Agroecology: The Pathway to Sustainable Food Systems – Business Fights Poverty

Report on Agroecology as a Catalyst for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Intersection of Environmental, Economic, and Social Crises in Agriculture

Global agricultural systems face a multifaceted crisis driven by extreme climate events, pestilence, and land degradation. These challenges directly threaten the livelihoods of farmers and undermine progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The degradation of soil health, water pollution, and biodiversity loss jeopardizes the foundations of global food systems, impacting SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 1 (No Poverty), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). To ensure long-term agricultural resilience and food security, a systemic transition towards sustainable practices is imperative.

Agroecology: An Integrated Framework for Sustainable Food Systems

Agroecology presents a coherent framework for integrating environmental science with social justice and economic viability, offering a clear pathway to achieving the SDGs. It moves beyond isolated solutions to address the interdependence of biodiversity, soil health, and farmer agency. This approach is critical for building resilient food systems that support both people and the planet.

Achieving this transition requires a multi-pronged strategy aligned with the SDGs:

• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Implementing policies and market regulations that incentivize biodiversity and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): Adopting practices such as reduced tillage, cover cropping, and crop rotation to regenerate soil health and restore ecosystems.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Ensuring the economic viability of sustainable practices through market access and strong institutional support for producers.

Fairtrade International’s Commitment to Agroecological Transformation

Fairtrade International has strategically focused its climate and environmental efforts on supporting agroecological transitions within value chains. This reflects a comprehensive understanding that climate resilience is intrinsically linked to diversified farming systems and equitable value distribution, directly contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The organization’s role is to guide producer organizations through a long-term transition guided by core agroecological principles.

Core Principles of the Agroecological Transition

1. Recycling nutrients to enhance soil fertility and reduce waste.
2. Valuing and integrating local and traditional knowledge with scientific insights.
3. Fostering on-farm and landscape-level biodiversity.
4. Strengthening producer autonomy and economic agency.

Case Study: The Sustainable Banana Organisations Project

A successful application of these principles is demonstrated by Fairtrade’s Sustainable Banana Organisations project in the Dominican Republic and Peru. This initiative exemplifies how agroecology can simultaneously advance multiple SDGs.

Project Overview and Partnerships (SDG 17)

The project is a multi-stakeholder collaboration between the French retailer Carrefour, the French Development Agency, and the Fairtrade producer network CLAC. It currently supports 11 small-scale banana cooperatives, benefiting over 1,000 farmers and their communities. This partnership model is a clear example of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) in action, leveraging cross-sector expertise and resources for sustainable impact.

Key Activities and SDG Alignment

The project’s activities are designed to create a holistic, system-wide transformation:

• Production of Organic Inputs: Building micro-factories for organic fertilizers and biological pesticides reduces production costs for farmers (SDG 1) and improves their ecological footprint, contributing to SDG 12 and SDG 15.
• Capacity Building and Training: Workshops on fungal disease prevention, soil fertility, and crop diversification enhance productivity and sustainability, directly supporting SDG 2.
• Climate Change Adaptation: Incorporating climate-resilient practices helps farmers adapt to changing environmental conditions, a key target of SDG 13.
• Economic Empowerment: Equipping producers with management, administration, and marketing skills fosters economic growth and decent work, aligning with SDG 8.

Advancing Gender Equality (SDG 5)

A significant component of the project is the empowerment of women farmers through Fairtrade’s Women’s School of Leadership. The program provides training on human rights, leadership, negotiation, and political participation. By enhancing women’s skills and self-confidence, the project actively promotes gender equality and strengthens their role in farm management and community leadership, directly addressing the targets of SDG 5.

