There is an increasing recognition that sustainable resource management and sustainable livelihoods are inseparable. If neglected, everyone’s future is threatened.
While exotic, expensive alternatives for every problem faced by the world, keeps emerging, also, there is increasing attention to what seems to be working in pockets. Not necessarily operating on desired scale, in some contexts, these bright spots are living examples of how the farming knowledge of the communities based on agroecological principles needs to be understood.
While farmer’s distress stories are shocking everyone’s conscience, first time celebrations like International Year of Family Farming, emerging health consciousness among consumers, is putting farmers production practices in the focus for right reasons. Also, the mainstream international agencies are voicing that agroecological approaches are the way forward.
While the purpose of agroecological approaches are based on meeting diverse household needs needs of the farmer, sustainably and in a dignified way, they still remain complex from research perspective. There is a need to understand the ‘indicators’ with a wider lens, a different sensitivity, and diverse perspectives.
The issue highlights some experiences highlighting processes rooted in promoting agroecological perspectives, practices and knowledge co-creation.
Farm to systems – Where is our measuring tape?
Anshuman Das
How peasants read their farm
Jan Douwe van der Ploeg
Knowledge exchange on agroecology – Does it influence practice?
T M Radha
Interview: Clara Nicholls – “Impact studies are crucial for the amplification of agroecology”
Diana Quiroz
Agroecology – Conserving biodiversity, nurturing ecology
Kulaswami Jagannath Jena
Creating a sustainable food future – Indicators of sustainable agriculture: a scoping analysis
Katie Reytar, Craig Hanson and Norbert Henninger
Building knowledge on agroecology – Impact of systematic documentation
K V S Prasad
How to amplify agroecology
Janneke Bruil and Jessica Milgroom
