GCUA 2030 researchers convene for agroecology conference

The event was sponsored by the OECD’s Co-operative Research Programme: Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems, and brought together researchers from around the world including several from Global Challenges University Alliance (GCUA 2030) partners.

The conference was organised by Cristian Alarcón (SLU, Department of Urban and Rural Development) and Paul Egan (SLU Global & GCUA 2030 Coordinator) with the aim to examine how a comparative approach to agroecology can support international collaboration and policy development on climate-smart food and water system transformations, and to share experiences and identify next steps.

Talks and discussions provided diverse contexts on agroecology research and policy, with contributions from GCUA 2030 representatives Peter McKeown (University of Galway, Ireland); Wendy Vance (Murdoch University, Australia); Lauren Waller (Lincoln University, New Zealand), Christine Watson (SRUC Scotland's Rural College) and Johanna Bergman, Cristian Alarcón (SLU, Sweden). Additional talks came from researchers representing the UK, Finland, Japan, Chile, Colombia, the USA, Germany, Italy, and Hungary.

A field trip provided participations the opportunity to engage with local farmers on their experiences with agroecology. Keynote talks and discussions also featured Prof. Jennie Barron (SLU) on water security, and policy and practice perspectives from Marcos Lana (Agroecology Europe and SLU), Alnarp’s Agroecology Farm, and initiatives including SOCLA-Chile and the European Society for Rural Sociology.

Closing sessions focused on identifying shared research priorities and policy needs for advancing comparative agroecology, and plans to publish conference proceedings and continue the network into the future.