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Subsidies Holding Back Agroecology

After a half century of pioneering work by farmers and scientists, agroecology has finally penetrated international policy circles. This is due to agroecology’s widespread success on the ground and the tireless efforts of agroecologists, food activists and policy advocates determined to break corporate agriculture’s chokehold on the politics and the purse strings of our food system.

Last month, Friends of the Earth (FoE) published Farming for the Future: Organic and Agroecological Solutions to Feed the World - which was released on the heels of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems’ (IPES) report, From Uniformity to Diversity: A paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems.

The two publications reflect a widespread push by civil society to advance agroecology as a solution to the rural poverty, hunger, erosion, agricultural pollution and greenhouse gas emissions attributed to industrial agriculture. Extensively referenced, the reports highlight agroecology’s many benefits, including comparable yields to conventional systems, the production of nutrient-dense foods, resilience to climate change, increased farmers’ incomes, and more.

We’re left wondering, if agroecology is so great, why aren’t all farmers doing it? What’s holding it back?

Global Justice Now

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