The Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) and the Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) are piloting the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) in various countries to support the transition towards more sustainable food systems. In this context, 2 virtual trainings have taken place in Mali and China.

TAPE is an innovative framework to evaluate the performance of agricultural systems and create global evidence on how agroecology supports the transition to sustainable food systems. Following a request by FAO Member Countries in 2018, this tool was developed through a participatory process involving a large number of FAO technical divisions as well as external partners. As the last step in its development and with the support of local partners in over 15 countries, TAPE is currently undergoing a piloting process in different regions worldwide to fine tune its application, ensure its local adaptability and global data robustness. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the team adapted the trainings initially planned to be carried out in person to a virtual format.

A first training on TAPE was held in Mali between 10^th and 14^th August, in collaboration with the Institute of Research on the Promotion of Alternatives for Development (IRPAD), which is leading the process of data collection and analysis for the application of the tool in over 200 farms in the Kayes region (western Mali). TAPE is being used to establish a baseline on the status of agroecological transitions for a GEF project aiming at improving resilience, productivity and sustainability of crops and animal husbandry in the region. TAPE will also be used to identify and support strategies and practices for a transition towards more sustainable food systems in Kayes.

Virtual TAPE workshop in Mali (Credit: Dario Lucantoni)

The training received important inputs from the FAO Country Office in Mali, the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB), and the Food and Nutrition Division (ESN). The later provided training on the tool for mapping territorial markets, which will be coupled to TAPE for analyzing how agroecology helps to connect small crop and livestock farmers to territorial markets and how these can support the spreading of agroecological practices and principles for improved sustainability of the local food system.

"Some 90% of West African agriculture is made up of family farms,” said Mamadou Goïta, director of IRPAD, adding that agroecology and food sovereignty have already been written into national and regional policies. “Agroecology responds to the demands of millions of farmers across West Africa. It is a systemic response to the COVID-19 and climate crises."