‘Junk Agroecology’: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice

The report argues that big agrifood capital is developing 'junk agroecology'—a selective appropriation of agroecological techniques integrated into a productivist, market-driven framework. Through an analysis of three major initiatives—the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI), the New Vision for Agriculture (NVA), and the Food and Land Use Economy Coalition (FOLU)—the authors demonstrate how corporations use 'sustainable intensification' to greenwash the industrial food system. These initiatives prioritize technological determinism (such as gene editing and big data), the integration of smallholders into global value chains, and multi-stakeholder governance models that shift power from public institutions to private entities. The report concludes that a true agroecological transition requires participatory public policies rooted in food sovereignty and social justice, rather than corporate-led reforms.

• The report distinguishes between a transformative agroecological approach, which focuses on social and political transformation and food sovereignty, and 'sustainable intensification' (SI), which prioritizes productivity and resource efficiency within the existing industrial system.
• The authors define 'junk agroecology' as the strategic corporate capture of specific agroecological goals and practices to create a 'limited innovation' approach that mitigates environmental damage without transforming unjust socio-economic relations.
• Corporate initiatives like SAI, NVA, and FOLU are driven by a 'technological-productivist obsession,' relying on the neo-Malthusian argument that productivity must increase to feed a growing population, while ignoring the structural issues of food distribution.
• The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) uses a Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) program to selectively integrate agroecological practices, such as intercropping and biodiversity preservation, to maintain the status quo of big agrifood capital.
• The New Vision for Agriculture (NVA), led by the World Economic Forum, promotes a '4th Industrial Revolution' approach to agriculture, emphasizing technologies like CRISPR gene-editing, precision agriculture, and microbiome technologies.
• The Food and Land Use Economy Coalition (FOLU) and its FABLE consortium seek to identify business opportunities in the transition to a 'greener' system, while still viewing genetically modified crops as a necessary part of the solution.
• The report identifies a shift from multilateralism to 'multi-stakeholderism,' where private corporations use partnerships with the UN and other bodies to legitimize their role as champions of sustainability and influence global governance.
• Corporate 'inclusive business models' and contract farming are criticized for consolidating corporate control over supply chains by treating smallholder poverty as a lack of market access rather than a structural result of class hierarchy.

APA

Alonso-Fradejas, A., Forero, L. F., Ortega-Espès, D., Drago, M., & Chandrasekaran, K. (2020). ‘Junk Agroecology’: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Junk-Agroecology-FOEI-TNI-Crocevia-report-ENG.pdf

Chicago

Alonso-Fradejas, Alberto, Lyda Fernanda Forero, Delphine Ortega-Espès, Martín Drago, and Kirtana Chandrasekaran. ‘Junk Agroecology’: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Junk-Agroecology-FOEI-TNI-Crocevia-report-ENG.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=‘Junk Agroecology’: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=April 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Junk-Agroecology-FOEI-TNI-Crocevia-report-ENG.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alonsofradejas2020junk, author = {Alonso-Fradejas, Alberto and Forero, Lyda Fernanda and Ortega-Espès, Delphine and Drago, Martín and Chandrasekaran, Kirtana}, title = {{‘Junk Agroecology’: The corporate capture of agroecology for a partial ecological transition without social justice}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Junk-Agroecology-FOEI-TNI-Crocevia-report-ENG.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }