Unlocking Public Finance for Agroecology
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Unlocking Public Catalysing the potential of agriculture in Finance for achieving the Sustainable Agroecology Development Goals PROBIOMA, Bolivia • CENESTA, Iran • KEYSTONE FOUNDATION, India • RAINFOREST RESCUE INTERNATIONAL, Sri Lanka • INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE AND ECOLOGY, Kenya • ENDA PRONAT, Senegal • CAATINGA, Brazil • SOUTHERN ROOTS ORGANICS, United Kingdom 2 Colophon PUBLISHED BY: Both ENDS Nieuwe Keizergracht 45 1018 VC, Amsterdam The Netherlands www.bothends.org CREDITS: Lead Author Stefan Schüller – Both ENDS Case contributions Paulo Pedro de Carvalho, CAATINGA – Brazil Dee Butterly and Adam Payne, Southern Roots Organics – United Kingdom Nahid Naghizadeh, Cenesta – Iran Snehlata Nath, Keystone Foundation – India Lakshi Dilhari, Rainforest Rescue International – Sri Lanka Martin Mwenda Muriuki and Elijah Kamau Karugia, Institute for Culture and Ecology – Kenya El Hadji Faye, Enda Pronat – Senegal Miguel Angel Crespo, PROBIOMA – Bolivia Editing Paige Shipman (www.paigeshipman.nl) Contributing editors Nathalie van Haren, Maaike Hendriks, Karin van Boxtel, Daan Robben - Both ENDS Design Margo Vlamings (www.margovlamings.nl) June 2019 This publication is made possible with financial assistance from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Fair, Green and Global (FGG) Alliance. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Both ENDS and the organisations mentioned above and cannot be taken to reflect the views of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cover: Ms. Ngoki from Meru, Kenya showing her farm harvest. (Photo credit: Institute for Culture and Ecology) 3 Table of Contents WORLD MAP 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 INTRODUCTION 8 Agriculture at a crossroads 8 Business-as-usual vs. an alternative vision 9 Financing an agroecological transformation 10 CASES Microbial biocontrol agents as an agroecological contribution to 01 food security and sovereignty in Bolivia 16 Increasing plant genetic diversity in farmers’ fields for resilient 02 communities and food sovereignty in Iran 20 Mixed gains from cash and subsistence crops. Agroecology of 03 indigenous people in the Indian’ Nilgiri Mountains 24 Analog forestry as an agroeological tool ensuring food security, 04 biodiversity and climate resilience in Sri Lanka 28 Promoting agroforestry and indigenous seed varieties for healthy 05 agroecosystems and livelihoods in Kenya 32 Farmer-managed natural regeneration and other agroecological 06 practices to restore soil fertility and improve agricultural production in Senegal 36 Coexisting with semiarid conditions: Combining agroecological 07 practices to face climate change and desertification in Brazil’s drylands 40 Productivity and resilience through a cooperative, agroecological, 08 community-supported market garden in the United Kingdom 44 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion 50 Recommendations 51 4 World map United Kingdom case Productivity and resilience through a cooperative, agroecological, 08 community-supported market garden in the United Kingdom Southern Roots Organics Senegal case Farmer-managed natural regeneration and other 06 agroecological practices to restore soil fertility and improve agricultural production in Senegal Enda Pronat Bolivia Brazil case Microbial biocontrol agents as an case Coexisting with semiarid conditions: agroecological contribution to food Combining agroecological practices 01 security and sovereignty in Bolivia 07 to face climate change and desertification in Brazil’s drylands PROBIOMA CAATINGA 5 Iran case Increasing plant genetic diversity in farmers’ fields for resilient 02 communities and food sovereignty in Iran Cenesta India case Mixed gains from cash and subsistence crops. Agroecology 03 of indigenous people in the Indian’ Nilgiri Mountains Keystone Foundation Sri Lanka case Analog forestry as an agroeological tool ensuring food security, 04 biodiversity and climate resilience Kenya in Sri Lanka case Promoting agroforestry and Rainforest Rescue International indigenous seed varieties 05 for healthy agroecosystems and livelihoods in Kenya Institute for Culture and Ecology 6 AGRICULTURE AND power imbalances that currently THE SUSTAINABLE exist within our food systems. DEVELOPMENT GOALS Hence, it is an approach that aims to tackle the structural causes that Food and agricultural systems hamper transformative change. around the world are currently stuck at a crossroads. On the Despite the surge of interest one hand, they are continuing to in supporting agricultural contribute a lion’s share to climate development after the 2007–08 change, land degradation and the world food price crisis, the funding loss of biodiversity – on the other for community-led initiatives or civil hand, the movement of