Chapter 02 · Nature, land & waterCoffee, Cocoa & Agricultural Commodities
Agroecology
Definition
An integrated approach to agriculture and food systems that applies ecological and social principles to the design and management of sustainable agrifood systems. FAO frames it through 10 Elements — including diversity, synergies, recycling, resilience, and human and social values — adopted by the 197 FAO Member States in December 2019 after a multi-year consultative process.
References
10 Elements framework; adoption by 197 FAO Member States in December 2019; bottom-up, territorial character; SDG linkages.
FAO's 2019 Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity Across Agricultural Sectors; institutional context linking agriculture, biodiversity and health.
Overview
What it means
Agroecology is simultaneously described as a science, a set of practices and a social movement, which is why definitions vary. It is deliberately bottom-up and territorial: there is no single way to apply it, and solutions are contextualised to local constraints, with small-scale producers and consumers included in its governance.
It minimises harmful agro-chemical inputs and optimises local and renewable resources and knowledge.
How it is used
Governments use the 10 Elements framework to guide transitions towards sustainable agrifood systems; FAO links agroecology to delivery of multiple Sustainable Development Goals, from poverty and hunger to health and biodiversity. Practitioners apply techniques such as multi-year, multi-crop rotations, agroforestry and integrated pest management.
Why it matters
Agroecology is one of the most prominent systemic alternatives to input-intensive industrial agriculture, central to debates on food sovereignty, climate resilience and biodiversity. It is also contested: critics question yield penalties at scale, while proponents argue conventional accounting ignores externalised environmental and health costs.
Definitions and controversy
Definition status reflects genuine plurality (science/practice/movement); evidence on relative yields and scalability remains debated.