Transforming agriculture and food systems in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should not be treated as a policy option; it is an imperative that can no longer be ignored or deferred. In facing up to this challenge, agroecological approaches stand to play an indispensable role: connecting environmental sustainability and social justice, production and consumption, global concerns and local dynamics through the support of locally adapted solutions, participation and the mobilization of local knowledge.
This working paper by the Swiss National FAO Committee (CNS-FAO) serves to guide the Swiss government and interested stakeholders on pathways to advance agroecology to overcome and contribute to sustainable food systems transformation, as well as on how agroecology can support the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 Action Tracks. It builds on two previous working papers of the CNS-FAO: Working towards Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (2016) and; Agroecology as a Means to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (2019).
The paper sets out to define agroecology, highlighting its promise for a sustainable transformation of food systems, and to demonstrate viable solution pathways with reference to explicit practical examples, supporting and strengthening the concept of agroecological systems for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021.