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Sustainability
Special Issues
Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints
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Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 18508

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Miguel A. Altieri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of California, Berkeley, Department of Environmental Sciences, Berkeley, United States
Interests: crop protection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As a scientific approach to designing and managing resilient, biodiverse and productive agricultural systems based on ecological principles, agroecology also entails a movement engaged in the transformation of the food system that has gained momentum in many countries worldwide. In several cases, the implementation of agroecological practices has grown beyond isolated, local experiences to be employed by an ever-greater number of families and communities over ever-larger territories and to engage more people in the production, distribution and consumption of agroecologically produced food.

However, if agroecology has such great potential to address the multiple challenges facing agriculture, why is it not adopted more widely by farmers? There are many technical, social, economic and political barriers for the scaling up of agroecology. Many people have suggested various ways to overcome the barriers, such as creating an enabling environment, providing the right incentives to farmers, creating special markets, fund more research and education on agroecology. A key challenge for the amplification of agroecology lies in the translation of agroecological principles into practical strategies for soil, water and biodiversity management to enhance production and resilience, so that they can be widely disseminated and expanded.

This Special Issue of Sustainability provides a collection of papers that, using examples from various countries, analyze the processes that have impeded and those that have enabled the bringing to scale of agroecology. The analysis of the initiatives described in this Special Issue sheds light on new pathways for amplifying agroecological transformations at the territorial level.

Prof. Dr. Miguel A. Altieri
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroecology
  • scaling up
  • agroecological territories
  • public policies
  • social movements
  • food sovereignty
  • resilience

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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20 pages, 1090 KiB  
Article
Pathways to Scaling Agroecology in the City Region: Scaling out, Scaling up and Scaling deep through Community-Led Trade
by Poppy Nicol
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7842; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197842 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3879
Abstract
Scaling agroecology has the potential to support more sustainable and just food futures. This article investigates a case of community-led trade operating in the city region of London. Drawing upon interviews with stakeholders and practice-based ethnographic fieldwork, challenges and opportunities for agroecology are [...] Read more.
Scaling agroecology has the potential to support more sustainable and just food futures. This article investigates a case of community-led trade operating in the city region of London. Drawing upon interviews with stakeholders and practice-based ethnographic fieldwork, challenges and opportunities for agroecology are examined. Three dimensions of scaling agroecology are identified as pathways to sustainable and just food futures in the city region: scaling out, scaling up and scaling deep. Findings suggest scaling out agroecology requires access to secure, affordable land and infrastructure for agroecological communities of practice, alongside investment in capacity building for agroecological communities of practice via learning platforms (such as training programmes) and knowledge exchange (such as farmer-to-farmer and trader-to-trader learning). Second, scaling up agroecology requires transformations in policy, planning and legislation that value and invest in agroecological practices and divest in unsustainable and unjust food systems, supported via translocal networks for exchange of good practice. Third, scaling deep agroecology requires investment both in transformative learning opportunities and networks that support agroecological communities of practices, including those with lived experience of food injustice. Findings have implications for the question regarding scaling agroecology in the city region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints)
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25 pages, 1735 KiB  
Article
From Co-Learning to Shared Commitment to Agroecology. Some Insights from Initiatives Aimed at Reintroducing Agrobiodiversity
by Adanella Rossi
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7766; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187766 - 20 Sep 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2985
Abstract
Agroecology represents a holistic approach in the transition to food system sustainability, integrating different dimensions, including knowledge creation, practices redefinition and social mobilisation. This study aims to explore the processes underlying the implementation of the agroecological approach and its transformative potential, focusing on [...] Read more.
Agroecology represents a holistic approach in the transition to food system sustainability, integrating different dimensions, including knowledge creation, practices redefinition and social mobilisation. This study aims to explore the processes underlying the implementation of the agroecological approach and its transformative potential, focusing on the learning processes that lead to the development of new, shared systems of knowledge, values and beliefs, and to the growth of reflexivity and agency. It aims at deepening the understanding of these processes by analysing the reintroduction of agrobiodiversity in crop/food systems, considering this as a founding element of the agroecological model. Three initiatives located in Italy are investigated to that end. The study analyses role, mechanisms and potential of co-learning processes that develop within the multi-actor networks involved, uncovering enabling and hindering factors. It focuses on the role, reciprocal articulation and cumulative effects of three elements: actors involved and ways of interacting, types of knowledge mobilised and facilitation actions carried out. The findings highlight that the factors ensuring effectiveness of mutual learning, such as modes of actor interaction and, particularly, facilitation, are crucial. At the same time, the mechanisms that intervene seem increasingly complex, showing the need for deeper research and adequate forms of support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints)
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21 pages, 2457 KiB  
Article
A Methodological Approach to Upscale Toward an Agroecology System in EU-LAFSs: The Case of the Parma Bio-District
by Marianna Guareschi, Michele Maccari, Juan Pablo Sciurano, Filippo Arfini and Andrea Pronti
Sustainability 2020, 12(13), 5398; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135398 - 3 Jul 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3910
Abstract
The increasing interest in bio-districts is part of the debate on the capacity to integrate agri-food systems and territory in order to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Considering the goals of developing and promoting an innovative territorial rural development approach, [...] Read more.
The increasing interest in bio-districts is part of the debate on the capacity to integrate agri-food systems and territory in order to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Considering the goals of developing and promoting an innovative territorial rural development approach, the bio-district can become a process toward a more sustainable model represented by the agroecological agriculture system. The paper presents a case study of the Parma bio-district through the approach of a Localized Agri Food System (LAFS) to verify whether bio-districts can be a tool for scaling up towards agroecology. Stakeholder classification and analysis are conducted using an influence–interest matrix. We identified four groups of stakeholders in relation to their interests and power to influence the process. In the case of the Parma bio-district the role of local institutions in dialogue with consumers and producers’ associations is crucial for success. We conclude that bio-districts can be a tool for a scaling-up towards agroecology since they can facilitate a synergetic relation between organic and agroecological agriculture, spreading organic agriculture more widely around the local area. However, the involvement of a wide variety of different stakeholders means that governance is a key element in facilitating “cross fertilization” and preventing the process from becoming purely formulaic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints)
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12 pages, 1085 KiB  
Article
Participatory Research towards Food System Redesign: Italian Case Study and Perspectives
by Corrado Ciaccia, Marta Di Pierro, Elena Testani, Giancarlo Roccuzzo, Marcello Cutuli and Danilo Ceccarelli
Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7138; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247138 - 13 Dec 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7017
Abstract
Industrial agriculture and its requirement for standardized approaches is driving the world towards a global food system, shrinking the role of farmers and shifting decision-making power. On the contrary, a holistic perspective towards a new food-system design could meet the needs of a [...] Read more.
Industrial agriculture and its requirement for standardized approaches is driving the world towards a global food system, shrinking the role of farmers and shifting decision-making power. On the contrary, a holistic perspective towards a new food-system design could meet the needs of a larger share of stakeholders. Long-term experiments are crucial in this transition, being the hub of knowledge and the workshop of ‘participation in’ and ‘appropriation of’ the research in agriculture over a long term. We present a methodology applied during the creation of a small network of organic farmers in Italy and detail the steps of the co-innovation process implemented. After a context analysis of the area to define the type of research and degree of participation, three steps were performed: (1) Identification of stakeholders; (2) dialogic identification of common activities; and (3) validation and feedback from participants. In the first participatory step, five organic farms were engaged for the second and third steps. We organized meetings to discuss future plans, facilitating the interaction process between farmers and researchers. These activities led to: (i) the definition of a research protocol based on farmers’ research needs for a new long-term experiment; (ii) committing farmers to take an active role in the research; and (iii) hosting experimental satellite trials in their own farms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scaling Up Agroecology: Experiences, Opportunities and Constraints)
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