Despite the well established case for agroecology, the international community continues to hear calls for “more evidence” that support its widespread adoption. A robust body of scientific evidence  already exists, alongside  the rich and diverse  forms of knowledge and age-old lived experiences of peasants, smallholders, animal and seed keepers, Indigenous peoples and local communities as well as social movements across all continents.

The supposed need to continually document and ‘prove’ the benefits, effectiveness and value of agroecology is largely dictated by vested interests. This ongoing demand often overlooks existing evidence due to the influence of parties benefiting from downplaying and distorting agroecology's potential for true food systems transformation. Paradoxically, the ample evidence that industrial food systems are costly and harmful to people and planet – contributing to ill health, biodiversity collapse, climate change, pollution and labour exploitation – is used by some to justify further intensification, ‘smarter’ industrialisation and resource-heavy, high tech solutions that marginalise small food producers, while consolidating agro-capital and cementing dependencies on fragile global value chains and destructive resource extraction.

Establishing the Credibility and Applicability of Agroecology

In this light, the need to establish the credibility, applicability and meaningfulness of agroecology beyond any shadow of doubt is increasingly important.

Measurement, notwithstanding the limitations of quantification, is crucial for understanding the details and nuances of the effects of agroecology as it is practiced on the ground, to fine-tune and further develop certain approaches or enhance certain outcomes.

Measuring agroecology can refer to two different things.

First, it can refer to measuring its effects or impacts on other parameters. For example, we might need to know how much or how well agroecology contributes to ‘xyz‘ – where xyz could be values such as ecological integrity, improving human health or livelihoods. This is a kind of performance measure: How does agroecology perform with respect to a desired outcome that we aspire to or value? The FAO’s Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), for example, does this across the different dimensions of sustainability (Governance, Economy, Health & Nutrition, Society & Culture, Environment). TAPE has been applied in 54 countries, assessing 12,000 farms.

Second, measuring agroecology also means assessing “how agroecological” something is - we might think of this as a measure of ‘agroecologicalness’. This matters, for example, in the context of evaluating the degree of agroecological integration in development projects or funding programmes. FAO’s TAPE also allows for this form of measuring by operationalizing the 10 Elements of agroecology with 36 semi-qualitative indices, providing results of the level of agroecological transition of farms and territories.

Measuring Agroecology Unlocks Funding

Agroecology measurement frameworks also serve as important tools to determine how much money is being allocated by an agency specifically to support agroecology, or when the agency would like to support agroecology and needs to assess project proposals with respect to their contribution to agroecology. Measurement thus helps take stock of a funding portfolio, and brings to light the available options. For example, donor agencies such as IFAD have conducted ‘stocktakes’ of the quality and quantity of their agroecological programming, yielding very instructive data to inform their programming and funding. IFAD’s stocktake (2021) found thatapproximately 13% of the 207 projects sampled across the five IFAD regions entirely apply agroecology, while another 47 per cent partially apply agroecological practices. 

More recently, a collective  framework was developed by a community of practice on financing agroecology. Adopted in 2023 by the Agroecology Coalition, and turned into an online tool, the ‘Agroecology Finance Assessment Framework’ serves as a tracking mechanism for finance flows towards agroecology. The framework can be used to guide and evaluate individual projects, initiatives or entire portfolios of projects. 

The Assessment Framework is based on the 13 Principles of Agroecology that were consolidated by the High Level Panel of Experts of the Committee on World Food Security in 2019, which harmonise with, but also expand, the 10 FAO elements. Using a set of principles rather than a unified definition of agroecology, this framework allows for global comparability of initiatives (in terms of how well they address the different principles of agroecology) while respecting the diverse expression of agroecology in local contexts.

Unique Features of the Assessment Framework

The framework is unique because it has integrated elements that place the emphasis on forms of agroecology that are oriented to transforming entire food systems (and not just agricultural production techniques). Equally important, at the heart of the Assessment Framework is social justice, as much as environmental concerns. As such, this framework positions agroecology as a catalyst for a paradigm shift, and not merely for incremental improvements of the status quo. 

Of particular note are two special features to ensure that measurements guided by this framework are aligned with a strongly transformative version of agroecology.

(1)  The framework introduces a set of ten red flags to quickly identify practices that contradict agroecological values. In this way, the framework excludes from the outset practices such as the use of monocultures, factory farming, and the promotion of ultra-processed foods (UFPs). It thereby pre-empts the possibilities for cooptation or dilution of the integrity, purpose and goals of agroecology.

(2) The framework designates four of the 13 principles as ‘always applicable’: 

• Principle 8. Co-creation of knowledge

• Principle 9. Social values & diets

• Principle 10. Fairness

• Principle 13. Participation

These principles constitute the social justice dimension of agroecology and integrating them into the Assessment Framework as ‘always applicable’ means that this vital yet often sidelined dimension of agroecology is given due regard in the assessment of agroecological projects, programmes and initiatives.

Moreover, through a set of aspirational value statements, as well as concrete examples of diverse best practices, the framework gives life to the 13 principles, rendering them less abstract. This also means that the framework is not just useful in assessment or evaluation contexts, but can also play a useful role in designing holistic agroecological initiatives, as well as understanding what transformative agroecology can look like on the ground.

Donor and programme agencies who are committed to contributing to a paradigm shift in food and agricultural systems will certainly benefit from incorporating the Agroecology Assessment Framework into their monitoring, evaluation and learning processes. Further details can be found in the scientific article introducing the framework and the dedicated page on the Agroecology Coalition website.

The community of practice around this framework and online tool is also actively seeking feedback to keep the framework dynamic and open to change over time as more actors get involved. Please reach out to start a conversation.

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Nina Moeller is an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark and Coventry University. Her work focuses on food systems transformation through agroecology, as well as food sovereignty and diverse ways of knowing. Faris Ahmed is a consultant with FAO and specializes in agroecology and biodiversity. Nina and Faris are members of Cultivate! Collective.