As a biodiversity-friendly approach identified under KMGBF Target 10, agroecology also addresses the entire food system – from production to consumption – and fosters co-benefits that reach economic, social and environmental objectives. 

This session will cover the core framework of agroecology as an approach that mimics natural processes while building on local community knowledge, that adheres to foundational environmental and social benchmarks, and that is anchored on set of principles and elements. It will also tackle structural drivers, given the growing political and policy momentum on agroecology from global to regional, to national and sub-national territorial levels, supported both by governments and non-state actors. It will likewise feature on-the-ground action illustrated by examples at the farm level (e.g., multicropping, agroforestry, and use of  local seeds and opportunity crops to drastically reduce reliance on chemical inputs) and short value chains (e.g., direct networks between farmers and consumers, returning fair profit margins to smallholders while improving food access).