On Friday 8 March 2019, FAO organized a Technical Seminar on “Agroecology in extensive mixed farming systems: similar productivity, lower costs and increased resilience”. In implementing the “Scaling up Agroecology Initiative”, FAO works with partners to facilitate the generation and co-creation of knowledge, and the dissemination of specific evidence on Agroecology’s contribution to sustainable food and agriculture and the SDGs, with the final goal of increasing technical capacities inside and outside the Organization.

The Seminar was hosted by the FAO Technical Network on Sustainable Crop Production and Agroecology and was organized in close collaboration with RENAMA, the National Network of Municipalities and Communities that Promote Agroecology, from Argentina. Eduardo Cerdá, founder of RENAMA and main speaker of the event, focused on the main financial impacts of agroecological approaches through case studies carried out on two Argentinian farms, together with the well-recognized environmental and social dimensions. Cerdá stressed that “Agroecology achieves yields similar to those of conventional agriculture, while significantly reducing costs”.

Around 50 participants attended the event at FAO Headquarters, including FAO staff from different Technical Divisions, representatives from IFAD, civil society organizations, and research institutions. The Seminar was also followed by 25 online participants from different countries and decentralized FAO offices. 

The event featured a rich multi-disciplinary interaction on the opportunities offered by Agroecology applied to extensive integrated systems in medium- and large-scale farms, and presented insights on comprehensive financial and economic indicators that could be considered when assessing these systems. The speaker pointed out that “we should look beyond yields and analyse how much money stays with the producers to solve their needs and life expenses, as many times higher yields don’t translate into higher incomes when we analyse the cost levels”. Cerdá also stressed the main constraints faced in the scaling up of agroecology, especially in terms of lack of specific knowledge in formal education and extension systems.

The recording of the seminar is accessible permanently at the following link http://fao.adobeconnect.com/ppu4vknqvq2g/.