1. Clara Ines Nicholls
UC Berkeley
nicholls@berkeley.edu
www.socla.co
Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology
2. • SOCLA is a regional organization that interacts with other
societies and organizations that promote agroecology
• the main objective of SOCLA as scientifc society: is to
promote reflection, discussion and scientific exchange of
information on agroecology between researchers,
professors, practiconers, extensionists and farmers in the
region.
• The SOCLA congress held every two years has become a
truly Latin American meeting where all groups (La Via
Campesina, MAELA, RAPAL, IFOAM, etc) working towards a
more just, resilient and sovereign agriculture meet to
exchange ideas, and try to find ways to advance together
recognizing differences and building on our diversity.
3. • Representatives from
LVC and MST informed
about their struggles
against the agronegocio
(industrial -corporate
agriculture) and
experiences on
agroecology, and
reminded participants of
the political dimesnions
of agroecology which
cannot be ignored if the
hegemonic food system
is to be transformed.
4. Hundreds of papers, posters, seminars and keynote
speeches explored new dimensions for research,
education and scaling up of agroecology...some
thematic axes included
• Agroecology and social movements: alliances to
scale up agroecology
• Agroecology and public policies
• The territorial dimensions of agroecology
• The relationship between restoration ecology and
agroecology
• Agroecology and resiliency to climate change:
from adaptation to transformation
• The role of gender in agrocology, etc
6. The ethics of the new agriculture
• The new paradigm to feed the world requires
an agroecological approach and needs to
incorporate a social perspective which takes
into account fundamental rights of the poor
(right to food)
• It requires access to land by small farmers as a
key to reach food sovereignty
7. The agricultural challenge for the next
decades
Increasing Food production is a necessary but not
sufficient condition. These increases must occur
using the same arable land base, with less
petroleum, less water and nitrogen, within a
scenario of climate change, social unrest and
financial crisis.
This challenge cannot be met with the existing
industrial agricultural model and its
biotechnological derivations
8. Features of an agriculture for the
future
• De-coupled from fossil fuel dependence
• Agroecosystems of low environmental impact,
nature friendly
• Resilient to climate change and other shocks
• Multifunctional (ecosystem, social, cultural and
economic services)
• Foundation of local food systems
9. Low external inputs,
high recylcling rates,
crop –livestock
integration
High
Eficiency
High inputs, industrial
monocultures
Low
Low external inputs,
diversified with low
levels of integration
Medium-Low
Specialized systems with
low external inputs
Medium
Agroecosystem Diversity
Productivity
Alta
Baja
Baja
Alta
11. • AGROECOLOGY goes
beyond a one-
dimensional view of
agroecosystems and
seeks to embrace
and understand
ecological and social
interactions.
12.
13. Losses of major agricultural inputs after
the dissolution of the Soviet Union
14. PRINCIPAL TRANSFORMATION
OF CUBAN AGRICULTURE a
Transition of the
Agricultural model
Conventional agriculture
(High use of external inputs:
fertilizers and pesticides )
Sutainable Agriculture
with agroecological
approaches
15. Strengths of Cuba
to produce their own food
Political Will
Technical knoledge
Scientific Potential
21. Area (ha)
Energy (GJ/ha/año)
Proteín (kg/ha)/año
People fed by produced energy
(Pers/ha/año)
People fed by produced protein
(Pers/ha/año)
10
50.6
867
11
34
Energy efficiency 30
22.
23. Huracan Ike-Cuba, data from Sancti Spiritu
farm cooperative
• Areas under industrial monoculture suffered
more damage and exhibited less recovery
than diversified farms.
• After the hurricane average loss in diversified
farms was about 50% compared to 90-100% in
monocultures
• Productive recovery was about 80 - 90% in
DFS, and was noticeable 40 days after the
hurricane
24. After the hurricane average loss in diversified farms was about 50% compared to 90-
100% in monocultures in Sancti Spiritu, Cuba.
Productive recovery was about 80 - 90%,and was noticeable 40 days after the
hurricane
More diverse farms
More diverse farms
25. Climate
Temperature
+ 2 a 3 oC
annual
evapotranspiratio
n
- 657 mm
Relative
Humidity+ 20 a
30%
Rueda et al 2009
38. Feeding a family of five with a model
agroecological ½ hectare farm
(production per year)
• Annual crop production from rotations 3,5 tons
of grain, tubers
• Intensive garden around house: 1,2 t of
vegetables
• 1 ton of fruits from trees in farm borders
• 2500 eggs+ 3,200 liters of milk
• 200% surplus production after family
consumption, sale generated US $1600
• Labor need reduced from 78 hours/week to 32
• Costs of production decreased 60% after 3 years
CET- COLINA, Chile
39. The Campesino a Campesino Movement in LA
• The Campesino a Campesino
movement is an extensive
grassroots movement in Central
America and Mexico.
• It is a cultural phenomenon, a
broad-based movement with
campesinos as the main actors”
• Horizontal, social process
methodology that builds peasant
protagonism is the driving force.
• The Campesino a Campesino
movement is an excellent
example of how alternative
technologies and practices can be
disseminated bypassing "official
channels".
40. Response of peasant movements to agressions
by corporate interests, aided by neoliberal
economic policies
• Social movements of rural peoples, i.e., peasants,
family farmers, indigenous people, rural women and
the landless, are increasingly using agroecological
diversification of their farming systems, as a tool in
the transformation of contested rural spaces into
peasant territories
44. Scaling-up agroecology is possible but
will require positive actions
• unlocking ideological barriers to its political recognition;
• supporting farmer-to-farmer networks;
• funding research and education at various levels
• providing an enabling public policy environment;
• taking specific actions for empowering women;
• making strategic alliances with social movements
Agroecology has already reached millions of farmers and millions of ha
(hectares) in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Scaling it up will require long-term efforts, essentially needed for:
45. Myths about agroecology
• Myth 1: agroecology is opposed to science and
innovation
• Myth 2: agroecology cannot be scaled up
• Myth 3: agroecology is subsistence oriented and
incompatible with markets
• Myth 4: agroecology is low yielding and cannot feed
the world
• Myth 5: agroecology is only for small scale poor
famers