Agroecological farmers work with nature and not against nature, meaning that the greatest care is taken what impact the production of food has on our natural environment. For instance no toxic chemicals are used that are harmful to the life in the soil, water and air systems. This means that the environment is kept clean and that the food which is grown does not contain toxic substances either, resulting in healthy people on a healthy planet.
The origin of agroecology dates back to the days people started growing food. From the beginning onwards people have practiced agriculture with the core principles of agroecology of working with and not against nature.
It is only recently that agroecology gets more and more attention by farmers, consumers and policy makers, as a direct result of the failures of and problems caused by the industrial model of food production. Industrial agriculture contributes largely to problems like soil depletion, desertification, deforestation, pollution of rivers and oceans, biodiversity loss, mass extinction, excessive fossil fuel use, climate change, hunger, obesitas, malnutrition, social inequality, social injustice, poverty, urbanisation, steep decline in farmers, rising suicidal rates among farmers, corporate dominance of food systems and land grabbing.
The question of ‘how to feed a growing world population?’ is very accurate. The answer that industrial farming is the solution deserves less and less credibility, seen the above mentioned disasters. The answer that agroecological farming is the answer regains a growing believe among an ever growing number of citizens, organisations, governments and corporations.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) from the United Nations acknowledges the importance of agroecology. Regarding the access to land they state in ‘The 10 elements of agroecology’: “Agroecology depends on equitable access to land and natural resources – a key to social justice, but also in providing incentives for the longterm investments that are necessary to protect soil, biodiversity and ecosystem services.”
The International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) released a report (October 2018) “Breaking away from industrial food and farming systems: Seven case studies of agroecological transition”, in which the message is: “It is possible for communities, regions and whole countries to fundamentally redesign their food and farming systems - but doing so requires changes in the way communities envision their food systems, the way knowledge is shared, the way that food systems are governed, and the values underpinning them”.
Agroecology has set a global movement in action of citizens, organisations and international movements that work on food sovereignty. This has resulted in the Nyeleni Declaration for Agroecology (2015) The second mentioned strategy of the Declaration to promote agroecological production is through policies that secure access to land and resources in order to encourage long term investment by small-scale food producers.
ALPA adheres to the understanding that agroecology equals “peasant agroecology”.
Peasant Agroecology is a way of life
Peasant agroecology supports life-enriching systems and opposes life-alienating systems. It creates innovative solutions to the major environmental, social, economic and political challenges we are facing today. It is a living practice, science and political- and social movement, build and fostered by people over thousands of years. Over all those years it has proven to be the most just, fair and durable way of sustaining (human) life on planet Earth. Peasant agroecology strives for the upliftment of all living beings. It deeply connects us with our inner feelings and our relationships to others and to our natural environment and thus creates a balanced society within a healthy world.
Ecologically
peasant agroecology works together with nature and not against her. Peasant agroecology sees food producers as well as consumers as part of nature, part of the web of life, and not as mere dominating (ab)users. Peasant agroecology recognises that a healthy living soil forms the essential basis of all life on earth. Peasant agroecology does not support the use of GMO crops, patents over seeds, plants and animals, and the use of agrochemicals. Peasant agroecology celebrates (bio)diversity and avoids monocultures and exterminations of living communities.
Economically
peasant agroecology is based on the principles of a solidarity economy, with local and circular solutions like short chain food systems where the small-scale food producers are fairly rewarded for their work.
Politically
peasant agroecology puts the rights of small-scale food producers as a priority on the agenda. All small scale food producers should have free use and right of decisions over seeds, land and the commons like water, air, culture and knowledge. Peasant agroecology permanently challenges the structures of power in society and transforms the power of domination into a leadership by those who care best for the whole.
Scientifically
peasant agroecology has contributed since the beginning of agricultural practices to the knowledge and understanding of growing food in relationship with our living environment. Peasant agroecology respects diverse and regional knowledge. Learning processes are farmer-to-farmer based and often intergenerational.
Socially
peasant agroecology forms a movement in which all people are seen as equal and important. Peasant agroecology creates a dynamic in which the importance of fully and equally participation of women are fundamental and in which the youth are seen as our stewards of life for future generations. The movement resists life-alienating systems and helps transform them into life-enriching systems.
Peasant agroecology supports life-enriching systems and opposes life-alienating systems. It creates innovative solutions to the major environmental, social, economic and political challenges we are facing today. It is a living practice, science and political- and social movement, build and fostered by people over thousands of years. Over all those years it has proven to be the most just, fair and durable way of sustaining (human) life on planet Earth. Peasant agroecology strives for the upliftment of all living beings. It deeply connects us with our inner feelings and our relationships to others and to our natural environment and thus creates a balanced society within a healthy world.
