The document discusses the role of the Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology (SOCALA) in promoting agroecological practices through scientific exchange and collaboration among various stakeholders. It highlights the importance of agroecology in addressing food sovereignty, climate resilience, and socio-economic challenges within agricultural systems while contrasting it with industrial agriculture. Furthermore, it underscores the need for scaling up agroecology through education, research, and policy support, debunking common myths surrounding its viability and effectiveness.

1. Clara Ines Nicholls
UC Berkeley
nicholls@berkeley.edu
www.socla.co
Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology

2. • SOCLA is a regional organization that interacts with other
societies and organizations that promote agroecology
• the main objective of SOCLA as scientifc society: is to
promote reflection, discussion and scientific exchange of
information on agroecology between researchers,
professors, practiconers, extensionists and farmers in the
region.
• The SOCLA congress held every two years has become a
truly Latin American meeting where all groups (La Via
Campesina, MAELA, RAPAL, IFOAM, etc) working towards a
more just, resilient and sovereign agriculture meet to
exchange ideas, and try to find ways to advance together
recognizing differences and building on our diversity.

3. • Representatives from
LVC and MST informed
about their struggles
against the agronegocio
(industrial -corporate
agriculture) and
experiences on
agroecology, and
reminded participants of
the political dimesnions
of agroecology which
cannot be ignored if the
hegemonic food system
is to be transformed.

4. Hundreds of papers, posters, seminars and keynote
speeches explored new dimensions for research,
education and scaling up of agroecology...some
thematic axes included
• Agroecology and social movements: alliances to
scale up agroecology
• Agroecology and public policies
• The territorial dimensions of agroecology
• The relationship between restoration ecology and
agroecology
• Agroecology and resiliency to climate change:
from adaptation to transformation
• The role of gender in agrocology, etc

5. Agroecology: a robust
path to feed a planet in
crisis

6. The ethics of the new agriculture
• The new paradigm to feed the world requires
an agroecological approach and needs to
incorporate a social perspective which takes
into account fundamental rights of the poor
(right to food)
• It requires access to land by small farmers as a
key to reach food sovereignty

7. The agricultural challenge for the next
decades
Increasing Food production is a necessary but not
sufficient condition. These increases must occur
using the same arable land base, with less
petroleum, less water and nitrogen, within a
scenario of climate change, social unrest and
financial crisis.
This challenge cannot be met with the existing
industrial agricultural model and its
biotechnological derivations

8. Features of an agriculture for the
future
• De-coupled from fossil fuel dependence
• Agroecosystems of low environmental impact,
nature friendly
• Resilient to climate change and other shocks
• Multifunctional (ecosystem, social, cultural and
economic services)
• Foundation of local food systems

9. Low external inputs,
high recylcling rates,
crop –livestock
integration
High
Eficiency
High inputs, industrial
monocultures
Low
Low external inputs,
diversified with low
levels of integration
Medium-Low
Specialized systems with
low external inputs
Medium
Agroecosystem Diversity
Productivity
Alta
Baja
Baja
Alta

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

11. • AGROECOLOGY goes
beyond a one-
dimensional view of
agroecosystems and
seeks to embrace
and understand
ecological and social
interactions.

13. Losses of major agricultural inputs after
the dissolution of the Soviet Union

14. PRINCIPAL TRANSFORMATION
OF CUBAN AGRICULTURE a
Transition of the
Agricultural model
Conventional agriculture
(High use of external inputs:
fertilizers and pesticides )
Sutainable Agriculture
with agroecological
approaches

15. Strengths of Cuba
to produce their own food
Political Will
Technical knoledge
Scientific Potential

16. Agroecological strategies
Animal
integration
Green
manures
Organic
amendments
Rotations
Polycultures

17. BEFORE
Reference: mamey
tree

18. AFTER
Reference tree

21. Area (ha)
Energy (GJ/ha/año)
Proteín (kg/ha)/año
People fed by produced energy
(Pers/ha/año)
People fed by produced protein
(Pers/ha/año)
10
50.6
867
11
34
Energy efficiency 30

23. Huracan Ike-Cuba, data from Sancti Spiritu
farm cooperative
• 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% in
DFS, and was noticeable 40 days after the
hurricane

24. After the hurricane average loss in diversified farms was about 50% compared to 90-
100% in monocultures in Sancti Spiritu, Cuba.
Productive recovery was about 80 - 90%,and was noticeable 40 days after the
hurricane
More diverse farms
More diverse farms

