agroécologie : innover pour des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables

The report advocates for a paradigm shift in global food systems, proposing a comprehensive 13-criteria framework to evaluate agricultural innovations. It positions agroecology—defined as a science, set of practices, and social movement—as the essential approach to addressing hunger, climate change, and biodiversity loss. The document contrasts agroecology with 'false solutions' like climate-smart agriculture and industrial intensification, which it claims maintain the status quo. It concludes with detailed policy recommendations for governments and international bodies, such as the FAO, to secure land rights, promote gender justice, and support small-scale producers through public investment and the protection of territorial markets.

• The document proposes a comprehensive framework of 13 interconnected evaluation criteria to determine if an innovation is socially, culturally, ecologically, politically, and economically acceptable. These criteria are divided into three dimensions: Social, economic and institutional (including participatory governance, social and economic justice, hunger eradication, health, nutrition, and benefits for small producers and workers); Environmental (including energy justice, environmental justice, and climate justice); and Implementation processes (including availability, accessibility, ease of use, and scalability).
• Agroecology is presented as a multi-dimensional approach—combining science, practice, and social movement—that integrates ancestral and customary knowledge from indigenous peoples and small-scale producers. It is described as a tool for transforming the entire food system to ensure stable yields, restore ecosystems, and build resilience against climate shocks and conflicts.
• The report distinguishes agroecology from industrial agriculture and 'false solutions' such as 'climate-smart agriculture' and 'sustainable intensification.' It argues that these latter approaches risk misusing the term 'agroecology' to serve specific interests and maintain a status quo that harms the ability of small producers to access healthy food in a sustainable environment.
• Food sovereignty is identified as a pillar of the necessary paradigm shift, granting peoples and nations the right to define their own food, agriculture, livestock, and fishing systems, as well as the policies governing their production and consumption.
• The document outlines specific policy recommendations to scale agroecology, including securing collective land rights, implementing comprehensive land reforms, and opposing land grabbing and speculative investments. It also emphasizes the need for gender justice, specifically ensuring women's access to and control over land, water, seeds, and income.
• To combat the ecological footprint of industrial agriculture, the report recommends redirecting subsidies away from industrial production and biofuels toward agroecological practices. It also calls for the protection of peasant seed systems from privatization via intellectual property rights.

APA

Ortega-Espès, D. (2018). agroécologie : innover pour des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Agroecologie-innovation-resume-FR.pdf

Chicago

Ortega-Espès, Delphine. agroécologie : innover pour des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables. Friends of the Earth International, 2018. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Agroecologie-innovation-resume-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ortega-Espès |first1=Delphine |title=agroécologie : innover pour des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=November 2018 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Agroecologie-innovation-resume-FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ortegaesps2018agrocologie, author = {Ortega-Espès, Delphine}, title = {{agroécologie : innover pour des systèmes agricoles et alimentaires durables}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Agroecologie-innovation-resume-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }