Agroecological approaches have evolved to offer a set of guiding principles that can help transform our food systems to create a more socially just, diverse, holistic and sustainable food system that better respects and benefits cultures, the environment and people engaged at every level of the system.
Agroecological approaches are anchored in human rights, rooted in culturally and ecologically diverse knowledge systems, and have the potential to build the community resilience necessary to deal with both the forces of climate change and corporate control. Yet, there have been roadblocks to advancing agroecology globally.

Agroecology experts, advocates and practitioners will discuss on 20 October at 9-11 a.m. CDT / 15h CEST / 22h PHST how agroecology, as a systems approach, can address multiple ongoing global crises — ecological, economic and socio-cultural. Hear from farmers based in the Global North and South as they share their reasons for practising agroecology and the challenges they face. Panellists will discuss these challenges, as well as potential pathways to successfully advancing agroecology. Panel presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session where audience members will interact with the presenters and the panellists.            

Translation will be provided in French, English and Spanish.

Presenters:  

• Sophia Murphy, Executive Director, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), United States;
• Michel Pimbert, Director, Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), United Kingdom.  

Panellists:  

• Lim Li Ching, Senior Researcher at Third World Network (TWN) and Member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food); 
• Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist and Director of the Grassroots Science Program at Pesticide Action Network, North America; 
• Jim Goodman, Chairperson, National Family Farmers Coalition, U.S.;
• Nina Moeller, Associate Professor, CAWR, U.K.; 
• Timothy Wise, Senior Advisor, IATP;  
• Francesco Ajena, Independent Researcher, Italy;  
• Alberta Guerra, Senior Policy Analyst, Action Aid, U.S./Italy.
• Shiney Varghese, Senior Policy Analyst, IATP, U.S.
• Vincent Dauby, Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Officer, International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), Belgium.    

The moderator of the event will be Karen Hansen-Kuhn, Program Director, IATP. The virtual seminar is co-hosted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE).