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Human development must ensure the welfare and survival of an ever-growing population. To assess the impact of agroecosystems on sustainability in Nariño (Colombia), variables related to sustainable development were evaluated through a semi-structured survey conducted with 122 producers from 6 municipalities in the Nariño department. The association between the categorical variables associated with the pillars of sustainability was analyzed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). From the MCA, 23 indicators were selected, representing quantitative information on the economic, social, and environmental characteristics of the participants. The municipalities were characterized according to the needs and strengths of the producers. Five groups encompass most characteristics of the producers, which are largely independent of geopolitical conditions. On the other hand, the population characterization indicates that the economic well-being of fruit growers can promote the conservation of natural resources. Finally, a principal component factor analysis (PCFA) was conducted to construct the General Sustainability Index (GSI). A network graph for each municipality revealed that the indicators of the production systems are in an unfavorable environment in almost all aspects related to sustainability. The GSI values reveal unstable agroecological conditions that are causing environmental deterioration, with critical levels in the municipalities of Arboleda, Sandoná, and Providencia. Social investment and public policies must be implemented to improve the economic conditions of the producers, accompanied by legislation on the proper management of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small producers are participating more and more in the debate on moving towards sustainable agriculture. Natural resources are given as the main reason, but these producers also base their decisions on the need to produce enough food to feed their families and strengthen local economies. During the transition, however, economic and productive sustainability represents a real challenge for the producers and the organizations to which they belong. This study analyzes the experiences of coffee-growing families located in the department of Cauca, Colombia. These families opted for a transition from conventional management to certified organic coffee production while continuing—within the framework of the agroecological transition—to produce and market food. The study aim consisted of identifying those factors that favor or pose a threat to remaining within the certification, as well as the degree of importance of these factors as they relate to the sustainability of the family production units (FPU). To achieve this, a qualitative research approach was adopted that required collaborative work tools involving producers, technicians, and researchers. Limiting factors to holding the organic certification, as identified from the results, were the precariousness of the FPUs, their dispersion and their heterogeneity, limited access to the supply chain, and the requirements for labor, while factors that favored transition were related to the extensive knowledge of the FPUs, their capacity for productive and economic diversification, the organization of collective work and the revitalization of other productive initiatives that achieve the commitment of different groups of producers. The contribution of this study lies in helping to re-design sustainability strategies with groups of small producers of coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroecology represents a holistic approach in the transition to food system sustainability, integrating different dimensions, including knowledge creation, practices redefinition and social mobilisation. This study aims to explore the processes underlying the implementation of the agroecological approach and its transformative potential, focusing on the learning processes that lead to the development of new, shared systems of knowledge, values and beliefs, and to the growth of reflexivity and agency. It aims at deepening the understanding of these processes by analysing the reintroduction of agrobiodiversity in crop/food systems, considering this as a founding element of the agroecological model. Three initiatives located in Italy are investigated to that end. The study analyses role, mechanisms and potential of co-learning processes that develop within the multi-actor networks involved, uncovering enabling and hindering factors. It focuses on the role, reciprocal articulation and cumulative effects of three elements: actors involved and ways of interacting, types of knowledge mobilised and facilitation actions carried out. The findings highlight that the factors ensuring effectiveness of mutual learning, such as modes of actor interaction and, particularly, facilitation, are crucial. At the same time, the mechanisms that intervene seem increasingly complex, showing the need for deeper research and adequate forms of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroecology calls for a global approach, integrating scientific, practical, and advocacy dimensions, to redesign agricultural systems based on ecological and socio-cultural processes and emphasizing biodiversity. This review is grounded on the results of DIVERSIFOOD, a European H2020 multi-actor research project, and explores the concept of cultivated diversity using various dimensions relevant to foster sustainable organic food systems and agro-ecological transition. From the evaluation of underutilized genetic resources and forgotten crops, DIVERSIFOOD has proposed plant breeding strategies, on-farm experimentation, and statistical tools to create new populations, landraces, and organic cultivars with intra-varietal diversity. The added value of Community Seed Banks and forms of collective seed management in Europe have been described in terms of goals and activities, and their value for improving seed regulations, treaties, and genetic resources management is discussed. In the context of the current agro-food system characterized by standardization, DIVERSIFOOD raised awareness of qualities of 'biodiverse food systems' in which all actors have a role to play. It highlighted the critical capacity to preserve a diversity of cultural values embodied in 'biodiverse products', thereby involving consumers in collective strategies for reviving diversity, and empowering all actors of organic food systems to really and efficiently implement research within their farms and networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last few years have seen the emergence of different initiatives designed to promote the biodiversification of agroecosystems as a counterpoint to the global expansion of homogenized industrial agriculture. In Brazil, two food procurement programs demonstrate the potential to promote discussions related to this agroecological transition: the National School Meal Program (Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar, PNAE) and the Food Procurement Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos, PAA). The objectives of this paper are to analyze: (a) how these procurement programs currently integrate agrobiodiversity (crops and cropping systems) according to the local context; (b) the main challenges that key stakeholders perceive for the adoption of biodiverse systems; and (c) the extent to which the key stakeholders involved in these programs associate agrobiodiversity with the provision of ecosystem services. We carried out this research in 2017 in two contrasting municipalities in the eastern part of the Brazilian Amazon, Paragominas and Irituia. Our research shows that these programs have included up to 42 species in Irituia and 32 species in Paragominas. Perennial crop species are the most common type of culture in Irituia (up to 50%), while vegetables are the most common in Paragominas (up to 47%). Although in both municipalities stakeholders identify a large number of ecosystem services (up to 17), services mentioned in Irituia were more closely related to agrobiodiversity. Stakeholders indirectly associated with the programs have a broader view of ecosystem services. We conclude that these procurement programs can be useful tools to promote the biodiversification of local production systems, but their potential may depend on involving institutions not directly associated with their administration. Additionally, despite the observed differences in production context, providing more ecosystem services appears to be a compelling motivation for promoting changes in agroecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of nutritional disaffection with a dominant food and agricultural system and the social questioning of everyday nutritional habits, we studied what Eating Well means to people and what role organic food plays in their lives. We conducted 11 discussion groups that were carried out in Andalusia, Spain; participants had different socio-demographic characteristics—they lived in either rural or urban areas, had different purchasing channels, and practiced varying degrees of organic food consumption. The investigation revealed (1) the motives and limitations for the consumption of organic foods, as perceived by the consumers of organic foods, and (2) the everyday strategies practiced to overcome these limitations. In both cases, this research transcends the classical analyses focused on the price of a product, when proposing a framework for alternative strategies that are based on the ordinary knowledge and practices of the consumers, by looking at consumption through an integrated lens that is rooted in the notion of what consumers consider to be Eating Well. This study shows that Eating Well—according to the criteria of the consumers and the implemented strategies—breaks from the dichotomous or exclusive focus on economic or ideological motives, and revalues feminine and rural knowledge and practices, for a comprehensive management of nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]