Agroecology continues to gain traction around the world as a way of farming that supports life rather than destroys it. The first issue of Rooted magazine shares insights on how agroecology can be enabled through policy, and how that policy can be created.
For millennia, peasants and Indigenous Peoples have led the way in showing the social and ecological benefits of the principles and practices that comprise what is now recognised as agroecology. Social movements have been rallying behind calls for the agroecological transformation of societies for several decades and academic research on agroecology has a history of about fifty years. But the turn to agroecology in policy has been much more recent.
Recognising that agroecology can provide robust solutions to address a multitude of societal challenges, many countries are now designing policies in support of agroecology, with implementation happening at the municipal, subnational, national and international levels. As this remains relatively new terrain, many questions exist, including: What are these policies trying to achieve? What were the processes that led to their creation? What are the main drivers, and who are the key advocates? What are the pitfalls and what are the promises?
Action for transformative policy change at all levels has been catalysed by strategic, broad-based, bottom-up movements
To begin to respond to these questions, this inaugural issue of Rooted magazine showcases trailblazing agroecological policies on every continent. These policies have each, in their own way, facilitated the development of agroecological food webs and enabled the transition away from industrial food and farming systems.
We explore how food system actors – including farmers, researchers, activists and policymakers – have shaped the creation and implementation of policies that enable agroecology. We also identify obstacles and structural challenges that hamper the adoption of agroecology policy. There is a great deal to be learned from the initiatives presented here, and we hope those insights can be used by others to inspire truly transformative policy processes.
Movements ignite policy change
One of the most important takeaways in this collection of experiences and perspectives is that without exception, the discussions and processes that led to policies for agroecology have been sparked by grassroots pressure and proposals and intersectoral alliances, rather than by governments. Action for transformative policy change at all levels – local, national and global – has been catalysed by strategic, broad-based, bottom-up movements of peasants, Indigenous Peoples and civil society actors calling for change.
The bolstering of and solidarity with international movements will continue to be crucial in this process. This is evident in Gaza where the ongoing genocide has, at the time of publication, left more than 42,000 dead and has destroyed the region’s farmlands. In this issue, authors from Gaza and the UK take a heart-wrenching look back at the work of women-led urban agroecological food initiatives in Gaza that managed to take root before the genocide, in defiance of the illegal blockade that has been in place for decades. As the authors remind us: “Destruction and war neither annihilate us nor obliterate our learning. The history and resilience of Palestinians in Gaza provide some hope that a dignified agroecological future is still possible.”
Other authors in this issue describe how sustained and organised grassroots pressure has resulted in the development of national policy for agroecology in their countries. As authors from Brazil’s national agroecology movement (ANA) share, for example, orchestrated an ambitious, decentralised advocacy campaign that included the mapping of hundreds of municipal policies with links to agroecology; this strategy laid the groundwork for an effective campaign around the 2022 state and federal elections.
People’s agroecological processes, indigenous governance and commons initiatives are equally meaningful forms of policy co-creation
In many places, coalitions with other actors outside food production have been key. Farmers, civil society and government actors worked together for the adoption of trailblazing agroecological policy in Kenya’s Muranga’a county. Martin Muriuki, Faith Gikunda and Moritz Fegert share how they used a three-pronged strategy to achieve this, that included building coalitions, aligning with government priorities, and leveraging synergies with the public health sector.
In Canada, Faris Ahmed describes how years of intersectional alliance building and strategising were crucial to achieving a National Food Policy for the country – “a menu of workable policies that can put us on the right path”. In Zimbabwe, as told by Nelson Mudzingwa and Simba Guzha, small-scale farmers were the first to plant the seeds for a national agroecology policy, and they continue to steer its development through ongoing education, mobilisation and engagement with the government. The proposals in Colombia for a national public policy on agroecology were, writes Ivonne Florez Pastor, the result of years of mobilisation and advocacy by a powerful alliance of peasant, Indigenous, Afro-descendent, youth and women’s organisations.
In Brazil, Colombia, Canada and other places, timing was of the essence – newly elected governments often ran with an agroecology agenda, even though the foundation of it had been laid over many years.
Regional and global policy frameworks
Declarations, agreements and legal frameworks adopted in regional and international fora can also provide important tools and support for agroecological advances. Around the world, there are promising tools being developed to stimulate policy change. In an interview, Georgina M. Catacora-Vargas explains how the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) is used as a compelling avenue for promoting legal frameworks for peasants’ rights, food sovereignty and agroecology.
Csilla Kiss and Lindy Binder describe how in Europe, public procurement that favours small-scale organic and agroecological farmers is being used to spur agroecological transformation in large cities like Copenhagen as well as in smaller municipalities. They illustrate how local and European policy that brings farmers, researchers, local policymakers and public procurers together hold the potential to transform food systems.
Million Belay argues that an African Food Policy supported by a region-wide food movement could provide policy coherence for national governments. Such regional and global policy frameworks can strengthen and support peasants’ movements by establishing precedent and providing momentum for agroecology policy within countries.
