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agroecological systems by providing technical support for crop diversification
techniques and irrigation systems. 83
78. Similarly, in Cuba, farmers have embraced agroecology through initiatives that
support the sharing of experiences and the creation of networks. From 1995 to 2004,
Cuba increased its food production by 37 per cent through agricultural development
policies, farmer networks and sharing of information rather than through a reliance
on the use of chemical fertilizers and heavy machinery. 84
79. Agroecology is beneficial not only for developing countries. In September
2014, the National Assembly of France adopted a project for the future of
agriculture, food and forests that calls for the implementation of agroecology
through agricultural initiatives that take the environment into consideration. Under
the multi-year project agroecological actions will be undertaken that aim to improve
the economic, social and environmental performance of farming operations and
promote innovation and agricultural experimentation. 85 An example of a local
initiative is the law passed by the City of San Francisco, California, requiring
mandatory recycling and composting of organic material rather than sending it to
landfills. The city currently diverts 80 per cent of its waste to recycling and
composting, with the goal of “zero waste” by 2020. 86
80. Despite the availability of widely endorsed good practices, many
Governments, development agencies, donors and policymakers are still focusing on
large-scale, high-input solutions that marginalize small-scale farmers because of
existing political biases, trade rules and policies that limit the ability of
Governments to support smallholder farmers and agroecological practices through
investment, research funding and legal solutions to land tenure.
81. Food security involves much more than just food production. However,
agribusiness investment is increasingly being seen as the only way to address
hunger and poverty in a time of climate change. Within this context, “climate-smart
agriculture” was introduced as a series of adaptation policies that sustainably
increase productivity and resilience, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
enhancing the achievement of national food security and development goals. These
claims are questioned by several non-governmental and peasant organizations on
basis of the absence of criteria to assess sustainability; the absence of a right to food
concept; a limited conception of resilience; the misplaced focus on climate change
mitigation; and the failure to recognize the historical responsibility of the developed
countries for producing greenhouse gas emissions. More importantly, there is a lack
of clarity around the concept of climate-smart agriculture that could be misleading,
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Rafael Guimaraens and Clarita Rickli, A New Rural Brazil: Ministry of Agrarian Development
2003-2010 (Brasilia, Ministry of Agrarian Development, 2010).
Ben McKay, “A socially inclusive pathway to food security: the agroecological alternative”,
International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth Research Brief, No. 23 (19 June 2012).
Projet de loi d’avenir pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et la forêt, texte adopté no. 402
(11 September 2014).
San Francisco Department of the Environment, Mandatory Recycling and Composting, ordinance
No. 100-09 (9 June 2009).
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