T (2002) The poorest and hungry: characteristics and causes. In: Von Braun J, Vargas Hill R, Pandya-Lorch R (eds) The poorest and the hungry. Assessments, analyses, and actions. IFPRI, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA (1995) Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. Agroforestry Systems 35:111–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri M (2008) Small farms as a planetary ecological asset: Five key reasons why we should support the revitalization of small farms in the Global South. Environment and Development Series 7; Third World Network: Penang, Malaysia

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Nicholls CI (2005) Agroecology and the search for a truly sustainable agriculture. University of California, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Funes-Monzote FR, Petersen P (2012) Agroecologically efficient agricultural systems for smallholder farmers: contributions to food sovereignty. Agron Sustain Dev 32:1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Nicholls CI, Montalba R (2017) Technological approaches to sustainable agriculture at a crossroads: an agroecological perspective. Sustainability 9:349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amekawa Y, Sseguya H, Onzere S, Carranza I (2010) Delineating the multifunctional role of agroecological practices: toward sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers in developing countries. J Sustain Agric 34(2):202–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Awan U, Kraslawski A, Huiskonen J, Suleman N (2020) Exploring the locus of social sustainability implementation: a South Asian perspective on planning for Sustainable Development. In: Leal Filho W, Tortato U, Frankenberger F (eds) Universities and sustainable communities: meeting the goals of the agenda, vol 2030, pp 89–105

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bacon CM, Getz C, Kraus S, Montenegro M, Holland K (2012) The social dimensions of sustainability and change in diversified farming systems. Ecol Soc 17(4):41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellwood-Howard I, Ripoll S (2020) Divergent understandings of agroecology in the era of the African Green Revolution. Outlook on agriculture 49:103–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Boström M (2012) A missing pillar? Challenges in theorizing and practicing social sustainability: introduction to the special issue. Sustain Sci Pract 8(1):3–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Castaneda RA, Doan DDT, Newhouse DL, Nguyen MC, Uematsu H, Azevedo JPWD (2018) A new profile of the global poor. World Development 101:250–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell MJ, Bernhart A, Bachmann L, Gonçalves AL, Seck S, Nandul P, Cristo dos Santos A (2018) Agroecology as a pathway towards sustainable food systems. MISEREOR IHR Hilfswerk

    Google Scholar 

  • De La O Campos AP, Villani C, Davis B, Takagi M (2018) Ending extreme poverty in rural areas – Sustaining livelihoods to leave no one behind. Rome, FAO

    Google Scholar 

  • De Schutter O (2010) Agroecology and the right to food. Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food

    Google Scholar 

  • De Schutter O (2014a) Final report: the transformative potential of the right to food. Report to the 25th session of the Human Rights Council HRC/25/57, January

    Google Scholar 

  • De Schutter O (2014b) The specter of productivism and food democracy. Wis Law Rev 2:199–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Dumont AM, Vanloqueren G, Stassart PM, Baret PV (2016) Clarifying the socioeconomic dimensions of agroecology: between principles and practices. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 40(1):24–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Elver H (2015) Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights Council, Thirty-first session, 14 December 2015, A/HRC31/51

    Google Scholar 

  • Engler-Stringer R (2014) Food security. In: Michalos AC (ed) Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan S, Rue C (2020) The role of smallholder farms in a changing world. In: Gomez y Paloma S, Riesgo L, Louhichi K (eds) The role of smallholder farms in food and nutrition security. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. pp 13–28

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2014) Building a common vision for sustainable food and agriculture. Principles and approaches. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2015a) The state of food and agriculture 2015. Social protection and agriculture: Breaking the cycle of rural poverty. Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO, IFAD, WFP (2015b) The state of food insecurity in the world 2015. Meeting the 2015 international hunger targets: taking stock of uneven progress. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2017) The future of food and agriculture – trends and challenges. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2018a) Ending extreme poverty in rural areas – sustaining livelihoods to leave no one behind. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2018b) FAO’s work on agroecology: a pathway to achieve the SDGs. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2018c) The future of food and agriculture – alternative pathways to 2050. Summary version. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO (2018) The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2018. Building climate resilience for food security and nutrition. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO and IFAD (2019) United Nations Decade of Family Farming 2019–2028. Global Action Plan. Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO (2020) The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2020. Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson BG, Morales H, Chung K, Nigh R (2019) Scaling out agroecology from the school garden: the importance of culture, food, and place. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 43(7–8):724–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez M, Goodall K, Olson M, Méndez EV (2013) Agroecology and alternative agri-food movements in the United States: toward a sustainable agri-food system. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 37(1):115–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson M (2014) Food security – a commentary: what is it and why is it so complicated? Foods 1:18–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman SR (2007) Agroecology: the ecology of sustainable food systems. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gowdy J, Baveye P (2019) An evolutionary perspective on industrial and sustainable agriculture. Agroecosystem diversity pp 425–433

