More than four decades of research and collaboration with farmers have shaped Professor Miguel Altieri’s view of agroecology as a way of designing farming systems around biodiversity, ecological interactions and local knowledge. In conversation with Dr. Million Belay, he explains how diverse crops, healthy soils and farmer-managed seed systems can strengthen resilience and reduce the vulnerabilities associated with simplified monocultures.

The discussion traces the development of agroecology as both a scientific field and a practical approach to farming. Altieri reflects on the limitations of Green Revolution models, particularly where production gains depend heavily on external inputs and uniform cropping systems. Drawing on experiences from Latin America and his own agroecological farm in Colombia, he discusses how ecological processes such as nutrient cycling, biological regulation and crop diversity can support productivity and adaptation under increasingly variable climatic conditions.

The episode also explores the role of traditional knowledge, seed sovereignty and food sovereignty in shaping more locally controlled food systems. Rather than presenting agroecology as a single technical package, the conversation emphasizes the importance of context, farmer knowledge and ecological design. It provides a broad introduction to the principles behind biodiversity-based farming and to the debates surrounding agroecology’s potential contribution to resilient and sustainable food systems.