On the Andalusian origins of agroecology in Spain and its contribution to shaping agroecological thought

Abstract

ABSTRACTAgroecology is a transdisciplinary approach focused initially on agroecosystems and then on broader agro-food systems, which responds to the growing problems arising from an increasingly globalized and industrialized agro-food system. Given that these problems are not homogeneously distributed worldwide, the emergence of agroecology could not be homogenous either. In fact, it is linked to regions, such as Latin America, which have suffered early and serious socio-environmental problems caused by industrialized agriculture. This explains why agroecology in Europe emerged first in Andalusia where, owing to a series of circumstances, there was a certain similarity with social processes unraveling in Latin America. The first part of the paper provides an account of the emergence of agroecology in Andalusia (and Spain), offering explanations about the context that made it possible and the actors involved. It also justifies the strong social and political content that agroecology had in Andalusia from the very beginning. This strong sociopolitical orientation made a very significant contribution to agroecological thought, becoming one of the fundamental pillars of its very definition as a scientific approach. The second section analyzes the circumstances that facilitated the realization of planned government action and sets out the consequences of its implementation. The final section draws certain conclusions about the specificity of agroecology in Andalusia and its contribution to the development of agroecological theory and practice on a global scale.