In partnership with:
Webinars
Stock-take report on agroecology in IFAD operations
Sustainable agriculture and food systems transition: linkages to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
Transforming agri-food systems for biodiversity
Applying agroecology in IFAD operations
Scaling up Agroecology Initiative
The Scaling up Agroecology Initiative was launched in the Second International Symposium on Agroecology in 2018 in Rome as a forward looking and action oriented platform to catalyse cooperation on agroecology within the UN System. Through the initiative, partners aim to accompany and support national agroecology processes through policy and technical capacity that builds synergies between countries.
In the transformative spirit of the 2030 Agenda, the Scaling up Agroecology Initiative is an integrated approach through which food producers, governments and other stakeholders can strengthen agroecology, harnessing a range of sustainable practices and policies, knowledge and alliances to achieve equitable and sustainable food systems in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Scaling up Agroecology Initiative matches the transformative ambitions of the 2030 Agenda and supports countries to meet their commitments. Transitions require innovation in policies, rural institutions and partnerships, as well as in the production, processing, marketing and consumption of nutritious food, leading to sustainability and equity throughout the entire food and agricultural system.
Harnessing the potential of agroecology to transform agriculture and food systems requires a framework for coordinated action and collaboration among a range of actors. The Scaling up Agroecology Initiative responds to this need.
The Initiative acts at national, regional and global levels. National and sub-national experiences are shared at regional and global levels to develop improved guidance based on emerging evidence through tools like the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE). An increasing number of countries (as well as states and municipalities) are requesting support from inter-governmental bodies to guide transition processes. The initiative is therefore focusing its work in countries which request support to plan and implement transition processes.
The initiative focuses its efforts on three areas of work:
Knowledge and innovation for sustainable food and agricultural systems
The Initiative supports local and national efforts to deliver solutions for context-specific needs by generating and co-creating knowledge and conducting capacity-building and training activities. It enables knowledge sharing across countries and regions, all of which require new solutions to the factors of changing climates. The initiative demonstrates the impact of agroecology by expanding the evidence base, exploring research gaps and supporting evidence collection at the territorial and national levels.
Policy processes for transformation of agriculture and food systems
The initiative assists countries in the development of policies for agroecology with the participation of non-state actors. It provides technical support to countries and seeks to harness existing international instruments and decisions of inter-governmental bodies, including the 2030 Agenda, to support agroecological transition. It catalyses cooperation throughout the UN system to strengthen agencies’ capacities to support agroecological transition processes.
Building connections for transformative change
The Initiative collaborates in an inclusive manner with all stakeholders – governments, producers’ organisations, consumers, civil society, researchers and the private sector – and supports networks and platforms for knowledge exchange and dialogue at national, regional and international levels. The Initiative ensures collaboration and coordination among UN agencies and builds synergies with relevant UN Decades and global fora, mainly in relation to climate change, biodiversity, food security and nutrition, ecosystem restoration and family farming, among others.
The initiative provides opportunities to join efforts to scale up agroecology. Working together can have a catalytic impact, enabling and empowering Member Countries, communities and family farmers to scale up agroecology and achieve the transformative vision of the 2030 Agenda.