This article advocates for a transformative approach to food and agriculture that challenges market-driven practices, promoting a more equitable, sustainable, and locally controlled food system. It emphasizes the role of grassroots movements in reclaiming agricultural practices that prioritize human and environmental needs over corporate interests. Key concepts include agroecology, a holistic farming approach that enhances resilience and social equity, and critical agroecology, which critiques the mainstream focus on food security and promotes food sovereignty to ensure local control. The article also discusses the recognition of agroecology by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) since 2014, yet highlights the constraints imposed by market frameworks that limit its effectiveness in addressing hunger and climate change. It identifies the paradox of increased food production alongside rising hunger, attributing this to access issues rather than availability, and critiques the capitalist agricultural model for fostering environmental degradation and social inequity. Methodologically, the study involved a comprehensive literature search across multiple databases, focusing on peer-reviewed works from the last 10-15 years to explore themes related to market logic, food sovereignty, and agroecology. Findings were organized into three main areas: the impact of market-driven practices, principles of food sovereignty, and community-led transitions to agroecological practices. The article concludes by calling for a shift towards critical agroecology and food sovereignty, recommending policy reforms, and highlighting the importance of grassroots initiatives for building resilient food systems.
References
[1]
Alkon, A. H., & Agyeman, J. (2011). Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/8922.001.0001
[2]
Alonso-Fradejas, A. et al. (2015). Critically Examining Agroecology: Politics and Power in the Agroecological Field. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 39, 113-122.
[3]
Altieri, M. A. (1999a). The Ecological Role of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems. Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 12, 201-215.
[4]
Altieri, M. A. (1999b). The Ecological Impacts of Agrochemical Use on Biodiversity. In M. Coccia (Ed.), Sustainable Agriculture and Environment (pp. 56-68). EnPress.
[5]
Altieri, M. A. (2004). Linking Ecologists and Traditional Farmers in the Search for Sustainable Agriculture. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2, 35-42. https://doi.org/10.2307/3868293
[6]
Altieri, M. A. (2018). Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429495465
[7]
Altieri, M. A., Nicholls, C. I., & Montalba, R. (2017). Technological Approaches to Sustainable Agriculture at a Crossroads: An Agroecological Perspective. Sustainability, 9, 349. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030349
[8]
Altieri, M. A., Nicholls, C. I., Henao, A., & Lana, M. A. (2015). Agroecology and the Design of Climate Change-Resilient Farming Systems. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 35, 869-890. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-015-0285-2
[9]
Baker, M. (2017). Food Sovereignty and the Role of the Local Farm. Environmental Justice, 10, 173-177.
[10]
Bakker, K. et al. (2015). Urban Agriculture and Food Security: The Role of Green Space in Cities. Land Use Policy, 42, 50-58.
[11]
Benson, D., & McMichael, P. (2018). The Sovereignty of Food: Assessing the Impact of the Global Food Crisis on the Role of Food Sovereignty. Globalizations, 15, 823-838.
[12]
Caldas, A. et al. (2018). Climate Change, Food Security and the Role of Agroecology. Agriculture and Food Security, 7, 75.
[13]
Carolan, M. S. (2018). The Sociology of Food and Agriculture. Social Studies of Science, 48, 924-926.
[14]
DeLind, L. B. (2011). Sowing the Seeds of Food Sovereignty: The Case for Community Supported Agriculture. Agriculture and Human Values, 28, 109-116.
[15]
Desmarais, A. A. (2007). La Via Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants. University of Toronto Press.
[16]
Duncan, J. (2014). Cultural Resistance and Local Food Systems. Local Environment, 19, 194-206.
[17]
FAO (2014). Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition: Proceedings of the FAO International Symposium. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[18]
FAO (2018). The State of Food and Agriculture 2018: Migration, Agriculture and Rural Development. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[19]
FAO (2020). Scaling up Agroecology Initiative: Business Models and Co-Creation of Knowledge for Sustainable Development. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[20]
FAO (2023). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
[21]
Farmer, J. et al. (2020). Building Capacity for Food Sovereignty: A Case Study of Community-Based Approaches. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9, 1-13.
