Agroecology, ecoagriculture, organic farming. The only way to save the planet and those who inhabit it is there for all to see. Just overcome the blanket of Viral Deception, the viral deception of those who maneuver politics and information. To sell the false concepts of ‘natural’ and ‘sustainable‘ so much by the kilo. And pass off as such products from ‘integrated agriculture’ that are instead derived from supply chains where the use of agrotoxics is intensive and massive. FAO’s decalogue and some brief reflections.
‘Although the window is the same
not everyone who looks into it sees the same thing.
The view depends on the gaze’ (Alda Merini)
Agroecology, the FAO decalogue
Agroecology is defined by theFood and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) based on 10 principles. (1) A decalogue that FAO’s 197 member states-and the European Union, which is also a member-should follow to guide the transformation of their agricultural systems. In summary:
– diversity, synergies, efficiency, resilience, recycling, co-creation and knowledge sharing,
– human and social values, culture and food traditions,
– circular economy and solidarity, responsible governance. (5)
The 10 elements are interconnected and interdependent. They represent a guide for policy, but also for stakeholders. Social stakeholders, starting with the large-scale retail trade (GDO), with a view to planning and managing the agroecological transition. (2)
Agroecology and environmental protection
Ecoagriculture, or agroecology, integrates ecological and social values into the design and management of agrifood systems. The concrete implementation of these values enables:
– Optimize interactions among plants, animals, humans and the environment,
– Increase the fertility of soils,
– Eliminate the use of pesticides and agrotoxics,
– Conserve biodiversity and landscapes. (3)
Ecoagriculture and society
Food security-that is, the provision of safe and nutritious food to all humans-is the goal to be pursued with a holistic, ecological and fair-trade approach. The eco-agricultural system, based on small-scale production, is therefore worth expressing several advantages for players in the supply chain.
Farmers, in a short supply chain logic, benefit from:
– Lower production and transportation costs,
– higher revenues through disintermediation (in the case of direct-to-consumer sales) or otherwise reducing intermediate commercial steps,
– Greater autonomy in decision-making and management.
Consumers can buy truly fresh and natural foods without agrotoxins, which are also better for health and immune system. At affordable, non-speculative prices that fairly remunerate the labor of those who produce. With the additional benefits of:
– Education about foods and their seasonality through direct contact with farmers,
– Awareness and responsibility for consumer choices.
Agroecology, here and now. Here’s why
Covid-19 is a pandemic demonstration of the failure of an entire system. Where not only the environment but humans themselves are losing their most important defense, resilience. In organisms of many species, the immune system. And no wonder, given the effects of agrotoxics on the populations of the top commodity-exporting countries. From Argentina to the U.S., the toxicity is acute. Or on bees, sentinels of life on the planet. While we ourselves serve as guinea pigs to the Poison Corporations, including in Europe.
Agroecology is the only way forward, to save the Earth and its inhabitants. As well as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the United Nations General Assembly included in Agenda 2030. (4) And they cannot go without structural reform of agribusiness supply chains.
The breakthrough needed
Far-reaching reforms are needed in agricultural policies, as outlined by the FAO. Starting with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Europe, which is still the leading food trade area on the planet (5,6).
Direct funding for small-scale agroecological production is essential to support the creation of shared value on territories. And the products of peasant agriculture must also be distributed in supermarkets, without demanding those onerous certifications that are in fact barriers to access to the modern distribution channel.
Research and innovation must be supported with major investments, both public and private. The future is not the Lab Meat but foods according to nature. With respect to biodiversity, one must:
– Promote the recovery of native and resilient varieties,
– Develop eco-friendly tools to promote plant health, resilience and growth (e.g., mycorrhizae).
From the green revolution to the GMO empire, historical falsehoods
The ‘green revolution’ is the first historical fallacy. Farmers who now depend on the pesticide and seed monopolists(Big 4) are impoverished by the higher costs of agrochemicals and energy without registering any rise in the prices of their commodities. They poison themselves and their children, even before the children of others. In addition to soils, waters and air, as well as our food.
The GMO Empire is the second historical hoax, The Great Hoax as written in our free ebook of the same name. The first generation of GMOs proved to be only instrumental in increasing sales of the most devastating agrotoxics, such as glyphosate and dicamba. Which were approved on the basis of scientific fraud that has gone unpunished to this day. And they damage, among other things, the microbiome on which the immune system depends.
The new GMOs emerging globally today are just a dejavu. Destined to consolidate a sick system of monopolies and abuses on ecosystems and populations. Tens of thousands of genetic engineering experiments are already scattered in the environment, without any assessment of the risk on biodiversity and planet.
Dario Dongo and Camilla Fincardi
Notes(1) FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization). The 10 Elements of Agroecology. https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1147761/
(2) FAO.The 10 elements of agroecology guiding the transition to sustainable food and agricultural systems.
(3) John Reimann. Regeneration Farming. Global ecosocialist network, 4.2.20,
(4) UNEP(United Nations Environment Programme), Last call for a food systems revolution, 19.07.19,
(5) Cristina Cruz. The sustainable intensification of agriculture in Europe.
. Open Access Government, 19.04.18,
(6) Cf. Dejan Ljami. Agroecology, The way of sustainability in Europe’s farming
. Open Access Government, 17.01.20.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Law at the University of Bologna and in Italian-French law at the Université Paris Nanterre, she is currently enrolled in the Master in Law and Food Safety Consultant at the University of Bologna.
