The document discusses the need for agroecological restoration of agrolandscapes to enhance resilience against climate change and ecological degradation, contrasting small-scale agriculture with industrial agriculture's negative impacts. Industrial farming, which dominates arable land usage, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and fails to sustain global food needs, whereas agroecology champions diversified farming practices that support food security and ecosystem recovery. Successful case studies highlight the environmental and social benefits of agroecological practices, showing significant recovery in biodiversity, water conservation, and community engagement.

1. Agroecological restoration of
agrolandscapes for resilience
Miguel A Altieri
University of California, Berkeley
www.agroeco.org

2. CLASH OF PARADIGMS
Industrial agriculture
(Green Revolution)
Small scale agriculture
(Agroecology)VS.

3. Industrial agriculture occupies 80% of arable land
with homogeneous monocultures that are highly
vulnerable and exert a huge ecological footprint

4. Worst drought in 50 years
plundered yields of corn
and soybean in Midwest

5. California 2014:
400,000 acres left
fallow, $1.5 billion
losses
Puerto Rico’s
Monocutlure Plantations
Decimated by
Maria:2017

6. Industrial agriculture does not feed
the world and warms the planet
• Produces only 30% of global food
• Uses 70-80 % of arable land
• 5.2 billion pounds of pesticides
• 70% water and 80% fossil fuels
• Produces > 30% of GHGs
• WARMS the PLANET

7. Greening the green revolution
will not work for the transtition
to more resilient systems
• Masking the problems of industrial agriculture
on concealing its symptoms and impacts
• It is not only about reducing the impacts of
industrial agriculture maintaining
monoculture structure : climate smart
agriculture, sustainable intensification, etc
• Business as usual will not work …………IAASTD

8. The evidence in favor
of agroecology
• A growing number of reports
suggest significant potential
social and environmental gains
from transitioning toward
agroecological agriculture as a
way to nourishing current and
future populations sustainably.
• (Pretty, Altieri, DeSchutter,
IASTAD, IPES, FAO, etc.)

12. System Resilience (2007-2013)
Natural Reserve El Hatico
Niño Niña Niño
909 1016 433 952 823
Precipitation
/year
648
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
675

13. Peasants and
world food
1,5 billion small
famers in < 2 ha
plots produce 50-
75% of food
consumed by world
population, using:
• 25- 30% of the
agricultural land
• 30% water and 20 %
fossil fuels
• Preserve 1.9 million crop
varieties
• COOL the PLANET
(ETC, 2014)

14. Peasant diversified farming systems

15. Huracan Mitch-
Central America
• In Central America,
diversified farms with soil
conservation practices
suffered significantly less
erosion and mudslides
– resisted more the
impact of hurricane
Mitch in 1998 than
farms managed under
monoculture (Holt-
Gimenez 2002).

16. Huracan Ike-Cuba
Areas under industrial monoculture suffered more damage and exhibited less recovery
than diversified farms.
After the hurricane average loss in diversified farms was about 50% compared to 90-
100% in monocultures
Productive recovery was about 80 - 90%,and was noticeable 40 days after the
hurricane

18. Agroecology and Ecological Restoration in
the context of Climatic Change
AGROECOLOGICAL
RESTORATION
AGROECOLOGY
RESTORATION
ECOLOGY
RESILIENCY
Farm
biodiversity
Landscape
biodiversity

19. Farm: Las Brisas, El Dovio, Valle del Cauca
Monocultures, soil erosion, vulnerability

20. Diversification, soil conservation, resilience

21. Resilient Agrolandscape

22. 1992 2001
2014
2016
Ecological restoration Comunidad campesina vereda Bellavista-
Colombia Source CAMPAB

23. Impacts of the restoration effort in
Comunidad Bellavista-Colombia
• 75% recovery of forest cover
• Water conservation and
rational use (available for
families- increase from 25 to 75
families)
• Diversification of production
systems -70% reduction in use
of esternal inputs)
• Food security (families produce
90% of what they consume)
• Community cohesion,
participation of women and
yound people

24. MIXTECA ALTA, MEXICO

25. Ecological restoration by farmers Mixteca alta, Mexico

26. CEDICAM-Mixteca
• In a period of 5 years more than 1 million
trees planted
• Soil conservation and water harvesting
practices implemented along with
recuperation of locally adapted crop
varieties and polycultures to ensure
agricultural productivity
• More than 1,000 farmers trained on
agroecology and more than 500 hectares
restored.

27. Agroecology
Ecological
Restoration
Sustainable
and resilient
agro-
landscapes
Produce healthy and
accesible food in
harmony with
surrounding
environment
Recover capacity of ecosystems to
provide ecological goods and services
to society
Agroecological restoration for resilient
landscapes

28. Resilience as a result of how effectively the enhanced
reactive capacity of a community is able to reduce
vulnerability and therefore climatic risk
An effective adaptation strategy evolves from coping to adjusting to climatic
variability, although the ultimate goal is the transformation of the vulnerable system