25. Climate
Temperature
+ 2 a 3 oC
annual
evapotranspiratio
n
- 657 mm
Relative
Humidity+ 20 a
30%
Rueda et al 2009

26. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
J
M
M
J
S
N
J
M
M
J
S
N
J
M
M
J
S
N
J
M
M
J
S
N
J
M
M
J
S
N
E
M
M
J
S
N
E
M
M
J
S
N
Precipitation Liters cow/day
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

27. Indigenous women: The main keepers of seed biodiversity in
Chiloe island-Chile .

28. Participatory plant breeding/selection of traditional varieties
that are more relisiant to climate change in Chiloe island-
Chile .

30. Farmer friendly methodology to assess
Resiliency
Workshop of the “Happy Farm”

31. 1993CET- YUMBEL, Chile

32. 2007CET- YUMBEL, Chile

33. 0
50
100
150
200
250
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Ene Feb Mar Abr May Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dic
PRECIPITATION(mm)
SOILCOVER(%)
1993 2000 2007 2013 Precipitaciones (mm)
SOIL COVER
CET- YUMBEL, Chile

34. 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1993 2007 2013
Annualsoilloss(t/ha/año)
Evolution of soil loss
CET- YUMBEL, Chile

35. Unidad 1993 2000 2007 2013
Vertiente l/seg 6 6 6 6
Pozo profundo 1 l/seg 25 25 25
Pozo profundo 2 l/seg 45 45
Total disponible l/seg 6 31 76 76
Cosecha de agua en pozo cisterna m3 7 14 14
Cosecha de agua en minirepresa m3 170 170 170
Cosecha de agua en estanque m3 1 7 7
Total stored m3 178 191 191
Evolution of water availability
CET- YUMBEL, Chile

36. 0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1993 2000 2007 2013
CropProduction(kg)
fruta
cereales
legumbres
hortalizas
Total
Evolution of agricultural production

37. CET- COLINA, Chile

38. Feeding a family of five with a model
agroecological ½ hectare farm
(production per year)
• Annual crop production from rotations 3,5 tons
of grain, tubers
• Intensive garden around house: 1,2 t of
vegetables
• 1 ton of fruits from trees in farm borders
• 2500 eggs+ 3,200 liters of milk
• 200% surplus production after family
consumption, sale generated US $1600
• Labor need reduced from 78 hours/week to 32
• Costs of production decreased 60% after 3 years
CET- COLINA, Chile

39. The Campesino a Campesino Movement in LA
• The Campesino a Campesino
movement is an extensive
grassroots movement in Central
America and Mexico.
• It is a cultural phenomenon, a
broad-based movement with
campesinos as the main actors”
• Horizontal, social process
methodology that builds peasant
protagonism is the driving force.
• The Campesino a Campesino
movement is an excellent
example of how alternative
technologies and practices can be
disseminated bypassing "official
channels".

40. Response of peasant movements to agressions
by corporate interests, aided by neoliberal
economic policies
• Social movements of rural peoples, i.e., peasants,
family farmers, indigenous people, rural women and
the landless, are increasingly using agroecological
diversification of their farming systems, as a tool in
the transformation of contested rural spaces into
peasant territories

41. PEASANT TERRITORIES

42. AGROECOLOGY
AGROECOLOGICAL TERRITORIES
FOOD SOVEREIGNITY
ENERGY
SOVEREIGNITY TECHNOLOGICAL
SOVEREIGNITY
RESILIENCE

43. Organized small farmers
Consumers
Food
Empires
By-pass
Autonomous territories,
local
markets

44. Scaling-up agroecology is possible but
will require positive actions
• unlocking ideological barriers to its political recognition;
• supporting farmer-to-farmer networks;
• funding research and education at various levels
• providing an enabling public policy environment;
• taking specific actions for empowering women;
• making strategic alliances with social movements
Agroecology has already reached millions of farmers and millions of ha
(hectares) in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Scaling it up will require long-term efforts, essentially needed for:

45. Myths about agroecology
• Myth 1: agroecology is opposed to science and
innovation
• Myth 2: agroecology cannot be scaled up
• Myth 3: agroecology is subsistence oriented and
incompatible with markets
• Myth 4: agroecology is low yielding and cannot feed
the world
• Myth 5: agroecology is only for small scale poor
famers

46. Thank you!!