What might an “agro-ecological” food system look like?
Résumé
Through its international and regional symposia, FAO has recognized the important role
of agroecological production systems in the development of sustainable food systems.
However, there is little understanding of how agroecologically produced crops become
marketable products that are recognized by consumers for their agroecological qualities. In
2015, FAO and the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) conducted a
qualitative survey with producers, consumers and intermediaries from 12 countries (Benin,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Kazakhstan, Mozambique,
Namibia and Uganda) to gain insights into this question. Through this study, we identified
a typology of markets that are based on different levels of interaction between actors in
a food system, the inclusiveness of the business model, the number of times the product
changes hands, the fairness of prices, the means of quality communication and the
identification of quality attributes themselves. In this paper, we present the results of this
study by explaining these typologies of “agroecological” markets in developing countries