Conclusion: Scaling Agroecology for a Resilient and Fair Future

The success of the banana project in the Dominican Republic and Peru demonstrates that agroecological practices build the resilience of family farmers, boost local economies, and contribute significantly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. To scale this impact, bold policy choices and increased investment are required from governments and corporations, particularly in the lead-up to COP30. Embedding biodiversity and farmer empowerment into sourcing strategies is essential. The transition to a sustainable food system must begin on farms, with producers equipped and empowered to lead the change, ensuring that the goals of protecting nature and people are pursued as one inseparable objective.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • The article focuses on sustainable food systems, agricultural resilience, and increasing farmer productivity to ensure long-term food production. It discusses agroecology as a framework to create “sustainable and productive farming systems for future generations.”
2. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article explicitly mentions efforts to empower women, stating that the project in the Dominican Republic and Peru is “including more women in these opportunities.” It highlights Fairtrade’s “Women’s School of Leadership,” which aims to enhance women’s self-confidence, skills, and roles in farm management.
3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The text addresses the economic crisis facing farmers due to environmental degradation. It describes how the project helps farmers build “business management skills,” reduce costs, and “boost local economies and markets,” which contributes to sustainable economic growth and improved livelihoods.
4. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • The article advocates for sustainable production practices by “reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.” The project supports this by building “micro-factories to produce organic fertilizers and biological pesticides,” promoting a shift towards more sustainable production patterns in agriculture.
5. SDG 13: Climate Action
   • The core theme is the impact of “extreme weather and climate events” on farming. The article promotes agroecology as a solution to build resilience and supports “climate change adaptation practices to increase yields and improve their livelihoods,” directly addressing climate action.
6. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • The article directly addresses “land degradation,” “soil health degradation,” and “biodiversity collapse.” It promotes agroecology practices like reduced tillage and cover cropping as “effective in protecting nature, conserving biodiversity, and restoring degraded land.”
7. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article showcases a multi-stakeholder partnership as a model for success. It details “a collaboration between French retailer Carrefour, the French Development Agency, and Fairtrade producer network CLAC” to support small-scale banana cooperatives, exemplifying a partnership for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • The article’s focus on agroecology, which includes practices like “reduced tillage, cover cropping, and crop rotation,” directly supports the implementation of resilient and sustainable agricultural practices to improve soil health and adapt to climate change.
2. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
   • The “Women’s School of Leadership” is mentioned as a way to support “women in producer organisations, and enhances their self-confidence and skills,” including leadership, negotiation, and political participation, directly aligning with this target.
3. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation.
   • The project equips smallholder producers with “management, administration, and marketing skills” and promotes diversification on farms, which are key strategies for increasing economic productivity as mentioned in the article.
4. Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • The project’s activity of building “micro-factories to produce organic fertilizers and biological pesticides from bioferments and organic residues” is a direct action to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals and manage waste sustainably.
5. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • The article states that agroecology practices “build the resilience of family farmers and rural communities” against climate impacts. The project specifically “incorporates climate change adaptation practices” to help farmers cope with changing conditions.
6. Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
   • The text explicitly mentions that agroecology practices are “effective in… restoring degraded land” and focus on improving “soil health” and “increasing soil fertility,” which directly contributes to this target.
7. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The project described is a clear example of a public-private-civil society partnership, involving a retailer (Carrefour), a government agency (French Development Agency), and a non-profit producer network (Fairtrade/CLAC).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 2.4:
   • Implied Indicator: Increase in agricultural productivity and yields. The article states that the project helps farmers in “increasing their productivity” and incorporates practices to “increase yields.”
2. For Target 5.5:
   • Implied Indicator: Number of women participating in leadership and skills training. The article mentions that “women banana farmers have participated in innovative teaching modules from Fairtrade’s Women’s School of Leadership.”
3. For Target 12.4:
   • Implied Indicator: Reduction in the use of synthetic inputs. The project’s goal of “reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides” by producing organic alternatives implies a measurable shift in agricultural inputs.
4. For Target 15.3:
   • Implied Indicator: Improvement in soil quality and fertility. The project includes workshops on “increasing soil fertility, and testing soil diversification,” suggesting that changes in soil health are being monitored.
5. For Target 17.17:
   • Mentioned Indicator: The existence and scale of the multi-stakeholder partnership. The article specifies the partners involved and notes that the project “supports 11 small-scale banana cooperatives and more than 1,000 farmers.”

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: businessfightspoverty.org