Rural Social Movements and Agroecology: Context, Theory, and Process

Rural social movements have in recent years adopted agroecology and diversified farming systems as part of their
discourse and practice. Here, we situate this phenomenon in the evolving context of rural spaces that are increasingly disputed
between agribusiness, together with other corporate land-grabbers, and peasants and their organizations and movements. We
use the theoretical frameworks of disputed material and immaterial territories and of re-peasantization to explain the increased
emphasis on agroecology by movements in this context. We provide examples from the farmer-to-farmer movement to show
the advantages that social movements bring to the table in taking agroecology to scale and discuss the growing agroecology
networking process in the transnational peasant and family farmer movement La Vía Campesina.
Key Words: agroecology; disputed territories; farmer-to-farmer; re-peasantization; social movements; Via Campesina

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