Agroecological and Other Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems that Enhance Food Security and Nutrition

By:
High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE), Fergus Lloyd Sinclair, Mary Ann Augustin, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Oluwole Abiodun Fatunbi, Barbara Gemmill Herren, Abid Hussain, Florence Mtambanengwe, André Luiz Rodrigues Gonçalves, Alexander Wezel
Date:
2026

This comprehensive report by the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) examines how agroecological and other innovative approaches can support the transformation of global food systems to improve food security, nutrition, environmental sustainability, and social equity. The report argues that current food systems are failing to adequately address hunger, malnutrition, biodiversity loss, climate change, and inequalities despite increased food production globally. It presents agroecology as a transdisciplinary science, a set of farming practices, and a social movement that integrates ecological principles, local knowledge, biodiversity conservation, social justice, and participatory governance into sustainable food systems. The publication explores transition pathways toward sustainable food systems through diversified farming systems, agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable intensification, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and circular resource management. It further discusses controversial issues such as biotechnology, digital agriculture, synthetic fertilizers, biofortification, land-sharing versus land-sparing approaches, and the role of farm size in sustainability transitions.