Achieving food security for a rising number of people worldwide while preserving and promoting healthy ecosystems needs a fundamental change in our societies and a transformation of our global food system. Agroecology as a concept developed out of social movements has been gaining more attention within the scientific community and the international discussion for supporting food and nutrition security for small-scale farmers under changing climate.
Agroecological approaches aim for self-sustaining, regional food systems that are working with and enhancing the ecological functions of the surrounding ecosystems by e.g., agroforestry systems, agricultural techniques like crop rotation and diversification, sustainable soil management and integrating agriculture and livestock keeping. They build on traditional and indigenous knowledge and focus on fostering local and regional circular economies. Agroecology also supports a systemic change by addressing socio-cultural conditions. This includes increasing the participation of local communities in decision making processes, participatory learning and research and changing consumption patterns and diets.
FAKT has a long history of working with agroecological principles, particularly in the context of climate change. We provide consulting services in the following areas:
- Mainstreaming of climate change adaptation based on agroecological approaches as part of climate risk management
- Process-oriented coaching for small-scale farmers and NGOs to improve their agricultural practices, strengthen local value chains and increase participation of farmers in decision making processes.
- Facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes and dialogues in rural areas.
- Capacity development and (online) trainings on agroecology and sustainable agriculture.
- Monitoring and evaluation with a specific focus on promoting agroecology among small-scale farmers.