Industrial food production contributes heavily towards climate change, environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources €“ and in so doing it erodes the very basis of agriculture. We urgently need to innovate our way out of this agrifood crisis, but we have to be clear about the kind of innovations we want.In this new background paper for decision-makers, Friends of the Earth International explores a systemic change of our food and agricultural systems based on innovations in agroecology, a proposal that is rapidly gaining ground worldwide.A growing body of scientific evidence shows that agroecology innovations and practices are technically feasible, affordable, politically, socially and culturally acceptable, adaptable to local circumstances and environmentally sound. These practices are rooted in ancestral and customary knowledge and practices of peasants, indigenous peoples and other small-scale food providers and many have already been successfully tested in farmers’ fields.
