Integral ecology as critical principle of environmental sustainability in the agri-food chain: Epistemological and ethical inputs from Laudato si’

Abstract

The encyclical letter Laudato si’ has drawn considerable attention beyond the traditional boundaries of religious communities and theological commentaries. In particular, the document articulates a concept of ‘integral ecology’ that seeks the convergence of epistemological, scientific, ethical, political, and theological considerations and has been frequently invoked as a significant critical principle for current sustainability studies and policies. In the article, we seek to highlight how three ideas articulated in the encyclical seem to consistently resonate with the latest developments of sustainability studies on the agri-food chain: the exercise of a plural rationality in academic debates, the adoption of a wide transdisciplinarity that includes the humanities, and the enlargement of peer communities involved in research and innovation practices.