Anna Lappe in the environmental magazine Mongabay reports on how agroecology and regenerative food and farming practices are an overdue but now leading topic in food and climate circles:

“The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report states in its strongest terms yet the need for action to reduce emissions, and one of the key strategies it outlines for policymakers is agroecology.

Encompassing a range of techniques from intercropping to agroforestry, agroecology is a solution that can ‘contribute to both climate mitigation and adaptation,’ the IPCC stressed.

Based on traditional knowledge, agroecology can solve multiple challenges at once, including the biodiversity crisis and food insecurity…

Defined in the [IPCC] report as a ‘holistic approach’ to farming, agroecology as a practice includes techniques such as intercropping and planting cover crops, integrating livestock and trees into landscapes, and deploying organic farming methods to enhance biodiversity and soil health while eliminating dependence on external inputs like pesticides and synthetic fertilizer. It’s a nature-based solution that can ‘contribute to both climate mitigation and adaptation,’ the IPCC stresses. It’s also a solution grounded in an embrace of the human rights of Indigenous and small-scale producers, as articulated in the 13 principles of agroecology from the United Nation’s High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition.

Learn more: From Traditional Practice To Top Climate Solution, Agroecology Gets Growing Attention

Read Mongabay’s article on OCA and Regeneration International’s Billion Agave Project in Mexico