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.

Malawi faces myriad of environmental, social, and human health challenges, including food insecurity, land degradation and deforestation. An agroforestry program promotes tree planting to increase crop yields in previously depleted...
2015
Rodale Institute Regenerative Agriculture Research Center teamed up with farmers’ groups and government researchers in Senegal to promote regenerative agriculture to increase food sufficiency, lessen farmers’ dependence on external inputs,...
2015
Since the early 1980s, farmers in the northern part of Burkina Faso’s Central Plateau have made significant investments in low-cost soil and water conservation techniques. These techniques greatly improved agricultural,...
2015
Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has helped people address the challenges of food insecurity and environmental degradation while conserving wildlife and other natural resources. COMACO is one of the few...
2015
Declining soil fertility, climatic variability, and outmigration threaten Lesotho’s agricultural productivity. The Machobane Farming System is a simple, low-input technique based on the intercropping and localized application of organic manures....
2015
Since 1984 the Keita Rural Development Project has focused on restoring the area’s ecological balance and pursuing social and economic development. The project was critical in stemming ecosystem degradation resulting...
2015
Governments and specialized international agencies have successfully promoted cassava production in Malawi and Zambia in order to reduce drought vulnerability and dependency on maize monocropping
2015
La experiencia vivida en la localidad Villa los Llanos-Estación Juárez Celman tiene por objetivo conocer la realidad de la agricultura familiar integrando conceptos productivos agroecológicos y sociales a través del...
2015
To address food insecurity in Rwanda, NGOs and government bodies are collaborating on the Support Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture Initiative to promote integrated garden-livestock systems to scale-up...
2015
Successful implementation of field-based learning in Farmer Field Schools (FFS) has facilitated ecologically resilient farming systems in West Africa. By creating a knowledge base of locally adapted best practices and...
2015
Mucuna (velvetbean) is a regenerative plant that was introduced in Southern Benin in the late 1980s. Interplanted with corn and used as green manure, Mucuna fixes nitrogen, adds biomass to...
2015
A collaborative project between farmers in northwest Tanzania’s Karagwe District, the development organization Community Habitat Environmental Management and Matunda Mema, an organic produce exporter, demonstrates that small-scale East African farmers...
2015
Unlike conventional “top down” technology transfer extension models, the success of this legume diversification project underscores the importance of participatory research and extension methodologies to address the complex social factors—community...
2015
Launched in West and Northwest Cameroon in 1999, the Agricultural and Tree Products Program is now working with over 10,000 farmers and 50 entrepreneurs in 485 communities. In addition to...
2015
Launched in 2006, a conservation farming project has transformed hundreds of farmers’ lives in Zimbabwe’s Nkayi District. Once food-aid beneficiaries, these farmers now produce enough maize to cover family needs,...
2015
Banana wilt is a devastating bacterial disease caused by the Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum bacteria. The wilt dries out the male bud and causes premature ripening of the banana plant’s...
2015
Small-scale, resource-poor farmers organize fair trade grower cooperatives to market certified organic cocoa exports from post-war Sierra Leone
2015
The most important agricultural systems such as Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Saffron farming systems are irrigated by Qanat. The geographical regions around the Central Desert of Iran which is also one...
2014
Etude réalisée dans le Nord-Est du Gabon, qui est couvert par une forêt équatoriale dense relativement intacte. C'est une zone peu peuplée avec des villages regroupés le long des principaux axes routiers,...
2014
Some may view indigenous communities as being conservative and backwards. However, the Kabekwa in Costa Rica show that such communities can be adaptable and innovative. In response to changing circumstances,...
2013