Bridging the gap between the agroecological ideal and its implementation into practice. A review

Abstract

Despite the increasingly widespread use of the term agroecology by farmers, scientists, agrarian social movements, and lawmakers, the definition of the concept is still the object of controversies. Current interpretations range widely, from fully transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary definitions integrating ecological, socioeconomic, and political dimensions of agriculture, to more narrow definitions of agroecology as a discipline bridging ecology and agronomy. No less importantly, few actors have developed criteria and methodologies to identify and evaluate agroecological systems based on both ecological and socioeconomic dimensions. The lack of consistency in the study and application of "agroecology," resulting from varying definitions for agroecology and the absence of standardized methodologies to identify agroecological systems, is problematic. It limits the recognition of associated benefits and disadvantages of different agroecological systems, as well as the identification of drivers that favor the implementation of agroecological practices. While lessons learned from individual case studies are valuable and showcase the potential of agroecology, results are not always relevant to other contexts. Here, we review existing theoretical and empirical agroecological literature. The major points that emerge are the following: (1) we integrate six historical ecological principles with seven socioeconomic principles to propose an overarching framework for recognizing systems oriented towards agroecology; (2) the implementation of different principles may vary greatly across spatial scales or governance contexts; (3) there are numerous barriers that farmers may face in their transition towards an agroecological "ideal"-this highlights the need for improved recognition of systems in transition, as well as the need for supportive policies to scale up agroecology. The application of two complementary methodological approaches presented in our review has the potential to help practitioners evaluate to what extent a system can be considered as agroecological based on ecological and socioeconomic principles.

How to quantify the impacts of diversification on sustainability? A review of indicators in coffee systems

“…However, if the initial stage of transition is a field with very low nutrient availability, providing external inputs can be necessary (especially in the short-term) to improve other aspects of system sustainability, such as crop productivity and carbon storage, and thus overall system sustainability. This reinforces the need to acknowledge systems in transition as well as trade-offs among sustainability objectives during processes of transition (Kearney et al 2019;Dumont et al 2021), Focus on underreported groups of indicators and integration of sustainability dimensions Many groups of indicators feature in a minority of the studies included in our review, including input use, soil biological quality, pollination, water regulation, functional diversity, socio-economic factors and resilience capacity. In addition, most individual studies addressed only one or few dimensions of sustainability, and did not focus on the potential synergies and trade-offs among variables at system level.…”

Key research challenges to supporting farm transitions to agroecology in advanced economies. A review

“…Diagnostic-type assessments are key for framing initial problems, but few methods exist to perform them (e.g., de Koeijer et al 1999), and they are often limited to technical aspects, which ignores issues that are potential major obstacles for farmers such as organization and work issues (Delecourt et al 2019) or cognitive issues (Toffolini et al 2017). Process-based simulation is a common approach used to assess farm system states (Rossing et al 1997;Lobell et al 2006;Le Gal et al 2011;Ewert et al 2015), but integrating accurate descriptions of farm systems and farmers' concerns, especially social criteria at the farm level (Dumont et al 2021), into these simulations remains a challenge. Multicriteria assessment tools based on indicators (e.g., Sadok et al 2009;Iocola et al 2020;Soulé et al 2021) are another option to assess farm system states.…”

Sustainable green tea production through agroecological management and land conversion practices for restoring soil health, crop productivity and economic efficiency: Evidence from Northern Vietnam

“…For instance, conventional agriculture, which employs intensive agrochemical inputs has been widely known to negatively impact soil health in comparison with conservation and organic farming (Singh et al, 2020;Viet San et al, 2021). By contrast, the role of agroecology in restoring soil health, providing sustainable food production and environmental benefits has been increasingly recognized worldwide (Dumont et al, 2021;FAO, 2020;Nicholls & Altieri, 2018). Agroecological practices aim at optimizing agroecological processes, environmental and public health whilst minimizing social-ecological costs from agricultural activities (FAO, 2020;Kerr et al, 2021).…”