Informal policies
We must not lose sight of the fact that policies are not only led by states, but that people’s agroecological processes, indigenous governance and commons initiatives are equally meaningful forms of policy co-creation (although they may clash with formal policies that are based on a capitalist logic).
Jessica Milgroom and Josh Brem-Wilson reflect on how communities and cultures have developed informal policies that are based on a shared set of values, which play a crucial role in shaping food systems. In fact, these are in some ways stronger than formal policies as they become part of the norms and fabric of society whereas policies often don’t.
In fact, existing policies are often at odds with the kinds of norms and values of agroecology practitioners. This is illustrated by Sadaf Javed in her analysis of state-driven organic certification processes in the Indian Himalayas, describing how they are designed to value yield above the quality and diversity inherent in indigenous and traditional food production practices. From our interview with Irina Aguiari, we learn about another case, where a thriving, politically autonomous food commons in the Italian countryside was destabilised by conflicting state policies and economic interests.
The need for a paradigm shift
A recurring thread throughout the experiences presented in this issue of Rooted is the challenge of the narrative of co-existence between agroecology and the industrial model of food production. In Switzerland, as we learn in the article by Inea Lehner and Johanna Jacobi, a national Citizens’ Assembly for Food Policy served as an encouraging model for creating active ‘food citizens’, but at the same time showed how change remains superficial when the fundamental characteristics of the capitalist food system are not questioned from the start.
Similarly, authors from the civil society movement in Senegal caution that while the country has become a breeding ground for innovative agroecology initiatives, its dependence on international projects and programmes and the compartmentalisation of various sectors are hampering a holistic, long-term vision on agriculture.
Effective agroecology policies must recognise indigenous wisdom and rights and local knowledge and solutions
Leidy Casimiro-Rodriguez and other authors from Cuba offer a fresh perspective on the country’s well-documented impressive advances in agroecology, which unfolded in stages rather than being a deliberately coordinated transformation of food systems. They provide thoughts on how recent policy reforms can ensure it is more firmly and explicitly anchored as a path towards food sovereignty for the future.
Existing policies are often at odds with the kinds of policies agroecology proponents are advocating for. This is illustrated by Sadaf Javed in her analysis of state-driven organic certification processes in the Indian Himalayas, describing how they are designed to value yield above the quality and diversity inherent in indigenous and traditional food production practices.
These experiences point to the unavoidable fact that developing and implementing meaningful, long-lasting agroecological policies implies a major overhaul of the influence of agribusiness on food systems. Corporations seeking to maximise production and profits have a major say in policymaking of many countries; they are bolstered by trade policies, hefty subsidies and a corporate-driven research agenda. Although many farmers and food producers would like to transition away from systems that entrap and impoverish them, they lack the supportive policies and substantial incentives to help them move in a different direction.
The way forward
The industrial food system is being challenged by a groundswell of movements around the world and has led to mass mobilisations by farmers and their allies. The need for policies that support more resilient and fair food systems is evident. The articles in this issue illustrate how agroecological actors have opened strategic policy inroads by building broad alliances and finding synergy with existing government policies and agendas, including mitigating climate change, improving public health and poverty alleviation.
This issue highlights how, in order to succeed, these policy processes must bring together multiple stakeholders and be participatory, consensual and autonomous. Food producers must be engaged leaders in this process – not only to help policymakers build an understanding of agroecology but ultimately to form the backbone of any policy. For the resulting policies to be effective in driving food systems change, they must recognise indigenous wisdom and rights and local knowledge, and be based on solutions that can be enacted by community members.
Diligent commitment to implementation and enforcement of the policies, including funding and infrastructure, must accompany the drafting and adoption of the policies. As we know, just having a policy is no guarantee for its implementation. Having a policy also means securing appropriate funding for its implementation.
Moreover, continued pressure and vigilance by grassroots movements has shown to be crucial for policies to achieve the intended aims, and ensuring appropriate resources remains important even after adoption of any policy. But this responsibility should not only be put on the shoulders of farmers and grassroots movements, as entire societies will benefit.
At this critical juncture in human history, it is essential that policy momentum for agroecology continues to grow. Agroecology policy is of a fractal nature: it often starts small and leads to successive replication at scale. The celebration and protection of both formal and informal policy in support of agroecology – whether it be at the community, national or global level – has the potential to harvest the political work of movement building towards a truly agroecological metamorphosis of our societies.
Engage!
Curious to learn more? Check out our resources section with reports, toolkits, manifestos, methodological frameworks, websites, films and webinars focused on policy proposals and developments from our partners in agroecology around the world.
The next issue of Rooted (March 2025) will focus on Health and Agroecology. Subscribe to our digital magazine below to receive the Call for Contributions and submit your story.
Authors: This article was written collectively by the members of the editorial board of Rooted.
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This article is part of Issue 1-2024: Policies for Agroecology
