In Colombia, the relationship between agroecology and health has been studied mainly from a physical health perspective, focusing on the reduction of exposure to harmful substances and the creation of healthy environments. However, the impact of agroecology on mental health and wellbeing has been little explored. Our findings are showing strong connections.
Both the National Network of Family Farming (RENAF) and the Minuto de Dios University’s Specialisation in Family Farming have observed that agroecological practices in the territories not only promote sustainable production, but also generate spaces where aspects of human subjectivity emerge – capacities, talents, anxieties and fears – that are related to how people experience and give meaning to their lives.
Social sensitivity
For example, the creation of healthy environments leads not only to human wellbeing, but also to respect for other forms of life. Samuel Babativa, an agroecological farmer from Tolima, explains: “When we teach farming, we also teach about the importance of taking care of the soil and the micro and mesofauna.” Another agroecological farmer from Tolima, Maribel García, highlights how the design of agricultural systems in a way that responds to local ecological and socio-cultural conditions is connected with aesthetics, art and care. Not only do these spaces increase production, but they also generate wellbeing and satisfaction for those who design and enjoy them.
The creation of healthy environments leads not only to human wellbeing, but also to respect for other forms of life
Agroecology also supports the human potential to transform environments. Carmen Inés Prieto, an agroecological producer in the Cabrera Peasant Reserve Zone (Cundinamarca), says: “Thanks to agroecology, many peasant women, including mothers who are heads of households with children with disabilities, have found alternative livelihoods and learned new skills. In my case, caring for my daughter with physical and motor disabilities has been a challenge, but the work in the gardens and the community has improved her physical and mental state and has given us confidence and hope.”
People who participate in agroecological processes, whether in production, social organisation or research, develop a social sensitivity that goes beyond technical, productive and economic realms. Despite limited institutional recognition and incipient public policies, agroecology has become a space that generates personal and social transformation. As Pedro Vicente González, an agroecological producer from Subachoque (Cundinamarca) points out: “I dedicated my youth to agroindustry, until my health deteriorated and I was fired. Agroecology allowed me to get my life back on track, to recover my wellbeing, and to contribute to my community. My garden is now my office, where I work and share my experience with others who are looking for a different path. Our mission, our job is to farm, but to do so responsibly.”
Personal and collective transformation
These testimonies show how agroecology can be a source of emotional resilience, identity and wellbeing, offering a path and a horizon of hope and reconstruction for those who practice it. Through productive practice and social interaction, people who participate in agroecological processes develop a greater understanding of their attitudes and actions, which facilitates personal and collective changes.
Agroecology enables people to reflect on their lives and to transform the way they relate to others and to their environments. Claudina Loaiza, an Indigenous Pijao from Tolima, learned to read and write as an older adult at the Manuel Quintín Lame Agroecological and Territorial School. There, she discovered her passion for recognising and protecting native and creole seeds for traditional knowledge, which led her to express herself through poetry and song. Today she is famous in her territory.
This impact is also evident in the story of Pablo Manios and María Virgeni Llanos, a farming couple from Tolima who told me that, through the agroecological production of Creole hens, they have identified aspects of their personal and work relationship that they needed to improve. For example, they learned about the importance of a more balanced distribution in the daily tasks of caring for the chickens and the equitable participation of women in the market and the community. They now better recognise the knowledge and experience of rural women, and understand that establishing agreements as a couple improves both their work and life together. Beyond production, this process has allowed them to achieve a more harmonious and loving life as a couple and family.
Another example is the ‘knowledge’ meetings about the therapeutic uses of wild plants organised by Afro-descendant women from Guapi-Caucathe within the ‘Ríos Unidos’ community organisation. These meeting spaces incorporate agroecological practices and processes, and are used not only to transform plants into phytotherapeutic products but also as spaces of collective therapy. The high level of wellbeing that these gatherings provide is recognised by the women themselves.
Gender and generational inclusivity
Agroecology movements promote inclusive participation from a gender and intergenerational approach. Hamilton Salazar, a young farmer from Tolima and part of the LGBTIQ+ population, says: “Coming to agroecology and the family farming movement has allowed me to be heard, to contribute to society and to integrate without discrimination. They have welcomed me, and I have been able to represent my community in events such as the Popular Political and Scientific Congress of Agroecology 2024.”
“Understanding that we peasant women are valuable caregivers encourages us to continue. Agroecology gives us the wings to feel proud.”
Regarding the intergenerational approach, it is also worth mentioning Luis Ermilson Gañan from the Embera Chamí indigenous reservation of San Lorenzo in Riosucio Caldas. Luis has been involved in agroecology from a very young age, and currently, in addition to teaching at the local school, he takes part in youth processes focused on agroecology. These processes generate wellbeing, and result in young people feeling proud of their culture and becoming willing to remain in the territory and take care of it.
Florencia Murcia, a peasant agroecologist from Tolima, highlights the role of women in agroecology: “Understanding that we peasant women are valuable, that we have capacities, and that we have been caregivers encourages us to continue working. Agroecology gives us the wings to feel proud to produce food and protect our local agri-food systems.”
Spirituality also plays an important role in these processes. María Rosario Chicunque ‘Charito’, a wise ‘mamita’ of the Kamëntsá people of Putumayo, explains: “We are beings sent by our supreme ones to protect Mother Earth and all that allows life. Agroecology is a path that the wise people have proposed to reconnect us with our caring and healing mission.”
Labour challenges and resilience
Agroecological labour can be heavy. Beyond productive innovation, it is essential to promote working conditions that reduce stress and physical and mental risks. Creating alternatives that make agroecological work a productive, healthy and satisfying activity is key to strengthening this movement.
As we can see, direct contact with the land, water, plants and animals generates wellbeing and acts as a therapeutic space. However, those who practice agroecology are in constant conflict with industrial production models. Martha Lucía Santa from the La Pelusa farm in Puerto Gaitán (Meta) and Alfredo Añazco from the Pura Vida farm in Andalucía (Valle del Cauca) have been affected by pesticide spraying, monocultures and water pollution caused by neighbouring agro-industries. Despite these challenges, they have found in agroecology a path of resilience to resist and move forward.
To promote agroecology, it is necessary to continue to illuminate its psychosocial impacts and demonstrate its contributions to wellbeing, mental health and the construction of fairer and more sustainable societies.
Author: Arlex Angarita Leiton is an agroecological farmer and community social psychologist. He is a member of the National Network of Family Farming (RENAF) and the Colombian Agroecological Movement (MACO), and a research professor at the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (UNIMINUTO) in Bogotá. Contact: aangarita@uniminuto.edu
This article is part of Issue 2-2025: Cultivating health and healing
