Agroecology Knowledge Hub

Culture and food traditions: by supporting healthy, diversified and culturally appropriate diets, agroecology contributes to food security and nutrition while maintaining the health of ecosystems

Agriculture and food are core components of human heritage. Hence, culture and food traditions play a central role in society and in shaping human behaviour. However, in many instances, our current food systems have created a disconnection between food habits and culture. This disconnection has contributed to a situation where hunger and obesity exist side by side, in a world that produces enough food to feed its entire population.

Almost 800 million people worldwide are chronically hungry and 2 billion suffer micronutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile, there has been a rampant rise in obesity and diet-related diseases; 1.9 billion people are overweight or obese and non-communicable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes) are the number one cause of global mortality. To address the imbalances in our food systems and move towards a zero hunger world, increasing production alone is not sufficient.

Agroecology plays an important role in re-balancing tradition and modern food habits, bringing them together in a harmonious way that promotes healthy food production and consumption, supporting the right to adequate food. In this way, agroecology seeks to cultivate a healthy relationship between people and food.

Cultural identity and sense of place are often closely tied to landscapes and food systems. As people and ecosystems have evolved together, cultural practices and indigenous and traditional knowledge offer a wealth of experience that can inspire agroecological solutions. For example, India is home to an estimated 50,000 indigenous varieties of rice – bred over centuries for their specific taste, nutrition and pest-resistance properties, and their adaptability to a range of conditions. Culinary traditions are built around these different varieties, making use of their different properties. Taking this accumulated body of traditional knowledge as a guide, agroecology can help realise the potential of territories to sustain their peoples.

Database

 Agroecology Europe (AEEU) is an association of members who wants to exchange knowledge and experiences on agroecology and to support the transition toward agroecological practices and policies. To support exchange, reflection and bottom-up contributions, the association will organise together with local farmers, universities, social movement organisations and non-governmental organisations, the second Agroecology...
Greece
Event
2019
The FAO Technical Network on Sustainable Crop Production and Agroecology, SP2 and SP4 organize on Tuesday 1 of October from 14:30-16:00 (CEST)  a seminar on ''Promoting sustinable urban and periurban agriculture: an example of agroecological practices in Rosario (Argentina)''.The Seminar will take place in FAO Headquarters, Malasya Room (B227) and it will be conducted in English...
Argentina
Event
2019
The Venezuelan Association of Agroecology (AVA) is a broad group, made up of social organizations, farmers, academics, and other associated actors interested in contributing to the transformation of food systems, towards food sovereignty from an agroecological perspective. The Congress will take place in Caracas during the 17 and 19 of October. In its third...
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Event
2019
The First Chilean Congress of Agroecology, organized by the University of La Frontera and the Chilean chapter of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCLA-Chile), will be held at the Pucón Campus of the University of La Frontera during the 17 and 18 of October 2019. Under the slogan...
Chile
Event
2019
'Sembrando Capacidades' - a trilateral South-South cooperation project between Brazil, Colombia and FAO is coming to an end after two years of work focused on strengthening instruments and policies for a peasant, family, and community agriculture in Colombia through knowledge management and the exchange of experiences between the two countries in four areas:...
Colombia
Project
2021