Agroecology and the Emergence of a New Societal Paradigm: a Comparative Case Study on Social Movements and Transitions

Agroecology as a paradigm has been gaining a lot of attention in last years as being on the crossroads of several disciplines like economics, ecology and political science. It consists of science, practice and movement. This study will mainly focus on agroecology as a movement and on different political issues that are related to it, both on macro-and micro-level. It will compare experiences from agroecological actors in the Pampa-region in Argentina (Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba) and the Andes-region in Colombia (Tolima, Cauca, Valle del Cauca) and analyse the political, economic and social struggles they face, which strategies of organization they develop and how these strategies impact rural livelihoods in both regions. A mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used, with the used method depending on the research stage. This study is innovative in that it wishes to analyse the conditions for local sustainable transition, comparing two case studies in Latin America, and investigating what this means for agroecology as a social movement. Partners include the National Institute of Agricultural Technology in Argentina and the Environmental Committee in Colombia.