As the global environmental crisis gathers momentum, the mounting losses and damages caused by extreme weather events to communities, infrastructure and food supplies have become more frequent and extreme. Agroecology is a comprehensive approach that addresses all aspects of the current crisis by advancing more sustainable and equitable approaches to land use and the production of healthy and nutritious foods. Agroecological farming prevents degradation and increases the resilience of cultivated land and agro-pastoral systems to the impacts of drought and floods, as well as to pests and diseases.
South Africa urgently needs policy-supported change to accelerate the positive change being pioneered by some farmers. The transformation of agriculture and food security in South Africa is vital to address the legacies of widespread poverty, food insecurity and social dysfunction that so many South Africans face, as well as the exponential increase of climate-related threats such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather events that we know will exacerbate these challenges.
In South Africa practitioners and organisations supporting agroecology have identified three core elements to the approach:
- Ecological sustainability
- Social justice and redress
- Economic fairness and participation.
These elements are well reflected in the 13 principles of agroecology1 articulated by the FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS). These principles incorporate the “10 elements of agroecology” previously published by the FAO2, whilst strengthening the social and economic justice dimensions. Agroecology is far broader than a set of farming practices, marketing and self-organisation, but also addresses food sovereignty and social and economic justice. Agroecology offers a framework for system-wide transformation of the food system to create a better world for farmers and consumers of food and fibre.
