AGROECOLOGY IN ACTION: DESIGNING FARMING SYSTEMS THAT BALANCE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
Article Sidebar
-
Agroecology, Agricultural Productivity, Ecosystem Services, Ecological Integrity, Sustainable Farming Systems
Abstract
Agroecology has emerged as a transformative approach to address the growing challenges of environmental degradation, climate variability, and declining sustainability in conventional agricultural systems. Intensive farming practices have often prioritized short-term productivity at the expense of ecological integrity, leading to soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and reduced system resilience. This study aims to analyze how agroecological principles can be operationalized in the design of farming systems that simultaneously maintain ecological integrity and enhance agricultural productivity. The research employed a mixed-methods approach combining field-based comparative analysis of agroecological and conventional farming systems, ecological assessments, and secondary data review. Key indicators included crop yield, soil health parameters, biodiversity indices, input-use efficiency, and ecosystem service provision. The results indicate that agroecological farming systems achieved comparable or higher productivity levels than conventional systems while significantly improving soil quality, biodiversity, and resource-use efficiency. Enhanced ecological interactions, such as nutrient cycling and biological pest regulation, contributed to system stability and reduced dependency on external inputs. The study concludes that agroecology provides a viable framework for designing resilient farming systems capable of balancing productivity with ecological sustainability. Adoption of agroecological practices represents a strategic pathway toward sustainable food systems, ecosystem conservation, and long-term agricultural resilience.
Full text article
References
Adu, B., Atanga, R. A., & Kuuwill, A. (2025). Spatio-temporal dynamics of land use change and their ecological and livelihood impacts: Evidence from Ghana’s Effutu Municipality. Environmental Challenges, 20, 101277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2025.101277
Alerasoul, A., Ashourizadeh, S., & Materia, V. C. (2025). The soil-management interface: An interdisciplinary review bridging natural capital, ecosystem services, and sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 536, 146796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146796
Ayompe, L. M., Nkongho, R. N., Acobta, A. N., Manley, K., Epie, W. N., Crook, E. D., Ojongakpa, T. O., Baiye, M. M., Masso, Cargele., & Egoh, B. N. (2026). Does farming oil palm provide more benefits to local communities than preserving forests in Africa?: A case study in Cameroon. Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy, 13, 100201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clcb.2025.100201
Ayompe, L. M., Nkongho, R. N., Acobta, A. N., Tambasi, E. E., Masso, C., & Egoh, B. N. (2025). Review of conceptual frameworks for smallholder farmers to achieve sustainable palm oil production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 506, 145525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145525
Benitez, F. L., Mena, C. F., Laso, F., Zapata, M. B., Rivas-Torres, G., & Gobin, A. (2026). Trajectories of farming systems reshape land use/land cover dynamics in the agricultural zones of the Galapagos Islands. Agricultural Systems, 231, 104506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104506
Caro, D. (2026). A Framework for Food Systems Sustainability Assessment: The Need to Streghten Science-Policy Interface. In Reference Module in Food Science. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-40334-7.00007-1
Chai, D., Yang, R., Liang, Y., & Zhou, X. (2025). Health risk zoning and governance of cultivated land based on health gain–loss assessment of cultivated land requisition and compensation and ecological vulnerability evaluation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 529, 146774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146774
Das, S., Dutta, S., Roy Choudhury, M., Garai, S., Mukherjee, S., Sengupta, S., Jana, S., Dey, S., Dhar, A., Dutta, S., & Awasthi, A. (2025). Regenerating rural soil and ecosystems: A 15-year systematic review of emerging methods and technologies. Science of The Total Environment, 990, 179926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179926
Deng, X., Gibson, J., Song, M., Li, Z., Han, Z., Zhang, F., & Cheng, W. (2025). Agricultural land-use system management: Research progress and perspectives. Fundamental Research, 5(6), 2908–2925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2024.10.012
