Agroecology: Science and Politics

by Peter M Rosset, Miguel a Altieri

Our global food system is largely based on unsustainable industrial agricultural practices, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, is controlled by a handful of large corporations and produces unhealthy food. Agroecology is a solution to these increasingly urgent problems. After decades of being dismissed by mainstream institutions and defended in obscurity by grassroots movements, some scientists and farmers, agroecology is suddenly in fashion. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, government agencies and even corporations are jumping on the bandwagon. But, are they for the same agroecology as developed by pioneering farmers, scientists and peasant social movements, or are they seeking to co-opt the concept and give it different content? Rosset and Altieri, two of the world's leading agroecologists, outline the principles, history and currents of agroecological thought, the scientific evidence for agroecology, how to bring agroecology to scale and the contemporary politics of agroecology.

Genres: Agriculture

160 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2019

Reviews

[Laya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, A must read especially for those working in the burgeoning 'sustainable agriculture' sector.

My gripe was the authors is that they cite Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) as a 'peasant agro-ecology' movement, while it actually is an excellent case study of the 'co-option of agroecology' which they elaborate wonderfully in the final chapter. Otherwise, it's a great book in this series that delivers to its name "Little Books on Big Issues".

[ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, es bueno para introducirse a la agroecología. Parte desde sus argumentos más agronómicos y ecológicos, variados casos y ejemplos de formas de producción, a grandes y pequeñas escalas. Al final del libro quizás los últimos dos capítulos es donde se pone más político, proponiendo herramientas Campesino a Campesino y enfatizando en la relavancia de que las organizaciones se posicionen en contra de cooptación del concepto. Pero siento que no arremeten contra el Estado y persisten en el diálogo por la vía institucional, hace falta otra cosa

[Pfairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the book:

La Vía Campesina states:
Ours is the “model of life,” of the countryside with peasants, of
rural communities with families, of territories with trees and
forests, mountains, lakes, rivers and coastlines, and is in frm
opposition to the “model of death” of agribusiness, of farming
without peasants or families, of industrial monocultures, of
rural areas without trees, of green deserts and land poisoned
by chemical pesticides and genetically modifed organisms.
We are actively challenging capital and agribusiness, disputing
land and territory with them.

[James Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and quick overview of the science and political situation regarding agroecology. Great easy read for folks interested in the topic.