[22]
Feenstra, G. W. (1997). Local Food Systems and Sustainable Communities. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 12, 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0889189300007165
[23]
Francis, C. A. et al. (2003). Agroecology: The Ecology of Food Systems. Agronomy Journal, 95, 433-442.
[24]
Francis, P. (2015). Laudato. https://www.votf.org/wp-content/uploads/ZinnAUSCPJune2016.pdf
[25]
Giorgi, E., Cattaneo, T., & Serrato Guerrero, K. P., (2022). The Principles of Design for Vulnerable Communities: A Research by Design Approach Overrunning the Disciplinary Boundaries. Buildings, 12, p. 1789.
[26]
Gliessman, S. R., Méndez, V. E., Izzo, V. M., & Engles, E. W. (2022). Agroecology: Leading the Transformation to a Just and Sustainable Food System. CRC Press.
[27]
Gómez, M. I. et al. (2016). The Role of Networks in Promoting Food Sovereignty: Lessons from the Global South. Food Policy, 62, 106-114.
[28]
González, M. M., Nave, J., & Toscano, D. (2014). Impact of IFRS: Evidence from Spanish Listed Companies. International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, 22, 157-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-03-2014-0016
[29]
Gorz, A. (2017). The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Bolivia’s Food Sovereignty Movement. Latin American Perspectives, 44, 85-106.
[30]
Gottlieb, R., & Joshi, A. (2010). Food Justice. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/7826.001.0001
[31]
Grafton, Q. R. et al. (2018). The Role of Water in Sustainable Food Production. Water, 10, Article 138.
[32]
Henehan, B. et al. (2020). The Impact of Cooperatives on Local Economies. Journal of Cooperative Economics, 48, 117-130.
[33]
Holt-Giménez, E. (2017). The Role of Agribusiness in Sustainable Food Systems. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 41, 99-104.
[34]
Holt-Giménez, E., & Altieri, M. A. (2013). Agroecology, Food Sovereignty, and the New Green Revolution. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 37, 5-15.
[35]
Iles, A., & Martin, A. (2020). Urban Agriculture as a Tool for Food Security: A Systematic Review of Urban Agriculture Projects. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 12, 1-16.
[36]
IPCC (2019). Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
[37]
Kale, V. (2020). Agroecology and Food Security: A Comprehensive Review. Journal of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 44, 1-14.
[38]
Khamati, M. (2017). Evaluating the Impact of Agroecological Training: A Case Study of PELUM’s Training Programs. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 12, 1148-1156.
[39]
Klein, A. M. et al. (2011). Ecosystem Services, Management, and Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes. Ecosystem Services, 2, 7-17.
[40]
Kloppenburg, J. R. (2004). First the Seed: The Political Economy of Plant Biotechnology. University of Wisconsin Press.
[41]
Kremen, C., & Miles, A. (2012). Ecosystem Services in Biologically Diversified vs. Conventional Farming Systems: Benefits, Trade-Offs, and Synergies. Ecology and Society, 17, 40. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05035-170440
[42]
La Via Campesina (2008). Seed Sovereignty: A Collective Movement.
[43]
La Via Campesina (2013). Food Sovereignty: A Right for the People.
[44]
La Via Campesina (2015a). Agroecology: A Pathway to Sustainability.
[45]
La Via Campesina (2015b). Food Sovereignty: A Right for the People.
[46]
Lang, T. (2015). The Food Wars. The New Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315754116
[47]
Lee-Smith, D. (2010). Cities Feeding People: An Update on Urban Agriculture in Kenya. Environment and Urbanization, 22, 421-438.
[48]
Marfaing, H., & Soursou, S. (2020). Agroecological Transition: Lessons from Participatory Approaches. Sustainability, 12, Article 3394.
[49]
McIntyre, B. D. et al. (2017). Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment: Working with Nature to Reduce Risk. Global Food Security, 10, 2-12.
[50]
McMichael, P. (2009). A Food Regime Genealogy. Journal of Peasant Studies, 36, 139-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150902820354
[51]
McMichael, P. (2014). Food Regimes and Agrarian Questions. Fernwood Publishing. https://doi.org/10.3362/9781780448787
[52]
Morris, A. (2015). Food Sovereignty in Bolivia: The Role of Indigenous Identity. Journal of International Development, 27, 258-266.
