http://www.fao.org/agroecology/en/ | Presentation by Parviz Koohafkan of the World Agricultural Heritage Foundation regarding the development of sustainable food systems. The presentation was delivered on January 31, 2017 at the CGRFA Side Event Biodiversity and Agroecology: The Agroecology Knowledge Hub.

1. AgroEcolgy and Sustainable Food
Systems
PARVIZ KOOHAFKAN
World Agricultural Heritage Foundation

2. 2
Current Food System
• Over 7 billion people more than half of them in the
cities
• Near1 billion have too little to eat
• 1.6 billion eat too much
• Wasting > 30% of food

3. Deforestation in Sumatra for pulp and palm oil
production [Greenpeace, The Guardian 8-20-2010]

4. Post 2015 Sustainable Development Model
Sustainability
Culture
Values, traditions, behaviours, relationship

5. Sustainable Food System Must!!!
• Be centred on people and based on rights
• Adopt an integrated, territorial approach
• Build capacities to manage changes
• Redress power disparities through good
governance
• Involve a long term policy commitment
• Be adequately supported and resourced

6. Urgent Need for Sustainable Food
Systems
• More Human and in harmony with nature
• biologically and culturally diverse
• small scale, family operated and economically
viable for small farmers
• socially just and participatory decision making
• Local production with more direct farmer-
consumer links
• community based recognizing the rights of
indigenous people and the role of women

7. Rebuilding Sustainable Agriculture and
Food Systems requires combination of:
Culture:
Indentity, Social
cohesion &
Spiritual
Values
Markets:
Accessability, Affordability
Including externalities &
PES
Health:
Human
&
Ecosystem
Knowledge:
Scientific
&
Traditional

8. Biodiversity
Human
Health
Food
Security
Environmental
Health
Employment
Generation

9. A major Opportunity: Agro-ecology
• Originally, Altieri (1983) defined agro-ecology as the
application of ecological principles to agriculture.
• Twenty years later, agro-ecology was enlarged to the
whole food system linking production with the food
chain and consumers.
• More recently, Wezel et al. (2009) concluded that
agro-ecology means combination of a scientific
discipline, agricultural practice, and political or
social movement for Food soveranity.

10. AGROECOLOGY
Ecology
Anthropology
Ethnoecology
Sociology
Basic
agricultural
sciences
Ecological
economics
Biological Control
Traditional
Farmers’
knowledge
Principles
Specific
technological forms
Participatory
research in
farmers’
fields

11. Bringing together
o Ecosystem Diversity
o Socio-economic Diversity
o Cultural Diversity
o Culinary Diversity
o Curative Diversity

12. Use of Agro-ecological strategies
Animal
integration
Green manuares
Organic
amendments
Rotations
Polycultures

13. Another major opportunity also Challenge:
Small holders and Family Farming
• Produce the bulk of the global food
• Are the largest number of stewards for the
environment and its services including
biodiversity,
• Higher and sustainable productivity increase at
their level will have a major impact on poverty
reduction, economic growth, Biodiversity
conservation, climate change mitigation and
adaptation:
• Win Win Win Win…

14. Third Major
opportunity:
Dynamic
Conservation
of
AGRICULTURAL
HERITAGE
SYSTEMS

15. Bringing
Culture in
Agri-Culture
Culture is:
Standing on
the shoulders
of ancestors

16. Saving Unique Agricultural Heritage Systems at risk

17. Oases of the Maghreb,
Morocco

18. China Rice Fish

19. Lemon Garden, Italy

20. Investing on all Rural Assets and
People
Financial Capital:
money, savings
Natural Capital:
nature’s goods and services
(waste assimilation, pollination, storm
protection, water supply, leisure, wildlife)
Social Capital:
cohesiveness of people
and societies -
trust, reciprocity,
rules and norms,
networks and institutions
Physical Capital:
infrastructure
Human Capital:
the status of individuals -
health, skills, knowledge

21. Intensification
without Simplification

22. Empowering women and Working with local
communities

23. • Food security, employment and economic
opportunities by supporting family farming
• Revitalizing local economies and bringing back
the cultural identity
• Conserving agro-biodiversity and genetic
resources
• Recognizing and valorizing the cultural identity
• Value-adding products and services of
diversified Agroecologically Managed Systems
Opportunities of Agroecology for Sustainable
Food system

24. Proposals for Agro-ecology
Knowledge Hub
• Documenting Agro-ecological knowledge and
practices
• Assessing and Researching Agro-ecological
resiliencies to climate change
• Geo-referencing and Geo-tagging of Farmers’
Assets Knowledge and Heritage
• Registering Farmers’ Knowledge through
Crowed Sourcing and Social Networking
• Linking agro-ecological science to Farmers local
knowledge

27. FEW WORDS ABOUT WAHF
An International NGO, Similar to ICOMOS
or ICCROM in the context of World Heritage
Convention of UNESCO, to Support
countries in their GIAHS assessment and
designation through:
• Policy support
• Technical Assistance
• Fund Raising,
• Education &Training
• Advocacy

28. Thank you