people society organisations implementing calling for a radical transformation agroecology at the grassroots level MARY of the way we relate to food and still remains insufficient. Neither our environment is stronger than domestically, nor internationally ever. through (inter-)national development agencies and global An approach that is gaining financial mechanisms like the attention worldwide among Green Climate Fund is support for a wide range of actors as an small-scale farmers adequately answer to this call is agroecology, represented in funding portfolios. UM a conceptual framework that Given the potential of agroecology provides the basic principles of in achieving progress on several how to study, design and manage development objectives, this report food and agricultural systems is providing further evidence on the that are geared towards greater multiple benefits that agroecology ecological sustainability, social comprises before presenting justice, and resilience. Considered a set of recommendations for jointly a scientific field of study, governments, (inter-)national an agricultural practice, and a development agencies and global social movement, agroecology financial mechanisms of how to can constitute a pathway for actively support agroecology. VE S agriculture to take up its role as a catalyst for sustainable THE TRANSFORMATIVE development. In particular, POTENTIAL OF agroecology can help in achieving AGROECOLOGY TI multiple landmark accords like the Sustainable Development Goals The eight case studies presented (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. in this report show the successes Although similar claims are behind a diverse range of also made by other agricultural agroecological practices in approaches – some of which spatially and culturally diverse promote a fundamentally different settings. By relating their vision of agricultural development grassroots work to the rather – agroecology has shown to be abstract SDGs, different civil unique in having a transformative society actors and community-led ECU vision, one that stresses the initiatives show how agroecology importance of inclusivity, equality can constitute a pathway and sovereignty on all levels. towards achieving sustainable Unlike climate-smart agriculture for development: example, agroecology has clearly stated what it does and does not • Case 1: In Bolivia, the EX stand for while challenging the introduction of biocontrol agents 7 has significantly reduced the use of and organic produce for the • Increase focus on agroecology agrochemicals, which has helped community. in (agricultural) research and in tackling the contamination of development, extension services waters and soils. Those eight cases provide and education. • Case 2: In Iran, the use of an in-depth examples of how • Support agroecology as the approach called evolutionary agroecology at the grassroots central approach to agricultural participatory plant breeding level can contribute considerably development in multilateral and is rapidly increasing on-farm towards achieving several of intergovernmental institutions biodiversity by utilising plant the SDGs. In particular, all case and policy processes. genetic diversity as a means to studies have shown the positive increase income and resilience. contribution of agroecology to INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION • Case 3: In India, agroecology ending hunger and achieving food • Value the systems approach is helping indigenous people in security (SDG 2), to taking urgent that agroecology incorporates, the Nilgiri Mountains to gain from action against climate change tackling multiple issues within both cash and subsistence crops, (SDG 13) and to protecting and malfunctioning food and tapping into traditional and modern restoring ecosystems (SDG 15). agricultural systems in order knowledge as a means to enhance Additionally, contributions were to make progress on various the production and resilience of also reported on ending poverty development objectives. local farming systems. (SDG 1), on ensuring healthy lives • Incr ease support for community- • Case 4: In Sri Lanka, the use and promoting well-being (SDG 3), led initiatives, farmer’s of analog forestry is helping on achieving gender equality (SDG organisations and different civil war widows to improve their 5), on ensuring availability and society actors implementing livelihoods, mimicking the natural sustainable management of water agroecology at the local level. forest structure to ensure improved (SDG 6) and on promoting decent • Express long-term commitment food production, biodiversity and work (SDG 8). to agricultural support in general climate resilience. and innovative approaches like • Case 5: In Kenya, the use of RECOMMENDATIONS ON agroecology in particular. agroforestry and indigenous seed PUBLIC FINANCE FOR • Look at positive examples