History Of Agroecology Research Articles

Agroecology integrates science, practice, movement, and future food systems

Agroecology is an interdisciplinary field that brings together agricultural practice and ecological principles. This article explores agroecology's theoretical foundations, practical applications, and historical evolution, along with its impact on modern agricultural methods. Agroecology looks at how biophysical and social elements combine to produce food sustainably, promote social justice, and protect the environment. The first section of the article looks at how agroecology developed as a scientific field, discussing its fundamental ideas, practices, and objectives- all of which emphasize participatory, adaptive, and holistic methodologies. The inquiry also looks into how agroecology might support biodiversity, resilience to climate change, and sustainable livelihoods. This article also explores the rise of agroecology as a movement driven by social activism, environmental consciousness, and a search for alternative food systems. After that, the article dives further into the history of agroecology, emphasizing the pioneers' contributions and the development of agroecological principles over time. The text goes on to outline the fundamental principles of agroecology. Its main objectives are enhancing resource efficiency, strengthening resilience, and ensuring social equality. This article discusses the practical applications of agroecology in various agricultural settings, such as permaculture, agroforestry, and agroecological farming systems. A few agro-ecology case studies have been described. Finally, the article highlights the future of food systems. The article concludes by highlighting the necessity of combining scientific understanding with indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge and stating that agro-ecology is viable for a more just and sustainable future for agriculture and food security.

Agricultural productivism, cosmopolitan plant-breeding, and the severed roots of agroecological thought

ABSTRACT This article provides a historical account of the emergence of crop ecology, a precursor of modern agroecology, in the twentieth century. It focuses on the transnational career of agronomist Ioannis Papadakis, a founding figure in this scientific discipline, while contextualizing his work as part of broader state-led projects of agricultural modernization in Europe and Latin America. This study has two implications concerning the history of agroecology. First, that agricultural productivism and a cosmopolitan outlook on plant breeding, often considered to be at odds with agroecology’s principles, were in fact necessary elements for the emergence of crop ecology, and therefore of agroecological thought more generally. Second, we argue that the excesses of the Green Revolution, against which agroecology reacted in the last decades of the twentieth century, did not just stem from a disregard for the agricultural knowledge of indigenous peasants. They also resulted from the marginalization of intellectual dispositions that had taken shape in peripheral areas within the global geography of scientific production. A third implication, specific to the history of Greek agriculture, is that the claim that interwar Greece’s rural economy failed to substantially develop needs to be nuanced when the priorities of Greek agronomists are taken into consideration.

Brief historical review of agroecology in Bolivia

ABSTRACTThe history of agroecology in Bolivia is described as having a long and a short trajectory. The “long trajectory” refers to the agroecology-based indigenous agriculture practiced in both highlands and lowlands of the country. The “short trajectory” started in the 1970s and became consolidated with the institutionalization of agroecology through initiatives focused on strengthening indigenous agriculture, commercialization of agroecological produce, conservation of natural resources and land, family farming, food sovereignty, and education and research. From 2006 onward, a new stage of the agroecological process in Bolivia began with its inclusion in national regulation and policy. Despite important advances, the agroecological process in Bolivia still faces substantial challenges, whose management will require coordination and collaboration between the different sectors, as well as a more explicit acknowledgement of the multi-functionality of agroecology.

Brief history of agroecology in Argentina: origins, evolution, and future prospects

ABSTRACTAgroecology emerged as a new approach and paradigm of agricultural science to provide strategies for the design, evaluation, and management of sustainable agroecosystems. It arose as a reaction to the consequences of an environmentally unsustainable and socially exclusive production model. Due to its multidisciplinary and pluri-epistemological character, its scientific approach as a movement, and a series of strategies and techniques, the incorporation and consolidation of agroecology in Argentina recognizes different goals, actors, and stages. The role of nongovernmental organizations, governmental institutions, universities, other educational institutions, and farmers’ organizations is analyzed, and the potential and limitations for future expansion are discussed.

The history of agroecology in Venezuela: a complex and multifocal process

ABSTRACTThe evolution of agroecological wisdom in Venezuela is established in three historical periods. The appearance of oil in the country at the beginning of the twentieth century, followed by the development of the agro-industrial model, produced drastic economic and cultural changes. However, environmental movements, academics, and peasant groups promoted sustainable agriculture, resulting in a multifocal origin for agroecology. Emerging legal frameworks later favored the institutionalization of agroecology. Currently, agroecology has both academic and institutional structures and is widely promoted by urban and rural movements. Nevertheless, tensions with the industrial agriculture paradigm are notorious in the public policies of national food and agricultural programs, representing a real challenge for those fighting to achieve sustainable agriculture.