Agroecology chronically underfunded in UK
Funding for agroecological projects is less than 0.5% of total UK aid. A new study from the Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience uncovers the ramifications of underfunding projects.
UK development aid barely supports agroecology. Since 2010, aid for projects is less than 5% of agricultural aid and less than 0.5% of the total UK aid budget. In the past eight years no aid has been given to projects directly working on agroecological practices - only minor funds have been given to projects that include some agroecological activities at the most basic level.
This report comes from the newest member of Sustain - The Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) based at Coventry University.
Agroecology studies the ecological processes applied to agricultural production systems. It addresses the interrelated crises facing agricultural development.
According to the authors of this report, Pimbert and Moeller, the lack of funding of agroecology means that the UK is “largely supporting industrial and Green Revolution agriculture” and that “UK Aid priorities contribute very little to the transition towards social-ecological sustainability in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.”
You can download the full report here.
Sustain campaigns for the UK to have a food and farming policy which works for farmers, our health and the environment.
Published Thursday 15 February 2018
Agri-Food Network: The Agri-Food Network was launched jointly by Sustain and the Department of Health Management & Food Policy, City University in 2001 to link academics working on food and farm policy with each other and with those NGOs and think tanks which are using and commissioning research to underpin policy advocacy work.
