Sustainable Environment (Dec 2024)
Supporting Differentiated Paths for Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Transformation in Ethiopia: Exploring Agroecology perspective
Abstract
The current Agriculture and Food System is not delivering adequate food and nutrition for all. There is a need to transform the current agriculture and food system towards a more diverse, efficient, resilient, and sustainable production that provides the growing population with nutritious, healthy and affordable food while restoring the natural environment. Adopting agroecological approaches as nature-based solutions is increasingly seen as being able to contribute to transforming current agriculture and food production toward sustainability. Ethiopia is one of the potential countries identified for agroecological production. However, more evidence is needed to demonstrate the transformative capacity of agroecology and its applicability to food system change in various contexts for out-scaling of the approach. This paper aims to present evidence on the agroecological performance of smallholder production systems and possibilities for agroecological transition in Ethiopia. Data was collected from 619 farm households. Results showed that the majority of farms assessed had very low agroecological performance, with the majority of farmers operating non-agroecological farms with very limited connectivity between the various components of agroecology. Among the 10 elements of agroecology examined in this analysis, only two surpassed the 50% threshold. However, the study findings indicate that the majority of farms hold potential for transitioning to agroecology. Differentiated pathways for sustainable food systems should prioritize investments in fostering responsible scaling of agroecological production, enhancing environmental sustainability, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, promoting co-learning and co-creation, and integrating local agroecological knowledge into decision-making processes.
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