The draft scope of the HLPE report seems very clear and complete. It tackles all the key issues related to the need of a socio-ecological paradigm shift and to the obstacles eventually hindering the scaling up of agroecological experiences worldwide.
Both as an agroecological farmer and research fellow point of view, few contributions may be added to the text:
1. Agroecological approach is so interesting because it merges the innovative spirit of high level research and the ground rooted expertise of traditional farming systems.
2.Agroecology is a non-reductionist approach that is potentially able to fill the ethical gap we are experiencing nowadays. Agroecology aims at social innovation, meaning that technological innovation is not enough and that the acceptance and integration of technologies in a specific social tissue is fundamental in order to tie development and sustainability.
3. New evaluation paradigms are needed in order to assess complex systems such as socio-ecological ones. New tools and approaches are needed to tackle the evaluation of policies aiming at agroecological diffusion. An example of these issues are represented by the wide use of agroecological lexicon in the European Common Agricultural Policy that does not translate into a real diffusion of agroecology…
4. MOST IMPORTANT: In my opinion it is important to stress the linkages between pre-scolar and primary eduaction the sensitivity of a population, pre-requisite for agroecology adoption. The lack of sensitivity and empatic skill, two fundamental skill to be used in the agroecological approach, is not solved by technological innovation. We need to rethink our society in order to reach the proper diffusion of agroecological approach and this can be obtained only by working on the youth.
Pietro De Marinis