[53]
Nair, R., & Joy, J. (2024). Eradication of Global Hunger at UN Initiative: Holacracy Process Enriched by Human Will and Virtue. Sustainable Engineering: Concepts and Practices (pp. 477-494). Springer.
[54]
Nyangweso, P. et al. (2018). The Role of Agroecological Practices in Enhancing Food Security: Lessons from PELUM. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 42, 183-197.
[55]
Patel, R. (2009). Food Sovereignty: Power, Gender, and the Right to Food. Forum for Development Studies, 36, 18-19.
[56]
Patel, R. (2013). The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy. Atria Books.
[57]
PELUM (2021). Training Programs for Agroecological Practices: Engaging Farmers in Sustainable Agriculture.
[58]
Pérez, R. et al. (2010). Impacts of Globalization on Local Food Systems. Social Science Review, 45, 83-107.
[59]
Pretty, J. N. (1995). Participatory Learning for Sustainable Agriculture. World Development, 23, 1247-1263. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(95)00046-F
[60]
Pretty, J. N. (2008). Agricultural Sustainability: Concepts, Principles, and Evidence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 363, 447-465. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2007.2163
[61]
Robinson, T. P. (2011). Food Sovereignty: Health and Sustainability. Health and Sustainability, 6, 45-59.
[62]
Ross, R. (2015). Policy Barriers to Agroecological Approaches. Agriculture and Human Values, 32, 421-430.
[63]
Rosset, P. M., & Martinez-Torres, M. E. (2012a). The Agrarian Question and the Peasant Way of Life. Food Sovereignty: A Critical Dialogue, 2, 25-30.
[64]
Rosset, P. M., & Martinez-Torres, M. E. (2012b). Rural Social Movements and Food Sovereignty in the 21st Century. In A. A. Desmarais, & H. Wittman, (Eds.), Food Sovereignty: A Critical Dialogue (pp. 2-7). Yale University.
[65]
Santos, A. J. et al. (2016). Building Local Knowledge for Sustainable Agriculture through Participatory Education. Journal of Extension Education and Sustainability, 3, 1-12.
[66]
Savoie, B. (2016). Community Supported Agriculture in Brussels: A Model for Sustainable Local Food Systems. Food Policy, 58, 101-109.
[67]
Scherr, S. J., & McNeely, J. A. (2008). Biofuels and Agriculture: Dilemmas and Opportunities. Conservation in Practice, 9, 4-12.
[68]
Scoones, I. (2016). The Politics of Sustainability: Food Security and Food Sovereignty. World Development, 78, 1-13.
[69]
Seed, J. (2009). La Via Campesina and the Social Movements for Food Sovereignty. Globalization and Food Sovereignty: Global Perspectives, INAS Publications.
[70]
Shiva, V. (2016). Who Really Feeds the World? The Failures of Agribusiness and the Promise of Agroecology. North Atlantic Books.
[71]
Tendall, D. M. et al. (2015). Sustainable Food Systems: A Global Perspective. Global Environmental Change, 6, 77-91.
[72]
Thompson, G., & Zacuni, D. (2020). Climate Adaptation in Agroecological Systems. Agricultural Systems, 178, Article ID: 102733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2019.102733
[73]
Thompson, J. et al. (2007). Urban Agriculture in Africa: The Role of the City in Promoting Food Security. Urban Agriculture Magazine, 17, 20-25.
[74]
Tilman, D. et al. (2002). Agricultural Sustainability and Intensive Production Practices. Nature, 418, 671-677. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01014
[75]
Tscharntke, T. et al. (2012). Topical Review: Landscapes for Biodiversity Conservation. Nature, 486, 225-230.
[76]
Van der Ploeg, J. D. (2010). The New Peasantries: Struggles for Autonomy and Sustainability in an Era of Neoliberal Globalization. Earthscan.
[77]
Wilson, S. J. et al. (2017). Agroforestry Practices in the Context of Sustainable Agriculture. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 27, 123-145.
[78]
Wittman, H., Desmarais, A. A., & Kampinski, D. (2010). Food Sovereignty: Reconnecting Food, Nature, and Community. Fernwood Publishing.
