Strengthening Agroecology at the Interface of National and International Policies
Lead Organization:
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Partner Organizations:
Semillas de Vida (Mexico); Asociación Nacional de Productores Empresariales del Campo (ANEC, Mexico); Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (U.S.-Mexico); Rural Coalition, USA; National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC, USA); La Via Campesina; International Planning Committee (IPC); Malaysian Agroecology Society; Malaysian Food Sovereignty Forum; Asian Farmers Association (AFA); SEARICE; Third World Network (TWN); Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA); African Biodiversity Network (ABN); Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI); African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB); Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA-K)
Countries:
Mexico, United States, Malaysia, Africa, Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya
Duration:
12/2024—3/2027
Overview:
For decades the U.S. government has pursued productivism agricultural policies at home and promoted them abroad through trade agreements, tax policy, technology transfers, and public investment. The result has been an abundant supply of a handful of commodities at low prices but obtained at a huge social and environmental cost that has only recently come onto public policy agendas. The social costs are real; in recent years, we have seen massive farmer protests across all of Europe, as well as in India, Canada and Australia. Rural communities are angered by what they see as the imposition of ill-informed and costly environmental regulations while their decades-long struggles for fairer and more transparent prices remain unaddressed.
For the 50 or so poorest countries (Least Developed Countries, or LDCs), the effects of pursuing productivism agriculture focused on supplying export markets has been especially cruel. Many LDCs rely on agricultural commodity exports to earn foreign exchange that they must then spend on imported staple foods and agricultural inputs. They rely on international markets and a tiny number of grain traders for their most basic food security. Yet LDCs are home to diversified food systems, built on local varietals and nurtured by communities with rich knowledge of ecosystems and their biodiversity. These food systems feed hundreds of millions of people, although their contribution is not well captured using official statistics.
Both, developed and emerging economies are now confronting the costs of extractive farm practices: alienated rural communities, depleted water tables and exhausted soils, and lost genetic diversity and agricultural knowledge that is now urgently needed to adapt to rapid climate change. At the same time, years of activism by social movements and research by academic practitioners has given agroecology political traction, both nationally and in multilateral spaces. Agroecology offers a powerful pathway to protect the integrity of locally adapted food systems, while still benefiting from scientific and technological innovation. Importantly, agroecology is a response coming from farmers’ organizations, countering the despair and anger that blights their communities by valuing their knowledge and work.
The momentum to build and protect vibrant rural economies creates an important opportunity to advance agroecology, especially in LDCs, where poverty and hunger levels remain high. Investing in national experiments – new laws, new public programs, and new civic alliances – will help establish agroecological practice as the new normal for agriculture. This work is being led by networks and organizations with whom IATP has strong working relationships, including La Via Campesina, the African Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA), SEARICE (in Southeast Asia), and ANEC (in Mexico). We are also members of the Agroecology Coalition, and the community of agroecological practice established by GAFF. Last December, IATP supported the Mexican government with global outreach to governments seeking to establish agroecology in their countries. This project will expand that work, with a focus on removing obstacles created in international spaces, in particular by US trade and investment policy. We will also build opportunities for cross-cultural learning and joint advocacy in support of agroecological practice.
Grant Aims:
The project aims to strengthen the resolve of LDCs to value traditional foods and local resources as a food security strategy, increase sovereignty, and protect domestic food systems from harmful trade policies. It focuses on removing barriers to agroecology in international spaces, especially through U.S. trade and investment policy, and promoting a shift to more resilient, sustainable, and ecologically sound agricultural practices. The project will provide resources, policy briefs, and educational materials to support advocacy efforts for agroecology.
Outputs and Outcomes:
Outputs
- Policy Briefs and Advocacy Materials:
- Creation of materials focused on farmers’ seed and bio-input systems where they have been established (e.g., Mexico, Colombia, Malaysia, Kenya).
- The materials will highlight the importance of local innovations and the obstacles posed by trade and investment commitments.
- These materials will be used to support advocacy efforts at the national level in partner countries and internationally to influence U.S. trade and environment policies.
- Support for Advocacy and Civic Engagement:
- Use of policy briefs and media communications to inform and support advocacy efforts by partner organizations in the U.S., Latin America, and Africa.
- Focus on U.S. trade policies and their effects on agroecology and local food systems, including outreach to U.S. Trade Representative offices and Congress.
- Cross-Cultural Learning and Joint Advocacy:
- Organization of 2-3 learning events in collaboration with GCRFS members to continue the exchange on topics such as trade policies, seed saving systems, and the control of imports that damage biodiversity.
- Facilitation of joint advocacy efforts to push for the protection and expansion of agroecological practices.
Outcomes
- Increased Public Awareness and Debate:
- A more informed public debate on the intersection of trade, environment, and agroecology, shifting from technical solutions to systems approaches that enhance livelihoods and resilience.
- Advancement of Agroecology in National Policies:
- Strengthened advocacy in LDCs for the inclusion of agroecological practices in national policies, helping these countries reduce their dependence on commodity trade and fostering greater food sovereignty.
- Improved Protection for Agroecological Practices in International Trade and Investment:
- Better integration of agroecological practices into international trade and investment law, leading to stronger standards on traded commodities and a reduction in pollution and biodiversity loss.
- Enhanced Solidarity and Cooperation:
- Strengthened solidarity and cooperation among organizations and communities working to advance agroecology, contributing to the growth of a global network dedicated to food sovereignty and environmental justice.