    Google Scholar 

  • Hecht SB (2018) The evolution of agroecological thought. In: Altieri MA (ed) Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • HLPE (2013) Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • HLPE (2019) Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • International Food Policy Research Institute (2020) 2020 global food policy report: building inclusive food systems. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • IPES-Food (2016) From uniformity to diversity: a paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food systems. www.ipes-food.org

  • Janker J, Mann S, Rist S (2018) Social sustainability in agriculture – A system-based framework. Journal of Rural Studies

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohon J (2018) Social inclusion in the sustainable neighborhood? Idealism of urban social sustainability theory complicated by realities of community planning practice. City Cult Soc 15:14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loconto AM, Jimenez A, Vandecandelaere E, Tartanac F (2018) Agroecology, local food systems and their markets. AGER J Depopulation Rural Dev Stud 25(2):13–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowder SK, Sańchez MV, Bertini R (2019) Farms, family farms, farmland distribution and farm labour: What do we know today? FAO Agricultural Development Economics Working Paper 19–08. Rome, FAO

    Google Scholar 

  • McKay B (2012) A socially inclusive pathway to food security: the agroecological alternative. Policy research brief 23. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/50349

  • Mier y Teran Giménez, C. M. O, Giraldo F, Aldasoro M, Morales H, Ferguson BG, Rosset P, Khadse A, Campos C (2018) Bringing agroecology to scale: key drivers and emblematic cases. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 42(6):637–665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Migliorini P, Wezel A (2017) Converging and diverging principles and practices of organic agriculture regulations and agroecology. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 37(6). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0472-4#citeas

  • Nicholls CI, Altieri MA, Vazquez L (2016) Agroecology: principles for the conversion and redesign of farming systems. J Ecosyst Ecograph S5:010. https://doi.org/10.4172/2157-7625.S5-010

  • Norder LA, Lamine C, Bellon S, Brandenburg A (2016) Agroecology: polysemy, pluralism and controversies. Ambiente & Soc 19(3):1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olinto P, Beegle K, Sobrado CE, Uematsu H (2013) The state of the poor: where are the poor, where is extreme poverty harder to end, and what is the current profile of the world’s poor. Economic premise, 125, October 2013. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollan (2010) The food movement, rising. New York Rev Books 31:3

    Google Scholar 

  • Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K, Persson Å, Chapin FS, Lambin E et al (2009) Planetary boundaries: exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecol Soc 14(2):32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schiller K, Godek W, Klerkx L, Poortvliet ML (2020) Nicaragua’s agroecological transition: transformation or reconfiguration of the agri-food regime? Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 44(5):611–628

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silici L (2014) Agroecology: what it is and what it has to offer. IIED Issue Paper. IIED, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Swinton SM, Lupi F, Robertson GP, Hamilton SK (2007) Ecosystem services and agriculture: cultivating agricultural ecosystems for diverse benefits. Ecol Econ 64(2):245–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural (1999) Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. General comment 12. The right to adequate food (art. 11)

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF (2018) Malnutrition rates remain alarming: stunting is declining too slowly while wasting still impacts the lives of far too many young children. Retrieved from: http://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/malnutrition/#

  • Velten S, Leventon J, Jager N, Newig J (2015) What is sustainable agriculture? A systematic review. Sustainability 7:7833–7865

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wezel A, Bellon S, Doré T, Francis C, Vallod D, David C (2009) Agroecology as a science, a movement and a practice. A review. Agron Sustain Dev, Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences/INRA 29(4):503–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2013) Global monitoring report 2013. Rural-urban dynamics and the Millennium Development Goals. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2018) Poverty and shared prosperity 2018: Piecing together the poverty puzzle. World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2006) Guidelines on food fortification with micronutrients. Edited by Allen L., de Benoist B., Dary O., Hurrel R

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giaime Berti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Berti, G. (2021). Agroecological Farming for Inclusive and Sustainable Agriculture. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P.G., Wall, T. (eds) Zero Hunger. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69626-3_124-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69626-3_124-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69626-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69626-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics