From the agrochemical model to agroecology: The search for healthy and resilient food systems in times of COVID-19

Abstract

The unexpected outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis calls for a more effective agroecological transition in the context of ongoing worldwide rural and urban development policies. To move onwards, a drastic reorientation of food production, distribution and consumption systems seems unavoidable. At first sight, this drive will require to set in motion five strategies: progressive abolition of pesticide use, enrichment of the ecological matrix, revitalization of small farm agriculture, diffusion of alternative animal production systems, and promotion of urban agriculture. In this article, we offer a brief review of the potential of these agroecological initiatives. We acknowledge that the new evidence of increasingly erratic climate events, along with the “new emerging pandemics” syndrome, is challenging the hegemony of the globalized agribusiness model. On the other hand, in dealing with such grave challenges facing humanity in the upcoming decades, there is an urgent need to promote coordinated actions leading to territorially-based agroecological systems.