Month: January 2025

In 2020, Tittonell (see citation below) developed a concept describing different agroecological states and transitions from one state to another. The figure below shows which transitions have been documented how many times in a collection of 271 documents written by researchers and practitioners between 2007 and 2021.

Main messages of the chart

In the Mekong Region, there is a strong focus on modernising traditional farming systems and optimising existing agroecological systems particularly among agroecology practitioners (project coordinators and development partners). Agroecology researchers also place a focus on these two transition types. However, they also aim to combine the modernisation of traditional systems with nature conservation, and they aim to find solutions that help to diversify industrial systems such as large-scale monocropping concessions. Yet, these priorities are only rarely taken up by practitioners. The restauration of degraded agricultural land is neglected by both scientists and practitioners, and the out-scaling of successful agroecological systems is rather poorly represented.

Implications of findings

The results show that agroecological initiatives mostly target traditional smallholder systems or smallholder-led commercial systems. While such a focus is important to secure rural livelihoods and improve food security, it neglects the segment of agricultural systems with the fastest dynamic (and therewith the strongest potential impacts) in the region: large-scale commercial agriculture. Therefore, interfaces that bring together farmers, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the private sector are probably the most promising way of negotiating trade-offs and co-benefits among various stakeholders and reach consensus on the design of sustainable agricultural landscapes.

Data sources

The chart was generated with data from a meta-analysis that assessed 271 documents found on 5 global and regional digital knowledge platforms (Scopus, Web of Science, WOCAT, Mekong Region Land Governance, and FAO). Only documents written in English between 2007 (the beginning of the agrarian transition in the region) and 2021 (the year when the analysis was conducted) were considered. Further, the study only looked at documents that describe concrete implementation in the field and left out theoretical or purely conceptual studies.

To learn more on the subject

Cornelia Hett, Zar Chi Aye, Christophe Gironde, Alice Beban, Jean-Christophe Castella, Rasso Bernhard & Albrecht Ehrensperger (2023) Agroecological initiatives in the Mekong Region: a systematic literature review and mapping reveals their implications for transitioning to sustainable food systems, Journal of Land Use Science, 18:1, 334-355. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1747423X.2023.2248980

Tittonell, P. (2020). Assessing resilience and adaptability in agroecological transitions. Agricultural Systems, 184.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102862

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