Brief history of agroecology in Argentina: origins, evolution, and future prospects

Abstract

Agroecology emerged as a new approach and paradigm of agricultural science to provide strategies for the design, evaluation, and management of sustainable agroecosystems. It arose as a reaction to the consequences of an environmentally unsustainable and socially exclusive production model. Due to its multidisciplinary and pluri-epistemological character, its scientific approach as a movement, and a series of strategies and techniques, the incorporation and consolidation of agroecology in Argentina recognizes different goals, actors, and stages. The role of nongovernmental organizations, governmental institutions, universities, other educational institutions, and farmers’ organizations is analyzed, and the potential and limitations for future expansion are discussed.