Scaling situated agroecology: Lessons from a 7-country study in Latin America and the Caribbean

Agroecology must reach more people and more territories to confront the current socioecological polycrisis of which food systems are part and parcel. A central challenge is that agroecological knowledge emerges from particular territorial contexts and may not be easily applicable in others. Therefore, situated scaling approaches that foster local innovation and rhizomatic connections among territories are called for. We approach this challenge through analysis of action research collectives working in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Cuba, under the umbrella of the “Participatory Research in Agroecology in Latin America and the Caribbean” project. We sought to add nuance to our understanding of agroecological scaling by exploring how each collective approached scaling and its drivers, the bottlenecks they confronted, and the solutions they piloted. The collectives’ work responded to several dimensions of agri-food system transformation: agroecological farming, local governance, favorable markets, and biocultural systems. They codesigned solutions adapted to each territory, including peasant experimentation to test agroecological practices, horizontal learning processes, and the articulation of fair markets associated with participatory guarantee systems, peasant identities, and indigenous cultures. Contextualized in this way, agroecology contributes to the defense of peasant and indigenous ways of life while learning from each territorial experience. Networks fostering learning, exchange, and advocacy strengthened these initiatives locally and broadened their reach, allowing for situated scaling. The set of experiences demonstrates the power of intersectoral collaboration for articulating fairer and more sustainable agri-food systems. It also revealed barriers to collaboration, particularly between academia and other sectors, as well as the need for approaches that foment full participation of women and youth. The collectives confronted a broad set of structural constraints for situated scaling that underline the importance of methodological flexibility, as well as solidarity and alliances with other emancipatory movements. Please refer to Supplementary Materials for a full text Spanish version of this article.