Abstract
Agroecological movements are spreading and many local experiences are being carried out. But agroecology still has not developed instruments and approaches to elaborate state and regional strategies, where the political and institutional aspects play a key role. This text contributes to overcoming these oversights by means of a theoretical foundation that demonstrates why agroecology should engage politics. First, we argue that agroecosystems, as socioecological constructions, are produced through power relations. Second, we show the close relationship between agroecosystem dynamics and politics, and, therefore, the crucial role that political agroecology plays in the agroecological transition. Finally, we evaluate the world food system as the context in which agroecological experiences should be developed.
Notes
1. In relation to the concept of social metabolism and its application to agriculture, see CitationFischer-Kowlaski and Hüttler (1999); CitationToledo and González de Molina (2007) or CitationGonzález de Molina and Toledo (2011).
2. See, for example, part three of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Citation(FAO) report for 1993: “Agricultural trade: entering a new era?”(http://www.fao.org/es/esa/es/pubs_sofa.htm).