TWN Info Service on Sustainable Agriculture
23 May 2022
Third World Network

Dear Friends and Colleagues

Decolonizing and Democratizing Food Knowledge Systems

This compendium sheds light on the robust and diverse body of evidence and knowledge that speaks to the ability of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways to transform food systems into more sustainable, secure, and equitable ways of living.

However, while a diversity of evidence that demonstrates their transformative potential already exists, the politics of knowledge all too often keep these approaches from being understood, taken up, and acted upon. The political power behind the dominant narratives marginalize agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways and legitimizes existing power relationships in food systems.

To accelerate systemic transformation that will build equitable, sustainable food systems, we need to decolonize and democratize knowledge systems within education, research, and innovation. Participatory, transdisciplinary research and action agendas that bring together farmers, researchers, policymakers, donors, consumers, and other actors across food systems are key.

Policy, institutional, and financial support for such approaches are urgently needed. Funders and donors called to catalyze a transformative research and action agenda that is transdisciplinary; focused on political and social justice and the right to food and food sovereignty; and challenges entrenched power, vested interests, and structural 斗ock-ins.

We reproduce below the Key Messages from the report.

With best wishes,
Third World Network

覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧・

THE POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE
・UNDERSTANDING THE EVIDENCE FOR AGROECOLOGY, REGENERATIVE APPROACHES, AND INDIGENOUS FOODWAYS

Global Alliance for the Future of Food
https://futureoffood.org/insights/the-politics-of-knowledge-compendium/
December 2021

KEY MESSAGES

1. The roots of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways represent a continuous source of knowledge that can inform a repaired relationship between people and nature. The evidence in support of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways via research, science, practice, social movements, and policy arenas is manifold. Diverse forms of evidence, knowledge, and expertise ・including lived experience and traditional knowledge as well as case studies, scientific analyses, and peer-reviewed literature ・are fundamental to shifting mindsets and forming the basis for action. The principles underpinning these inherently diverse and intercultural processes of co-creating knowledge, which have existed for thousands of years, need to be central to efforts to transform food systems.
2. Evidence in support of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways exists in a battleground ・one of many over knowledge and power. The politics of knowledge all too often keep these approaches from being understood, taken up, and acted upon, even when we need them most. A narrow view of what counts as evidence means certain kinds of expertise are elevated over others and a broad array of evidence is not considered, documented, published, or heard. Entrenched histories that uphold colonial and Western ways of thinking and knowing continue to invalidate certain forms of evidence about food systems. Without diverse evidence, we will see more solutions that are not contextually relevant and have potentially harmful, unintended consequences.
3. The political power behind the dominant narratives that marginalize agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways influences the way that evidence is considered and legitimizes existing power relationships in food systems. These dominant narratives question traditional foodways・comparative performance regarding yield, scaling potential, economic viability, and ability to address the climate and environmental crises. These narratives keep agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways at the margins, despite evidence demonstrating their power to drive transformational change.
4. The evidence that props up dominant narratives tends to be very narrow in focus, which limits a nuanced analysis and understanding of the multiple social, economic, and environmental impacts of distinct food and farming systems, effectively short-circuiting longer-term transformational goals. What we measure dictates where investments and policies are directed. Measuring success, performance, and resilience through a wider systems lens provides evidence on the multifunctional benefits of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways.
5. A diversity of evidence that demonstrates the transformative potential of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways already exists. However, it is not always available or accessible to audiences who are asking for evidence, nor is it in the format they require. Encouraging and embracing diverse forms of evidence to be generated, gathered, and communicated increases the legitimacy of agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways and helps identify gaps that need to be addressed. Ascendent narratives with the power and potential to transform and reshape food systems are rising in the face of the multiple and overlapping global crises we face: climate change, growing inequality, food insecurity and malnutrition, and biodiversity loss.
6. The co-creation, exchange, and mobilization of knowledge and evidence creates new entry points to systemic transformation and needs to be harnessed to facilitate action across food systems. Evidence on its own does not catalyze change due to structural barriers, such as short-term thinking, cheap food, export orientation, and narrow measures of success, that keep industrial food systems locked in place. Unlocking these structural barriers requires changing our research, education, and innovation systems.
7. To accelerate systemic transformation that will build equitable, sustainable food systems, we need to decolonize and democratize knowledge systems within education, research, and innovation. Deep reservoirs of knowledge about agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways are multifaceted, context specific, involve place-based ecological understanding, and reflect diverse ways of thinking about evidence. These ways of knowing and diverse forms of evidence are central to informing and democratizing our education, research, and innovation systems.
8. Participatory, transdisciplinary research and action agendas that bring together farmers, researchers, policymakers, donors, consumers, and other actors across food systems are key to leveraging food systems transformation. These research and action approaches and outcomes will provide contextually relevant evidence and open spaces to discuss and address issues of reciprocity, equality, justice, and power. This is enabled through transparent, honest, respectful alliances of key actors committed to food systems transformation.
9. The continued absence of robust and consistent policy, institutional, and financial support for agroecology, regenerative approaches, and Indigenous foodways must be addressed. Funding for long-term research and inclusive programs designed in partnership with farmers and food provisioners, Indigenous Peoples, and women must be a key priority.
10. Funders and donors must step up to catalyze a transformative research and action agenda that: 1) is transdisciplinary; 2) is focused on political and social justice and the right to food and food sovereignty, and 3) challenges entrenched power, vested interests, and structural 斗ock-ins.・A bold agenda that lifts up the following five priorities is required:Priority 1: Support comparative and systems performance research

Priority 2: Explore questions of scale, time, and space

Priority 3: Build capacity for transdisciplinary and participatory research and training

Priority 4: Support knowledge and evidence mobilization and communication

Priority 5: Accelerate transformational pathways