The current challenges to agriculture posed by food insecurity and climate change are serious. There is a paradox of increased food production and growing hunger in the world. The global food production system is broken as we are destroying the very base of agriculture with unsustainable practices. Conventional agriculture has contributed significantly to the crisis including climate change. Meanwhile, the poorest countries will suffer the most from climate change; in particular, small subsistence farmers will be affected.

The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) concluded that “business as usual is no longer an option” and that the future of agriculture lies in biodiverse, agroecological-based farming that can meet social, economic and environmental goals as well as maintain and increase productivity.