Agroecology Knowledge Hub

Agroecology in action

Agroecology, as a scientific discipline, applies ecological principles to manage interactions among plants, animals, humans, and the environment, with a primary focus on food security and nutrition. Farmers worldwide are already implementing this approach, deeply rooted in traditional and local wisdom.

FAO acknowledges the pivotal role of farmers in effectively managing both human and natural resources, ultimately leading to improved food security, enhanced nutrition, and bolstered rural development. They serve as perpetual innovators and researchers, driving progress in sustainable agriculture and resilient rural livelihoods.

Explore below how farmers and food provisioners act as stewards of their lands, waters, seeds and natural resources through agroecology -- integrating sophisticated knowledge, innovative techniques, local wisdom and traditional practices. In this section, discover compelling action stories, insightful testimonials from the field, detailed project and practice profiles, enriching experiences, multimedia resources, and more.

This case study is part of the work conducted by the Agroecological Learning Alliance in South East Asia (ALiSEA), in order to showcase outstanding agroecological initiatives at grass root level...
2016
Mountain people learn, live, love and unite for life – to awaken and search for the treasure within the mountain. By combining our wisdom, we can co-exist and develop to...
2016
China is a large country with diverse agro-ecosystems and numerous different agricultural production systems. These agricultural systems are managed by more than 200 million households who provide agricultural products to...
2016
Mongolia is located in Central Asia in between Russia and China. Only 1% of the arable land in Mongolia is cultivated with crops. The agriculture sector therefore remains heavily focused...
2016
The Polyculture Market Garden Study is one of the programs currently running at Balkan Ecology Project and is a multiyear study of a 0.5 acre (2000 m2) market garden growing...
2016
The collapse of the socialist block in 1989 generated a deficit of energy, supplies and chemicals, and forced significant changes in the ways in which food was produced and distributed...
2016
Agroecological case studies all over the globe show agroecology in practice.
2016
In Vietnam rice is grown on 85% of cultivated land. Annual paddy (unmilled) rice production grew from 19.2 million metric tons in 1990 to 42.4 million metric tons by 2011,...
2016
Drylands represent 40% of the Earth's surface, produce 44% of the world’s food and are home to 80% of the world’s poor. Eighty per cent of Kenya comprises arid or...
2016
Rocrops is a smallholder farm established in 1990 in Trinidad. It is owned and managed by the husband and wife Ramgopaul and Beena Roop. The Rocrops farm is comprised of...
2016
Timor-Leste is a half Island country with a total population of 1.2 million people; it is geographically situated between Asia and the Pacific region. It is a tropical country and...
2016
Manor House Agricultural Center provides training in low input farming as an alternative to conventional methods, which are heavily reliant on external inputs. Farmers practicing biointensive farming techniques experience significant...
2015
The highly weathered soils of West Africa’s semi-arid Sudanian and Sahelian agro-ecological regions suffer from naturally low levels of organic matter that have been further degraded by agricultural intensification and...
2015
A highly successful, ecologically based pest and weed management system was introduced in 1999 to resource-poor smallholder maize farmers in Kenya. Used by thousands of farmers in East Africa, the...
2015
In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This...
2015
Northern Mali’s Timbuktu region is one of the most food insecure regions in the Sahelian nation. Agriculture depends on the floodwaters of the Niger River and highly variable rainfall that...
2015
Dans le cadre de ses programmes de sécurité alimentaire, Action Contre la Faim-USA (ACFUSA)* a mis en œuvre des foires aux semences dans les zones rurales de l’Ouganda et de...
2015
The Oakland Institute today released 33 case studies that shed light on the tremendous success of agroecological agriculture across the African continent in the face of climate change, hunger, and...
2015
Cotton production presents a double bind for West African smallholder farmers, providing much-needed cash income through a chemically intensive production system that has a negative effect on human and environmental...
2015
Himo Environmental Management Trust Fund has worked to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers facing low productivity and soil erosion on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Farmers have been trained...
2015