On August 18, 2018, in Ottawa, FLEdGE (Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged), Lakehead University, USC Canada, and Just Food hosted a two-day field trip and a full-day workshop on the future of agroecology in Canada. The event was billed as an Agroecology Field School and Research Summit. Farmers, researchers, community organizers, and students gathered to discuss how to bring the international agroecology movement to Canada. Speakers came from around the world, including Peter Rosset from La Via Campesina, Faris Ahmed from USC Canada, and others from across the country, including the National Farmers Union and Indigenous voices. All of the hosts represent organizations in Canada that are working together to build a home-grown agroecological movement.
The first two days of the summit took place on local farms where transdisciplinary panels made up of researchers, representatives of farmer organizations, and the farmers themselves hosted discussions focused on the activities of the host farm. There were two farm visit/panel discussions each day, with the topics covering:
- Participatory Plant Breeding and Seed Diversity
- Integrated Animal-Vegetation Systems
- Agroforestry: Planning Integrated Agroecological Systems
- Holistic Management and Rotational Grazing and Soil Health
The third day of the summit took folks inside to reflect on what they had seen and discussed in the field the two days before, and then build on that experience to engage in developing visions for how to move agroecology forward. Plenary presentations such as the experience of developing an international agroecology movement by La Via Campesina were a foundation for sharing views from the many Indigenous peoples of Canada and organizations engaged in building food sovereignty locally to globally.
Conclusions from the summit fell into four general areas:
-Agroecological practices are relatively easy and inexpensive to implement. Such practices have been developed through experience and field observation by farmers, Indigenous peoples, and food providers, and are spread out around the world. Farmer-to-farmer learning and knowledge sharing are at the heart of agroecology.
-Local knowledge is the foundation of agroecological practice and offers practical solutions for a new generation of farmers who can learn from more experienced growers while connecting to a global social movement. A different food system must be built. With the rejection of an outmoded and unfair model of agriculture, the Agroecology Summit highlighted a mission that’s about more than just changing agricultural methods. It’s also about being part of a global movement that is actively building a food system based on a different set of values – working with nature, valuing food producers, and the spiritual nature of food.
-The benefits of agroecology are already being appreciated in other places. For example, those benefits meet most of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as reduced hunger and poverty, enhanced biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods, the empowerment of women and youth, and climate resilience. The combination of innovation, scalable practices, and system-wide benefits is attracting governments, international organizations, and donor agencies alike. For more information about the Summit, visit https://fledgeresearch.ca/agroecologyfieldschool2018/
It is no coincidence, then, that an article was published at about the same time as the summit that explores in considerable depth how agroecology is burgeoning in Canada (Isaac et al. Citation2018). Contributions came from universities and other organizations engaged in furthering the agroecology movement in the country. The article surveys the current state of agroecology in Canada, giving particular attention to agroecological practices, the related social movements, and the achievements of agroecological science. In each of these realms, the authors find that agroecology emerges as a response to the various social and ecological problems associated with the prevailing industrial model of agricultural production that has long been promoted in Canada under settler colonialism. Although the prevalence and prominence of agroecology is growing in the country, its presence is still small and the support for its development is limited. The article concludes by providing important recommendations on how to achieve a more meaningful integration of agroecology in Canadian food policy and practice.
Not only is Canada’s agroecology movement coming to life, it is on the verge of becoming one of the leaders in the global movement. Our journal looks forward to publishing the experiences of this broad network of collaborators in food and farming system change.
Reference
- Isaac, M., S. Isakson, B. Dale, C. Levkoe, S. Hargreaves, V. E. Méndez, H. Wittman, C. Hammelman, J. Langill, A. Martin, et al. 2018. Agroecology in Canada: towards an integration of agroecological practice, movement, and science. Sustainability 10:3299. doi:10.3390/su10093299.