Devarajan, Y., Chenniappan, T., Roshita, Aravinda, T., Choudhury, S., Saxena, S., Sahu, K. K., & Jayabal, R. (2026). Adapting agriculture for climate resilience: Strategies for sustainable production and food security. Results in Engineering, 29, 109632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rineng.2026.109632
Dinesh, G. K., Venkatramanan, V., Jayaraman, S., Bolan, N., Rao, C. S., Meena, R. S., Prasad, J., Ramasamy, V., Bhatt, R., Dubey, R., Sinduja, M., Raveena, R., Harper, R., Karthika, S., Smith, P., Prasad, S., Sabarivasan, R., Dalal, R. C., Lal, R., … Velmurugan, A. (2026). Chapter Six—Carbon farming: Ecosystem services and its potential in achieving UN sustainable development goals. In D. L. Sparks (Ed.), Advances in Agronomy (Vol. 196, pp. 201–378). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2025.10.002
Elouattassi, Y., Ferioun, M., Irhza, A., El Ghachtouli, N., Derraz, K., & Rachidi, F. (2026). Field survey of farming practices in onion farms in Morocco and diagnosis of ability to move toward agroecological practices. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 4(2), 100298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100298
Emam, M. A., Zhixin, Z., Elahi, E., Leibrecht, M., & Ziang, C. (2025). Land use expansion without productivity gains: Evaluating Bangladesh’s National Environmental Policy (2018) using local projection analysis. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 24, 102312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.102312
Figueira, M., Brito, A. G. de, & Sousa, I. de. (2025). Nesting the multi-level perspective and social-ecological systems frameworks for green taxonomy implementation: A conceptual development with a case study of Portuguese rice farmers. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 27, 100752. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100752
Foureaux, S., & Daum, T. (2025). “But don’t think it is a game”: Agricultural videogames and “good farming.” Journal of Rural Studies, 117, 103686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103686
Kanomanyanga, J., Liu, C., Moss, S., Ober, E., Cussans, J., Mudare, S., Ejaz, I., Sønderskov, M., & Coutts, S. (2026). Integrating weed seed loss mechanisms in regenerative agriculture for more sustainable weed management. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 396, 110027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.110027
Kassa, G., Gesesse, G., & Sanbo, A. (2025). Socioeconomic challenges of maintaining native trees on farmlands in Boricha district, Sidama region, Ethiopia. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 28, 100981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100981
Kotowska, D., Báldi, A., Dobosy, P., Felföldi, T., Garamszegi, L. Z., Horváth, Z., Kröel-Dulay, G., Ódor, P., Valkó, O., & Batáry, P. (2025). Aligning land use with sustainability: Context-sensitive pathways forward. Journal of Environmental Management, 394, 127252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127252
Ladha, J. K., Chakraborty, D., Henry, B., & Minasny, B. (2025). Carbon and nitrogen management for climate-resilient agriculture: Toward the 4p1000 target and sustainable development goals. Soil Advances, 4, 100073. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilad.2025.100073
Matla, H. M. D., Raahalya, S., & Raj, S. (2026). Revitalizing indigenous people’s food systems: Attributes, challenges, and policy directions. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 172, 105694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105694
Millet, C. P., Jeune, W., Guervil, J. S., St Armand, L. A., Amazan, J. F., Duval, G., Jean Louis, R. B., Robert, B., Poncet, V., & Allinne, C. (2025). Ecosystem service bundles associated with agrobiodiversity in agroforestry systems: A case study of two coffee-growing regions of Haiti. Ecosystem Services, 76, 101782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2025.101782
Mishra, S., Singh, P. K., Kumar, U., Singh, P., Kumar, I., & Sharma, R. K. (2025). 9—Impact of climate change on plant productivity and ecosystem sustainability: Challenges and solutions. In A. Kumar, O. O. Babalola, J. S. Panwar, & G. Santoyo (Eds.), Climate Change and Agricultural Ecosystems (Second Edition) (pp. 133–167). Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-26520-4.00016-0
Naim, M., & Boukhizzou, A. (2026). Animating the transition: How agriculture 5.0 revitalises agroecological principles. Smart Agricultural Technology, 13, 101788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2026.101788
