AEMED 2025: Spotlight on the hidden benefits of small-scale mountain farming

In April 2025, the first Agroecology Congress in the Mediterranean (AEMED 2025) was held in Agrigento, Sicily. This landmark event brought together researchers, policymakers, farmers and civil society organizations from across the region. Against the backdrop of climate stress, rural depopulation and food insecurity, the Congress offered a platform to reflect on the role of agroecology in reshaping Mediterranean food systems towards sustainability, equity and resilience. 

During the Congress, Tommaso Gaifami, member of Marsilea (a collective of young agronomists for agroecology), presented the study Harvesting Sustainability: A Comprehensive Framework for Assessing the Hidden Benefits of Small-Scale Organic Mountain Farming. 

Funded by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and developed by the University of Milan with the support of Marsilea, the study represents a pioneering effort to measure the often-overlooked contributions of small-scale farming systems in mountain areas. These systems are inherently agroecological in nature, yet they remain on the margins of dominant agricultural models and policies. 

The study assessed 23 producer organizations across eight countries, focusing on three emblematic crop groups for the regions analysed: coffee, cocoa and arable crops. It introduces a comprehensive framework to evaluate the positive externalities generated by small-scale organic farming in mountainous regions. The framework combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, integrating agroecological, environmental, social and economic indicators. It also applies a pioneering simulation model (ARMOSA) and a true-cost accounting methodology to assign value to sustainability outcomes. 

Findings show that agroforestry-based coffee and cocoa systems perform better than intensive or conventional systems in terms of soil carbon storage, lower greenhouse gas emissions and erosion control. From a social perspective, strong community governance and inclusive participation — particularly by women, youth and Indigenous Peoples — emerged as defining characteristics of the producer organizations studied. Economically, these systems rely less on external inputs and demonstrate greater resilience to shocks, despite facing limited market access and processing infrastructure. 

Presenting the study at AEMED 2025, the authors stressed that the absence of standardized tools and metrics often prevents small-scale mountain farming from receiving due recognition. They called for integrated valuation strategies that go beyond productivity metrics to capture the full range of environmental, social and economic contributions of agroecological practices in marginal areas. 

The results carry a clear message: small-scale mountain farming, often marginalized, is a source of essential knowledge and practice for building resilient food systems in the face of climate change and socio-economic uncertainty. Through diversified cropping, ecological synergies and community-based governance, these systems are demonstrating agroecological transitions in practice. While rooted in specific ecological, cultural and socio-economic contexts — and therefore not universally replicable — they offer valuable insights and concrete practices that can inspire broader agricultural transitions. Their experiences can inform policy, research and development strategies to advance sustainability, resilience and equity in food systems. 

Written by Tommaso Gaifami, Marsilea