Impacto y potencial de la agroecología: un enfoque para la seguridad alimentaria y la conservación ambiental

Abstract

Contemporary agriculture faces increasingly complex environmental, social, and productive challenges, including soil degradation, intensive use of agrochemicals, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. These practices have contributed to the development of highly vulnerable agricultural systems in the context of climate change, threatening both ecological balance and food security for large segments of the population. Agricultural soils have been exploited to the limit of their productive capacity in order to supply a rapidly growing population, generating significant long-term impacts.

Although Malthusian predictions of widespread famine were postponed by the agricultural and industrial revolutions of the twentieth century, the increase in global food production was largely based on the expansion of cultivated areas and the intensive use of external inputs such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and fossil energy. While these strategies increased yields, they also intensified environmental, economic, and social problems associated with conventional agricultural models.

In this context, agroecology emerges as a comprehensive and sustainable alternative. Although its principles are as old as agriculture itself, agroecology has gained renewed relevance as a scientific approach and set of practices in response to the limitations of industrial agriculture. Agroecology promotes the adaptation of farming systems to local ecological conditions by integrating traditional and scientific knowledge, enhancing biodiversity, resilience, and ecological balance within productive systems.

This research examines agroecology as a viable response to current agricultural challenges by analyzing its environmental, social, and economic benefits. The study is guided by the central research question: What are the main environmental, social, and economic benefits of agroecology in the context of sustainable agricultural production? To address this question, the research compares the conventional agricultural model—characterized by monocultures, intensive use of agrochemicals, and unsustainable practices—with agroecological approaches that foster resilient, locally adapted production systems.

The methodology follows a mixed approach, combining inductive and deductive elements within an exploratory, descriptive, and comparative research design. Specialized bibliographic sources and representative case studies are analyzed to document both the negative impacts of conventional agriculture and successful experiences of agroecological implementation across different contexts.

Despite limitations related to the diversity of geographic, social, and productive conditions, the findings are expected to contribute significantly to the understanding of agroecology as a scientific discipline, a social movement, and a set of transformative practices within agri-food systems. Ultimately, this research aims to propose viable strategies for farmers, researchers, and policymakers to support the transition toward sustainable, resilient, and socially equitable agricultural models.