Naim, M., Rizzo, D., Sauvée, L., & Medici, M. (2025). Advancing agroecology and sustainability with agricultural robots at field level: A scoping review. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 237, 110650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2025.110650
Nève de Mévergnies, T., Delauney, T., Tixier, M.-S., Gendron Hoareau, C., Huat, J., & Chailleux, A. (2026). Ecological and management drivers of pest regulation via multitrophic pathways in tropical insular agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 397, 110030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.110030
Omer, E., Szlatenyi, D., Csenki, S., Tünde, G., Chhetri, G., Veres, Z., & Láng, V. (2026). Soil health for sustainable agriculture: A bibliometric review of EU current scientific findings and research trends. Soil Advances, 5, 100097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilad.2025.100097
Parra-López, C., Carmona-Torres, C., Finger, R., Bronson, K., Ruder, S.-L., & Klerkx, L. (2026). From smart farming to wise agricultural systems: A conceptual framework for systems-oriented sustainable digital transformation in agriculture. Agricultural Systems, 234, 104669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2026.104669
Shrivastava, A., Singh, K., Vishakha, Agarwal, R., & Akbar, S. (2026). Chapter 9—Green engineering for sustainable agriculture. In D. B. Tripathy, A. Gupta, & A. Ghosal (Eds.), Advances in Green Engineering for Sustainable Industrial Developments (pp. 205–238). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-33637-9.00014-1
Thwaites, H. J., Hume, I. V., & Cavagnaro, T. R. (2025). The case for urban agriculture: Opportunities for sustainable development. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 110, 128861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.128861
Timpanaro, G., Guido, B., Cascone, G., Guarnaccia, P., & Foti, V. T. (2026). Regulatory frameworks and policy innovations for agroecology in the Mediterranean: Comparative insights, challenges, and global prospects for sustainable transition. Land Use Policy, 165, 108001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108001
Torres-Miralles, M., Jeanneret, P., Lamminen, M., Joly, F., Dumont, B., Tuomisto, H., & Herzon, I. (2025). High nature value farming systems in Europe: A dataset encompassing the environmental impact assessment of farms and extensive ruminant food products. Data in Brief, 58, 111164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.111164
Toth, A. (2025). Enhancing food resilience in the age of geoeconomics by applying biomimetic principles in urban agriculture. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 101718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101718
Whig, P., Banerjee, S., & Achanta, P. R. D. (2026). Chapter 4—Soil health and environmental sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective. In S. Kulkarni & C. Trois (Eds.), Sustainable Solutions for Environmental Pollution (pp. 71–102). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-33145-9.00011-0
Wyckhuys, K. A. G., Bushley, K., Gratton, C., Gurr, G. M., Pozsgai, G., Tscharntke, T., Wanger, T. C., Lu, Y., & Elkahky, M. (2025). Restoring functional farmland biodiversity for biological pest control. Trends in Plant Science, 30(10), 1097–1110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2025.03.012
Yang, S., Lin, J., Zheng, S., Li, Z., Qiao, X., Liu, J., Li, Y., Zhao, N., Zhao, M., Zhou, M., & Yu, J. (2025). Ecosystem service value under changing land use in rocky mountainous area of Northern China: Spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanism. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 28, 100884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100884
Zaehringer, J. G., Tribaldos, T., Jacobi, J., Borasino, E., & Llanque-Zonta, A. (2026). Land for whom? Justice, knowledge, and the transformation of food systems. In P. Alexander (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems (Third Edition) (pp. 108–128). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-15976-3.00089-1
Zafar, S., Rasheed, R., Ashraf, M. A., Iqbal, J., Abbasi, B. A., Ahmad, M., Zafar, M., Khan, I. M., Nabi, M. M. U., & Ullah, I. (2026). Chapter 3—Sustainable practices in soil chemistry for enhanced plant nutrition. In S. Saud, S. Fahad, D. Wang, & T. Nawaz (Eds.), Sustainable Soil Chemistry and Plant Nutrition (pp. 49–70). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-40584-6.00011-5
Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatima Ali, Mahamat Saleh, Nadia Assingar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
