Principles-focused evaluation for agroecology

Abstract

This article offers a framework for evaluating agroecological principles, practices, and claims. Advocates of agroecology offer principles for sustainable, productive, and efficient agricultural systems. The evaluation question that immediately and inevitably arises in the face of such claims is: Does agroecology work? Thus do 2 fields of inquiry intersect: evaluation and agroecology. But there are many approaches to and models of evaluation. The challenge is to match the evaluation framework to the nature of agroecology. Because agroecology is based on principles, the appropriate evaluation approach is principles-focused evaluation. This article (1) elucidates principles-focused evaluation and demonstrates its relevance to evaluating agroecological practices and claims, (2) offers a principles-focused evaluation framework for monitoring agroecological transition and intensification within a particular context, and (3) concludes with lessons about principles-focused evaluation from agroecology.