Smallholder ecologies

Global food and agriculture systems face a series of inter-related challenges; to assure food security for a growing world population while supporting decent livelihoods and reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. Agroecological approaches can address these challenges by contributing to a greener economy. Agroecological systems are diverse, highly inter-connected and perform multiple functions that benefit society. They place a strong emphasis on environmental integrity and social well-being. Moreover, the agroecological mode of production is highly efficient and resilient to disturbances. This document provides a review of the scientific literature on agreocology, including global, regional, national and local studies. In the Annex, the performance of various agroecological management systems are described and compared. Based on these findings, key steps towards an agroecological transition are outlined.