IFAD report: Agroecology to address food systems failures

9 September 2021. Reviewing an extensive sample of projects,

the Stocktake Report on Agroecology in IFAD Operations: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Food Systems (120 p.) assessed how the projects support efficient resource use; recycling of water, nutrients, biomass, and energy; levels of diversification and use of agrobiodiversity; natural resource management; and innovations to connect producers and consumers. The report shows that agroecological farming practices are applicable and effective across various climatic and landscape conditions, and can be adapted to different soil types and natural resource availability.

Increasing demand for healthy, nutritious food combined with a growing population and escalating impacts of climate change are challenging the way people produce and consume food.

IFAD announced that 60 percent of its projects use practices from this holistic approach to sustainable agricultural production. The organization recommends it as one effective way to transform food systems to address rising hunger, malnutrition, climate change, and ecosystem fragility.

Agroecology combines farmers’ traditional knowledge with scientific innovations and integrates ecological, economic, and social development. It emphasizes the importance of small-scale producers in food systems and connects them more directly to consumers to deliver sustainably produced, healthy, nutritious, and affordable food for all.

“We live in a world of plenty, yet one in ten people are hungry, and three billion peoplecannot afford healthy diets. Adopting agroecological practices is a major step to addressing these failures in our food systems.”  Thouraya Triki, Director of IFAD’s Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division who oversaw the production of the report.