Skip to main content

Achieving Food and Nutrition Security: The Role of Agroecology

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Zero Hunger

Definitions

Agroecology

Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological principles and concepts to the design and management of sustainable agricultural agroecosystems (Altieri 2005). Agroecosystem forms the basic unit on which agroecological principles are applied.

Introduction

The population of the world has increased in recent years and is projected to reach between 9.6 billion in 2050 and 12.3 billion by 2100 (Gerland et al. 2014). The population of the world is expected to continue increasing for the rest of the century, with at least a 3.5-fold increase in the population of Africa. The population of Asia (mostly South Asia) and Africa (mostly sub-Saharan Africa) are expected to record a great share of the projected increase in population (Lichtfouse et al. 2009). The increase in population would definitely be associated with an increase in demand for food, energy, and other natural resources. Food security would therefore be mostly threatened in the regions where the...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adiku SGK, Debrah E, Naab JB (2013) “Towards the development of a micro-level weather index-based agricultural insurance to minimise the effect of climate change on crop production in the Upper West Region of Ghana” CCAFS report no.1, Department of Soil Science, University of Ghana

    Google Scholar 

  • Aflakpui GKS, Vyn TJ, Hall MR, Anderson GW, Swanton CJ (1993) Effect of tillage on nitrogen response in corn (Zea mays L.) after established alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Can J Plant Sci 73:73–81

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aflakpui GKS (2007) Present outlook and transformation in the delivery of agricultural extension services: implications for research–extension–farmer linkages. Outlook Agric 36:35–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aflakpui GKS, Boa-Amponsem FK, Anchirinah VM, Osei-Yeboah S, Bolfrey-Arku GE-K, Osei-Bonsu P, Asumadu H, Manu-Aduening JA, Allou PB, Akowuah PK, Baffour A (2007) Sustaining crop production through conservation tillage in Ghana. J Plant Sci 2:68–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Rosset P (1996) Agroecology and the conversion of large-scale conventional systems to sustainable management. Int J Environ Stud 50:165–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA (1999) The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. In: Invertebrate biodiversity as bioindicators of sustainable landscapes. Elsevier, Amsterdam; New York, pp 19–31

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA (2004) Linking ecologists and traditional farmers in the search for sustainable agriculture. Front Ecol Environ 2:35–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA, Toledo VM (2011) The agroecological revolution in Latin America: rescuing nature, ensuring food sovereignty and empowering peasants. J Peasant Stud 38:587–612

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altieri MA (2005) Agroecology: principles and strategies for designing sustainable farming systems. https://www.biosafety-info.net/article.php?aid=291. Date accessed 17 June 2018

  • Bhandari G (2014) An overview of agrochemicals and their effects on environment in Nepal. Appl Ecol Environ Sci 2:66–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (2010) Soil and water conservation. In: Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R (eds) Principles of soil conservation and management. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–19

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bokeloh G (2005) Actions/interventions to improve food and nutrition security at meso and micro level. Achieving food and nutrition security. In: Klaus Klennert (Eds) Achieving Food and Nutrition Security Actions to Meet the Global Challenge A Training Course Reader. InWEnt – Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH. Feldafing, Germany, pp 127–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Chauvin ND, Mulangu F, Porto G (2012) Food production and consumption trends in sub-Saharan Africa: prospects for the transformation of the agricultural sector. UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalgaard T, Hutchings NJ, Porter JR (2003) Agroecology, scaling and interdisciplinarity. Agric Ecosyst Environ 100:39–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Schutter O (2010) Agroecology and the right to food. Report submitted by the Special Reporter on the right to food. UN General Assembly. Human Rights Council, Sixteenth Session

    Google Scholar 

  • Duru M, Therond O (2015) Designing agroecological transitions; A review. Agron Sustain Dev 35:1237–1257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epule ET, Bryant CR (2016) Assessing the effects of agroecology and conventional farming techniques on small-scale peasant farmers crop yields in the Fako and Meme divisions of Cameroon. Afr J Agric Res 11:849–866

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (2015) Agroecology for food Security and nutrition. Proceedings of the FAO international symposium 18–19 September 2014, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (2017) The future of food and agriculture. Trends and challenges. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO (2017) The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2017: building resilience for peace and food security. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Frison EA, Cherfas J, Hodgkin T (2011) Agricultural biodiversity is essential for a sustainable improvement in food and nutrition security. Sustainability 3:238–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerland P, Raftery AE, Ševčíková H, Gu N, Li D, Spoorenberg T, Alkema L, Fosdick BK, Chunn J, Lalic N (2014) World population stabilization unlikely this century. Science 346:234–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman S, Tittonell P (2015) Agroecology for food security and nutrition. Taylor & Francis Group LLC

    Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman SR (1998) Field and laboratory investigations in agroecology: a manual to accompany agroecology: ecological processes in sustainable agriculture. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea

    Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman SR (2006) Agroecology: the ecology of sustainable food systems. CRC press, Boca Raton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gliessman S (2007) Agroecology: the ecology of sustainable food systems. CRC. Taylor & Francis, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomiero T (2016) Soil degradation, land scarcity and food security: reviewing a complex challenge. Sustainability 8:281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haile M (2005) Weather patterns, food security and humanitarian response in sub-Saharan Africa. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B: Biol Sci 360:2169–2182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hainzelin E (2014) Enhancing the function and provisioning of ecosystem services in agriculture: agroecological principles. In: (FAO 2014) Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition. Proceedings of the FAO International Symposium 18–19 September 2014, Rome, Italy, pp 36–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt-Giménez E, Altieri MA (2013) Agroecology, food sovereignty, and the new green revolution. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 37:90–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt-Giménez E, Shattuck A, Altieri M, Herren H, Gliessman S (2012) We already grow enough food for 10 billion people… and still can’t end hunger. Taylor & Francis, London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt AR, Alix A, Thompson A, Maltby L (2016) Food production, ecosystem services and biodiversity: we can’t have it all everywhere. Sci Total Environ 573:1422–1429

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johns T, Powell B, Maundu P, Eyzaguirre PB (2013) Agricultural biodiversity as a link between traditional food systems and contemporary development, social integrity and ecological health. J Sci Food Agric 93:3433–3442

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kansiime MK, van Asten P, Sneyers K (2018) Farm diversity and resource use efficiency: targeting agricultural policy interventions in East Africa farming systems. NJAS-Wageningen J Life Sci 85:32–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kremen C, Iles A, Bacon C (2012) Diversified farming systems: an agroecological, systems-based alternative to modern industrial agriculture. Ecol Soc 17:44

    Google Scholar 

  • Kremen C, Miles A (2012) Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: benefits, externalities, and trade-offs. Ecol Soc 17:40

    Google Scholar 

  • Landis DA (2017) Designing agricultural landscapes for biodiversity-based ecosystem services. Basic Appl Ecol 18:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lappé FM, Clapp J, Anderson M, Broad R, Messer E, Pogge T, Wise T (2013) How we count hunger matters. Ethics Int Aff 27:251–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtfouse E, Navarrete M, Debaeke P, Souchère V, Alberola C, Ménassieu J (2009) Agronomy for sustainable agriculture: a review. In: Sustainable agriculture. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lowder SK, Skoet J, Singh S (2014) What do we really know about the number and distribution of farms and family farms in the world. Background paper for The State of Food and Agriculture 2014 ESA working paper no 14-02, FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks E, Aflakpui GKS, Nkem J, Poch RM, Khouma M, Kokou K, Sagoe R, Sebastià MT (2009) Conservation of soil organic carbon, biodiversity and the provision of other ecosystem services along climatic gradients in West Africa. Biogeosciences 6:1825–1838

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mathew RP, Feng Y, Githinji L, Ankumah R, Balkcom KS (2012) Impact of no-tillage and conventional tillage systems on soil microbial communities. Appl Environ Soil Sci 2012:1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Migliorini P, Wezel A (2017) Converging and diverging principles and practices of organic agriculture regulations and agroecology. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 37:63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholls CI, Altieri M (2017) Agroecological approaches to enhance resilience among small farmers. https://regenerationinternational.org/tag/resilient-food-systems/page/3/. Accessed 2 July 2018

  • Perfecto I, Vandermeer J (2010) The agroecological matrix as alternative to the land-sparing/agriculture intensification model. Proc Natl Acad Sci 107:5786–5791

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ponisio LC, M’Gonigle LK, Mace KC, Palomino J, de Valpine P, Kremen C (2015) Diversification practices reduce organic to conventional yield gap. Proc R Soc B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1396

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Power AG (2010) Ecosystem services and agriculture: tradeoffs and synergies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B: Biol Sci 365:2959–2971

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pretty J (2003) Agroecology in developing countries: the promise of a sustainable harvest. Environ: Sci Policy Sustain Dev 45:8–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretty J (2008) Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B: Biol Sci 363:447–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silici L (2014) Agroecology: what it is and what it has to offer. IIED issue paper. IIED, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Tittonell P (2014) Ecological intensification of agriculture – sustainable by nature. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 8:53–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tully K, Ryals R (2017) Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems: balancing food and environmental objectives. Agroecol Sustain Food Syst 41:761–798

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Ittersum MK, Cassman KG, Grassini P, Wolf J, Tittonell P, Hochman Z (2013) Yield gap analysis with local to global relevance – a review. Field Crop Res 143:4–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wezel A, Bellon S, Doré T, Francis C, Vallod D, David C (2009) Agroecology as a science, a movement and a practice. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 29:503–515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wezel A, Goris M, Bruil J, Félix GF, Peeters A, Bàrberi P, Bellon S, Migliorini P (2018) Challenges and action points to amplify agroecology in Europe. Sustainability 10:1598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood SL, DeClerck F (2015) Ecosystems and human well-being in the sustainable development goals. Front Ecol Environ 13:123–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wüstefeld M (2013) Food and Nutrition Security UNSCN meeting of the minds nutrition impact of food systems. United Nation Systems. https://www.unscn.org/files/Annual_Sessions/UNSCN_Meetings_2013/Wustefeld_Final_MoM_FNS_concept.pdf. Accessed 7 July 2018

  • Zhang W, Ricketts TH, Kremen C, Carney K, Swinton SM (2007) Ecosystem services and dis-services to agriculture. Ecol Econ 64:253–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucy Amissah .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Amissah, L., Aflakpui, G.K.S. (2019). Achieving Food and Nutrition Security: The Role of Agroecology. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Zero Hunger. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69626-3_58-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69626-3_58-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69626-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69626-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics