Presentation from Peter Rosset, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR-Mexico) and Via Campesina, describing the inter-linkages between Agroecology and social movements. The presentation was prepared and delivered in occasion of the International Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition, held at FAO in Rome on 18-19 September 2014.

1. Organization
and
Social
Process
in Bringing
Agroecology
to Scale
Peter Rosset, Ph.D., El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR),
Mexico, & La Vía Campesina International

2. Peasant and family farm based
agroecology has many
advantages compared to
industrial agriculture:
• Healthy food for local people
• Rural livelihoods and cultures
• Resilience to climate and other shocks
• Lower greenhouse gas emissions
• Lower production costs, less indebtedness
• Better stewardship of productive resources &
biodiversity
• Greater autonomy and less external dependence
• Etc.

12. Andres has recovered, multiplies, and shares 128 varieties
of beans (ANAP Cuba)

13. But a major challenge remains:
How to bring agroecology to scale
…such that it is practiced by
ever more families, over
ever larger territories

14. Scaling up and scaling out
key roles for peasant and
family farmer organizations and
social movements

15. “Campesino a Campesino” (farmer to farmer)
is an illustrative example
MEXICO

16. Social organization (“organicity”) is the
culture medium on which agroecology grows
and spreads.
Horizontal, social process methodology that
builds peasant protagonism is the driving
force.
The global agroecology process in la Via
Campesina is based on horizontal exchanges
and includes more than 40 peasant and
farmer agroecology schools

17. Factors in Achieving Scale
• Social organization – social movements
• Horizontal social process methodology
and pedagogy
• Peasant protagonism
• Farming practices that work
• Motivating discourse and framing
• Political opportunity
• External allies
• Charismatic leaders, local champions, etc.
• Favorable markets
• Favorable public policies

18. Emblematic Examples from
La Via Campesina

19. Korea – Woori Teot Bat

22. India
Zero Budget Natural Farming movement (ZNBF)

24. International exchange visit

25. Zimbabwe:
Land Reform & Agroecology

27. Guatemala:
birthplace of “campesino a campesino”

29. CUBA: Pinacle of campesino a campesino

30. Growth in Cuba
Number of Families

32. Factors in Achieving Scale
• Social organization – social movements
• Horizontal social process methodology
and pedagogy
• Peasant protagonism
• Farming practices that work
• Motivating discourse and framing
• Political opportunity
• External allies
• Charismatic leaders, local champions, etc.
• Favorable markets
• Favorable public policies

34. Casimiro family

35. Animales

36. BEFORE
Reference: mamey
tree

37. AFTER
Reference tree

38. BEFORE
Reference:
Orange tree

39. AFTER:
Orange tree

40. BEFORE
Reference

41. AFTER
Reference