OneCGIAR Agroecology Initiative

Agroecology is an approach to food production that harnesses nature’s goods and services whilst minimizing adverse environmental impacts, and improves farmer-consumer connectivity, knowledge co-creation and inclusive relationships among food system actors. It is gaining prominence in scientific, agricultural and political discourse. However, enabling environments for widespread implementation of agroecological practices remain limited despite benefits being demonstrated in specific contexts. In addition, agroecological research has focused more on technical rather than socio-political dimensions beyond the farm level necessary to effect whole food system transformation. In response, the ‘Transformational Agroecology Across Food, Land and Water Systems’ initiative will (1) support scale-out and continuous innovation for agroecological transitions in geographically-targeted food systems, (2) co-develop a knowledge-base that supports implementation of context appropriate agroecological innovations, (3) co-develop business models and financing modalities, linking bundled agroecological innovations to markets and investment, (4) promote recommendations to effect the cross-sectoral policy integration required to mainstream agroecological principles, and (5) create understanding of mechanisms to drive behavioral change of farmers and consumers needed to implement agroecological transformation