Transforming food systems with agroecology

Agroecology is a way of redesigning food systems, from the farm to the table, with a goal of achieving ecological, economic, and social sustainability. Through transdisciplinary, participatory, and change-oriented research and action, agroecology links together science, practice, and movements focused on social change. But what are the steps that must be taken to transform food systems toward the ultimate goal of sustainability, and away from the mounting evidence of the negative impacts on the environment and society caused by modern industrial agriculture? In the latest edition of my agroecology textbook (Gliessman 2015b), I propose a framework for classifying “levels” of food system change. The first three levels describe the steps farmers can actually take on their farms for converting from industrial or conventional agroecosystems. Two additional levels go beyond the farm to the broader food system and the societies in which they are embedded. All five levels taken together can serve as a roadmap that outlines in an almost stepwise manner a process for transforming the entire global food system: Level 1: Increase the efficiency of industrial and conventional practices in order to reduce the use and consumption of costly, scarce, or environmentally damaging inputs. The primary goal of change at this level is to use industrial inputs more efficiently so that fewer inputs will be needed and the negative impacts of their use will also be reduced. Most conventional agricultural research has taken place at this level, through which considerable modern agricultural technologies, inputs, and practices have been developed. This research has helped farmers maintain or increase production through such practices as improved seeds, optimum planting density, more efficient pesticide and fertilizer application, and more precise use of water. So-called “precision agriculture” is a recent focus of research at Level 1. Although this kind of research has reduced some of the negative impacts of industrial agriculture, they do not help break its dependence on external human inputs and monoculture practices. Level 2: Substitute alternative practices for industrial/conventional inputs and practices. The goal of this level of transition is to replace external input-intensive and environmentally degrading products and practices with those that are more renewable, based on natural products, and more environmentally sound. Organic farming and biodynamic agriculture are examples of this approach. They employ alternative practices that include the use of nitrogen-fixing covercrops and rotations to replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, the use of natural controls of pests and diseases, and the use of organic composts for fertility and soil organic matter AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2016, VOL. 40, NO. 3, 187–189 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2015.1130765