Agroecology

Work Package 4: Strengthening the policy and institutional enabling environment

Contacts: Frank Place and Ruth Meinzen-Dick (IFPRI), Aymen Frija (ICARDA) 

The Latest 

Accomplishments at a glance

• In all eight target countries, policies, institutions and key stakeholders were analyzed as to how they favor or limit agroecological transitions. Opportunities for policy integration and change as well as for enhancing the potential of local institutions, organizational arrangements and governance structures have been identified. In six countries, those have been discussed and agreed with food system actors in each ALL.
• A policy framework and tracking tool has been developed and applied in three countries.
• In five countries, the Initiative participated in agroecology policy formulations at national or subnational levels for policy and institutional changes.
• A collaborative effort to identify and address political economy issues in agroecological transitions has produced 15 articles under review; the articles cover 10 countries (including seven of the Agroecology Initiative’s target countries).
• Mechanisms for better coordination and adaptation of local institutions to enable agroecological transitions were identified in six countries.

Gaining momentum in agroecology transitions
Whether agroecology transitions gain momentum or not depends greatly on the kinds of policies and local institutions in place and on the effectiveness of their coordination. In support of efforts to strengthen this dimension, WP4 research examines the effects of current policies and institutions, while identifying the changes in them that are needed to accelerate agroecological transitions in diverse contexts, with particular emphasis on removing barriers to the participation of women and youth.

Through stakeholder engagement on policy issues in the ALLs with more than 4,500 food system actors and 418 policymakers, the WP4 team generates and shares evidence from research, with the aim of translating it into action, based on consensus building around lessons learned among local institutions and governance actors. National and regional authorities play an active role in this process, coordinating and enacting steps that result in recommendations and action plans designed to support policy and institutional changes, thus catalyzing agroecological transitions in specific contexts.

In 2022, WP4 researchers developed the agroecology policy tracker tool for assessing progress towards policy and institutional milestones identified with national and local stakeholders in each of the target countries and ALLs. Researchers also completed initial assessments of agroecology policies and institutions in India, Peru, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. These assessments revealed an imbalance in India between investment that favors food security and water management programs, on the one hand, and sustainable agriculture or organic farming, on the other; a lack of coordination in Zimbabwe of the many relevant strategies, policies, laws, and programs; and conflicting policies with lack of policy implementation in relation to several of the agroecological principles in Tunisia.

The right approaches for removing barriers to policy reform
Further analysis across countries in 2023 identified barriers to policies favoring agroecology transitions and revealed as well that policies now in place often contradict transitions towards agroecology principles. For example, while countries recognize the need to invest in multiple dimensions of soil health, much of the funding goes to support monocropping or chemical fertilizer alone. Notable exceptions are India and Senegal, where programs have been established to promote organic or biological inputs.

More broadly, work in Kenya is paving the way for better policy harmonization in support of the National Agroecology Strategy. The Agroecology Initiative supported two partners in this process – the Drylands Natural Resources Centre (DNRC) and Community Sustainable Agriculture Healthy Environmental Program (CSHEP) – by enabling them to gain visibility in local and national policy dialogues on agroecology.

The WP4 team has been particularly active in Tunisia, participating, for example, in policy dialogues around soil conservation through an enhanced feed and forages strategy. Innovations for managing soils were incorporated into the country’s National Plan for Feed and Forage Investment.

Cross-country reflections highlighted common challenges of political economy in advancing agroecology transitions. In research for development, too many efforts focus on technological innovations without addressing the political economy drivers needed to achieve national impact. It is now commonly understood that the success or failure of these innovations depends greatly on a comprehensive understanding of the policy environment and of the right approaches for tackling barriers to policy reform and implementation. In response, the Agroecology Initiative identified a set of political economy research areas, around which recommendations for country teams as well as publications (including a special journal issue on political economy) are planned for 2025. These will address topics such as the political economy of agroecological transitions in landscapes and multi-stakeholder platforms for governance of these transitions.

“Not only are enabling policies and institutions vital for agroecological transitions, but it is now commonly understood that the use and impact of technological innovations also depend greatly on a conducive policy environment and of the right approaches for tackling barriers to policy reform and implementation.” Frank Place, Senior Advisor, International Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and WP4 Lead

Focus on: Promoting BioTrade with an agroecological approach
New developments in Peru offer an instructive case study (dealing with sustainable use of native biodiversity) on the role of policy initiatives in fostering agroecology. The government of Peru’s Ucayali region, which harbors a vast array of biodiversity endangered by deforestation, has designated the Aguaytía Basin as an agroforestry corridor with great potential for agroecological innovations. Through a regional technical commission, the government developed its first Regional Strategy for the Promotion of BioTrade with an agroecological approach as well as an action plan. The Agroecology Initiative supported this process in collaboration with the NGO Terra Nuova and the Paskay company. Centering on agroecological practices for five value chains with high potential for specialized international markets, the strategy aims to enhance supply conditions for biodiversity products. The action plan focuses on increasing awareness of native Amazonian products, fortifying farmers organizations and supporting local businesses.

The way forward
Recent years have seen rising global demand for a more solid policy foundation in support of agroecology and ecosystem restoration. In response, future CGIAR research will generate evidence and provide tools that better enable national and local policy actors to build such a foundation, as part of a wider transition toward multifunctional landscapes. To this end, researchers will examine how current national policies and strategies support or hinder multifunctional landscapes (including the adoption of agroecology and regenerative approaches), while seeking opportunities for improvement. The research will further consider the political economy barriers that influence policymaking related to multifunctional landscapes, agroecology and other nature-positive outcomes as well as the institutional arrangements needed for more effective policy design.

Effective policy research requires continued efforts to build partnerships with national and local governments as well as research institutes, policy bodies, academia and civil society in target countries. Researchers will also engage with existing communities of practice, using knowledge management and other strategies to enhance the exchange of scientific evidence on multifunctional landscapes. A key aim is to design a common vision and roadmap that points to high-impact areas for research and investment. In addition, this work will seek to heighten the CGIAR’s profile as a key contributor of scientific evidence to global and regional policy discourse on multifunctional landscapes.

Progress towards the Initiative goal
Opportunities to issue policy recommendations while strengthening local institutions and governance mechanisms have been detected and are being pursued in seven countries, with advances in Kenya, Tunisia, Peru, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Lao PDR.