IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/develp/v59y2016i3d10.1057_s41301-017-0114-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Farming for a Small Planet: Agroecology Now

Author

Listed:
  • Frances Moore Lappé

Abstract

The primary obstacle to sustainable food security is an economic model and thought system, embodied in industrial agriculture, that views life in disassociated parts, obscuring the destructive impact this approach has on humans, natural resources, and the environment. Industrial agriculture is characterized by waste, pollution, and inefficiency, and is a significant contributor to climate change. Within so-called free market economics, enterprise is driven by the central goal of bringing the highest return to existing wealth. This logic leads inexorably to the concentration of wealth and power, making hunger and ecosystem disruption inevitable. The industrial system does not and cannot meet our food needs. An alternative, relational approach—agroecology—is emerging and has already shown promising success on the ground. By dispersing power and building on farmers’ own knowledge, it offers a viable path to healthy, accessible food; environmental protection; and enhanced human dignity.

Suggested Citation

  • Frances Moore Lappé, 2016. "Farming for a Small Planet: Agroecology Now," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 59(3), pages 299-307, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:develp:v:59:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1057_s41301-017-0114-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41301-017-0114-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41301-017-0114-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41301-017-0114-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Paull, 2011. "The Uptake of Organic Agriculture: A Decade of Worldwide Development," Journal of Social and Development Sciences, AMH International, vol. 2(3), pages 111-120.
    2. David Pimentel, 2006. "Soil Erosion: A Food and Environmental Threat," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 119-137, February.
    3. Bojana Bajželj & Keith S. Richards & Julian M. Allwood & Pete Smith & John S. Dennis & Elizabeth Curmi & Christopher A. Gilligan, 2014. "Importance of food-demand management for climate mitigation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(10), pages 924-929, October.
    4. Philip H. Howard, 2009. "Visualizing Consolidation in the Global Seed Industry: 1996–2008," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 1(4), pages 1-22, December.
    5. Ritu Verma, 2014. "Land Grabs, Power, and Gender in East and Southern Africa: So, What's New?," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 52-75, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Semih Ediş & Özgür Burhan Timur & Gamze Tuttu & İbrahim Aytaş & Ceyhun Göl & Ali Uğur Özcan, 2023. "Assessing the Impact of Engineering Measures and Vegetation Restoration on Soil Erosion: A Case Study in Osmancık, Türkiye," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Galushko, Viktoriya & Gray, Richard & Smyth, Stuart & Arnison, Paul, 2010. "Resolving FTO Barriers in GM Canola," 14th ICABR Conference, June 16-18, 2010, Ravello, Italy 188092, International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR).
    3. Aznarul Islam & Sanat Kumar Guchhait, 2017. "Search for social justice for the victims of erosion hazard along the banks of river Bhagirathi by hydraulic control: a case study of West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 433-459, April.
    4. Paul Vincelli, 2016. "Genetic Engineering and Sustainable Crop Disease Management: Opportunities for Case-by-Case Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
    5. David Bryngelsson & Fredrik Hedenus & Daniel J. A. Johansson & Christian Azar & Stefan Wirsenius, 2017. "How Do Dietary Choices Influence the Energy-System Cost of Stabilizing the Climate?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-13, February.
    6. Joseph I. Uduji & Elda N. Okolo-Obasi, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in Nigeria and Rural Women Livestock Keepers in Oil Host Communities," Research Africa Network Working Papers 18/060, Research Africa Network (RAN).
    7. Ancuta Isbasoiu & Pierre-Alain Jayet & Stéphane De Cara, 2021. "Increasing food production and mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union: impacts of carbon pricing and calorie production targeting," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(2), pages 409-440, April.
    8. Václav BRANT & Milan KROULÍK & Jan PIVEC & Petr ZÁBRANSKÝ & Josef HAKL & Josef HOLEC & Zdeněk KVÍZ & Luděk PROCHÁZKA, 2017. "Splash erosion in maize crops under conservation management in combination with shallow strip-tillage before sowing," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 12(2), pages 106-116.
    9. Helen Harwatt & Joan Sabaté & Gidon Eshel & Sam Soret & William Ripple, 2017. "Substituting beans for beef as a contribution toward US climate change targets," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 261-270, July.
    10. Brent F. Kim & Keeve E. Nachman & Roni A. Neff & Marie L. Spiker & Raychel E. Santo, 2016. "Concerns re: interpretation and translation of findings in Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 104-105, March.
    11. López-Vicente, M. & Navas, A. & Gaspar, L. & Machín, J., 2013. "Advanced modelling of runoff and soil redistribution for agricultural systems: The SERT model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 1-12.
    12. David Oscar Yawson & Michael Osei Adu & Benjamin Ason & Frederick Ato Armah & Genesis Tambang Yengoh, 2016. "Putting Soil Security on the Policy Agenda: Need for a Familiar Framework," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-11, September.
    13. Aditi Sengupta & Priyanka Kushwaha & Antonia Jim & Peter A. Troch & Raina Maier, 2020. "New Soil, Old Plants, and Ubiquitous Microbes: Evaluating the Potential of Incipient Basaltic Soil to Support Native Plant Growth and Influence Belowground Soil Microbial Community Composition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Coronese, Matteo & Occelli, Martina & Lamperti, Francesco & Roventini, Andrea, 2023. "AgriLOVE: Agriculture, land-use and technical change in an evolutionary, agent-based model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    15. Melese Baye Hailu & S. K. Mishra & Sanjay K. Jain, 2024. "Sediment yield modelling and prioritization of erosion-prone sub-basins in the Tekeze watershed, Ethiopia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 19855-19870, August.
    16. Karlsson, Johan O. & Röös, Elin, 2019. "Resource-efficient use of land and animals—Environmental impacts of food systems based on organic cropping and avoided food-feed competition," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 63-72.
    17. Caterina Samela & Vito Imbrenda & Rosa Coluzzi & Letizia Pace & Tiziana Simoniello & Maria Lanfredi, 2022. "Multi-Decadal Assessment of Soil Loss in a Mediterranean Region Characterized by Contrasting Local Climates," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-25, July.
    18. Lucia Rocchi & Antonio Boggia & Luisa Paolotti, 2020. "Sustainable Agricultural Systems: A Bibliometrics Analysis of Ecological Modernization Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-16, November.
    19. Säll, Sarah & Gren, Ing-Marie, 2015. "Effects of an environmental tax on meat and dairy consumption in Sweden," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 41-53.
    20. Sacchi, Laura Valeria & Powell, Priscila Ana & Gasparri, Nestor Ignacio & Grau, Ricardo, 2017. "Air quality loss in urban centers of the Argentinean Dry Chaco: Wind and dust control as two scientifically neglected ecosystem services," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 234-240.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:develp:v:59:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1057_s41301-017-0114-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.