“Agroecología chatarra”: La captura corporativa de la agroecología para una transición ecológica parcial y sin justicia social

The report argues that the 'Sustainable Agriculture Initiative' (SAI), 'New Vision for Agriculture' (NVA), and 'Food and Land Use Coalition' (FOLU) promote a version of 'junk agroecology' (agroecología chatarra). This approach selectively adopts agroecological techniques to mitigate environmental damage while preserving the industrial, profit-driven corporate model. The authors contrast this with a transformative agroecology rooted in food sovereignty and social justice, which requires shifting power from corporations to small-scale producers.

• The report identifies a fundamental conflict between 'agroecology' and 'sustainable agricultural intensification' (SAI). While agroecology emphasizes reducing inputs, fostering diversity, and social-political transformation, SAI focuses on increasing productivity per unit of land through technological innovations.
• The authors coin the term 'junk agroecology' (agroecología chatarra) to describe the strategic and selective corporate appropriation of agroecological goals and practices to save the industrial food system without transforming the underlying unjust socio-economic relations.
• The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) is dominated by private corporate interests, with 89% of its multinational members being private corporations. It uses tools like the Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) to incorporate selective agroecological elements, such as crop rotation and biodiversity, into a corporate framework.
• The New Vision for Agriculture (NVA), led by the World Economic Forum, promotes a 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' in farming. It prioritizes high-tech solutions such as CRISPR gene editing, precision agriculture, and big data to increase yields while claiming to reduce poverty and emissions.
• The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) focuses on the business opportunities of a 'greener' food system. While it has a higher percentage of research institutions among its members (33%) compared to SAI and NVA, it is still steered by corporate interests and supports the use of genetically modified crops as part of the solution.
• Corporate initiatives are shifting global governance toward a 'multistakeholder' model, which the report argues allows agribusinesses to influence governments and NGOs, effectively replacing traditional multilateralism with private governance and voluntary codes of conduct.
• The report concludes that a genuine transition to sustainable agriculture must be led by public policies that center small-scale producers and rural workers, ensuring the equitable distribution of wealth and the protection of human rights rather than corporate profit.

APA

Alonso-Fradejas, A., Forero, L. F., Ortega-Espès, D., Drago, M., & Chandrasekaran, K. (2020). “Agroecología chatarra”: La captura corporativa de la agroecología para una transición ecológica parcial y sin justicia social. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Agroecologia-Chatarra-ATI-TNI-Crocevia-informe-ESP.pdf

Chicago

Alonso-Fradejas, Alberto, Lyda Fernanda Forero, Delphine Ortega-Espès, Martín Drago, and Kirtana Chandrasekaran. “Agroecología chatarra”: La captura corporativa de la agroecología para una transición ecológica parcial y sin justicia social. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Agroecologia-Chatarra-ATI-TNI-Crocevia-informe-ESP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alonso-Fradejas |first1=Alberto |last2=Forero |first2=Lyda Fernanda |last3=Ortega-Espès |first3=Delphine |last4=Drago |first4=Martín |last5=Chandrasekaran |first5=Kirtana |title=“Agroecología chatarra”: La captura corporativa de la agroecología para una transición ecológica parcial y sin justicia social |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=April 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Agroecologia-Chatarra-ATI-TNI-Crocevia-informe-ESP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alonsofradejas2020agroecologa, author = {Alonso-Fradejas, Alberto and Forero, Lyda Fernanda and Ortega-Espès, Delphine and Drago, Martín and Chandrasekaran, Kirtana}, title = {{“Agroecología chatarra”: La captura corporativa de la agroecología para una transición ecológica parcial y sin justicia social}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Agroecologia-Chatarra-ATI-TNI-Crocevia-informe-ESP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }