This interview is part of a series conducted in the lead-up to the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems programme to be held from 24-27 April in Hanoi, Vietnam. 

When asked about the current moment for food systems, Lim Li Ching brings the conversation back to 2009, when she was involved in the development of the final report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) assessing the relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science and technology. She feels that this massive effort was unique at the time, in bringing together so many experts across so many disciplines. While the real journey had yet to start, she notes that in 2009 there was a tangible shift in attitudes. Calls for a real paradigmatic shift began picking up momentum, for a transformation towards sustainable food systems, particularly with regard to agro-ecology and its contribution to this process. “Agroecology applies ecological principles to the design and management of agroecosystems. It is a movement for action and empowerment of small-scale producers, especially those with knowledge and expertise… There is also an emphasis on social and environmental justice aspects… as it involves recognising that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples is equally important and is one of the foundations on which much of the science is based.” Ms. Lim further elaborates on the above-mentioned shift explaining that it came about through recognising the role of farmers and producers by working with them on field knowledge, rather than focusing on top-down technological approaches. “We started to see this change in 2009 with the IAASTD experts who, after looking at the situation at grassroots level, concluded that we could not continue on this downward trajectory because it was unsustainable, too resource intensive, and therefore environmentally damaging and socially unjust. We have to look at the global value chain, from production to consumption. We must consider how food systems are structured as whole.”