Agroecology, an introduction

About this course

Is it true that agroecology is THE solution to the challenges that agriculture faces today—feeding a growing population while conserving natural resources in a world where uncertainties about climate change, biodiversity, energy etc. keep intensifying?

Is agroecology a mere fad, or a significant scientific, technical and political revolution?

This course aims at helping you discover what agroecology is, through the complexity of the various approaches that have emerged over the years and in various regions of the world, and through the ways they can be implemented in the fields, and studied, as agricultural practices.

The syllabus has been designed at the interface of agronomy, ecology and social sciences. The course’s dynamic is one of participative learning, and heavily relies on the social and geographic diversity of the participants.

Syllabus

This course is designed to unfold over 6 consecutive weeks.

Week 1 : Setting up the context—the emergence of agroecology

Week 2 : Narrowing down a definition—the various approaches to agroecology

Weeks 3 and 4 : A view from the trenches—agroecology as a set of agricultural practices

Week 5 : What’s next—the transition to agroecology H

Week 6 : ow does agroecology show up in your neck of the woods—focus on students’ mini-reports