Unlocking Public Finance for Agroecology: Catalysing the potential of agriculture in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
Food and agricultural systems around the world are currently stuck at a crossroad. On the one hand, they are continuing to contribute a lion’s share to climate change, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity – on the other hand, the movement of people calling for a radical transformation of the way we relate to food and our environment is stronger than ever. An approach that is gaining attention worldwide among a wide range of actors as an answer to this call is agroecology.
Unfortunately, the funding for community-led initiatives or civil society organisations implementing agroecology at the grassroots level still remains insufficient. Given the potential of agroecology in achieving progress on several development objectives, this report is providing further evidence on the multiple benefits that agroecology comprises before presenting a set of recommendations for governments, (inter-)national development agencies and global financial mechanisms of how to actively support agroecology.
The eight case studies presented in this report show the successes behind a diverse range of agroecological practices in spatially and culturally diverse settings. By relating their grassroots work to the rather abstract SDGs, different civil society actors and community-led initiatives show how agroecology can constitute a pathway towards achieving sustainable development.
Cases in this publication:
Probioma, Bolivia: Microbial biocontrol agents as an agroecological contribution to
food security and sovereignty in Bolivia
Cenesta, Iran: Increasing plant genetic diversity in farmers' fields for resilient
communities and food sovereignty in Iran
Keystone Foundation, India: Mixed gains from cash and subsistence crops. Agroecology of indigenous people in the Indian' Nilgiri Mountains
Rainforest Rescue International, Sri Lanka: Analog forestry as an agroeological tool ensuring food security, biodiversity and climate resilience in Sri Lanka
Institute for Culture and Ecology, Kenya: Promoting agroforestry and indigenous seed varieties for healthy agroecosystems and livelihoods in Kenya
Enda Pronat, Senegal: Farmer-managed natural regeneration and other agroecological practices to restore soil fertility and improve agricultural production in Senegal
CAATINGA, Brazil: Coexisting with semiarid conditions: Combining agroecological practices to face climate change and desertification in Brazil’s drylands
Southern Roots Organics, UK: Productivity and resilience through a cooperative, agroecological, community-supported market garden in the United Kingdom
This publication has also been translated to German in collaboration with INKOTA-Netzwerk e.V.
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Dossier /
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Transformative Practice /
Agroecology
Agroecology is a diverse set of agricultural practices, a field of science and a social movement. It aims to transform food systems towards greater ecological sustainability, social justice, and resilience. Both ENDS and CSO-partners around the world support farmers and pastoralists practising agroecology, both on the ground and in gathering political and financial support.
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Dossier /
Finance for agroecology
The lion's share of public budgets for climate, agriculture and development still goes to conventional agroindustrial projects that contribute to the current climate, food and biodiversity crises. Both ENDS and our partners are calling for a transition to agroecological practices that are people- and environment-friendly.
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News / 18 maart 2022
International Forests Day: the importance of forests for livelihoods and a healthy environment
Today is International Day of Forests. An ever more important day, as the amount of forest and forested area's on this globe is shrinking at a fast pace. One the main causes is our ever increasing demand for products such as soy and palm oil from area's that have been deforested for their cultivation. The current proposed EU-deforestation law to prevent this, is not strict enough and does not include the protection of other crucial natural areas such as grasslands, savannas and swamps, as well as the human rights of the millions of people living in these area's. During these past few weeks we therefore participated in the campaign #Together4Forests, calling on citizens to send a letter to their own responsible ministers. The campaign paid off: almost 54,000 letters were sent to European ministers across the European Union, demanding a strict forest law that guarantees the import of only deforestation-free products in Europe.
To celebrate this International Day of Forests, we would like to emphasise the great value of forests and other natural areas, directly or indirectly, for the livelihoods of at least 2 billion people. Below, we selected some examples that show how, throughout the world, local communities use many different ways to collect and produce food and other natural products in a sustainable way, while protecting and restoring the forests and forested area's they are so dependent upon.
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News / 16 augustus 2019
Opinion: "Sustainable land use needs radical policy change"
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Press release / 7 maart 2022
New report: investment in agroecology necessary for healthy global food system
A recent study by Profundo for Both ENDS and Oxfam Novib shows that investment in agroecology is necessary for a sustainable and inclusive global food system. Today, some 768 million – one in ten – people suffer from hunger or a severe shortage of food on a daily basis. Conflict, economic stagnation caused by the Corona epidemic, and the climate crisis present an immediate threat to the production of and access to sufficient nutritious food. Agroecology, a form of agriculture that places small-scale farmers, the natural environment and short supply chains at the centre of food production, makes communities in developing countries more resilient and helps them combat hunger. The study concludes however that major donors, including the Netherlands, are so far providing insufficient support for agroecology.
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Publication / 7 maart 2022
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Publication / 22 april 2021
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Publication / 7 november 2022
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Dossier /
Rich Forests
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News / 2 december 2024
Advocating for Local Solutions: Both ENDS at UNCCD COP16 to Champion Sustainable Land Management and Gender Equality
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Publication / 14 januari 2019
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Event / 5 september 2019, 13:00 - 15:00
UNCCD COP14: Communities regreen the Sahel
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Publication / 4 november 2022
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Publication / 10 oktober 2022
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News / 30 augustus 2019
Dealing with drought: the UNCCD COP in India
Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people live in areas where the soil is depleted; often they are forced to, or the region they have been living in for generations has become increasingly arid over time. The desert is advancing and this is a global problem. Opinions about the causes of land degradation and desertification, but especially about the solutions, are very divided. To discuss this, the biennial global conference on desertification will take place from 2 to 14 September. This is where policymakers, scientists, NGOs, female and male farmers and pastoralist, herders and companies from all over the world come together. Our colleague Nathalie van Haren is present at the conference and explains why.
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Transformative Practice /
Analog Forestry
Analog forestry is a transformative approach to the ecological restoration of degraded lands. Natural forests are used as guides to create ecologically sustainable landscapes, which support the social and economical needs of local communities.
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Event / 11 december 2024, 13:00 - 14:30
Making strategic impact: Shifting resources and power to women-led initiatives for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
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News / 2 december 2024
Ten recommendations for the UNCCD COP16 to strengthen its efforts in combating desertification, land degradation, and drought
For decades, our local partner organisations have been developing and promoting effective ways to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought. This includes regions like the drylands, as well as forests, and wetlands. Supporting these locally-led actions is essential to reversing negative trends. For COP16, Drynet has developed 10 recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD. Success at COP16 would mean turning these recommendations into action, fostering inclusive land governance and sustainable land management practices globally. By enabling locally-led actions—particularly those led by women, youth, pastoralists, and Indigenous Peoples—we can build a more resilient future.
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Dossier /
Communities Regreen the Sahel
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