Constructing markets for agroecology

The Policy Recommendations on Connecting Smallholders to Markets recently adopted by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) highlighted the importance of markets linked to local, national and regional food systems as the most remunerative for smallholders and beneficial for food security and rural economies. They noted that "despite their importance, these markets are often overlooked in data collection systems, which impacts negatively on the evidence base for informing public policies" and urged the Rome-based agencies to help fill this data gap, in collaboration with smallholders' organisations. This study is the first attempt to begin to respond to this recommendation. Building on the recent study Innovative markets for sustainable agriculture. How innovations in market institutions encourage sustainable agriculture in developing countries (FAO, 2016a), and recognising the importance of agroecology in contributing to sustainable food systems, this exploratory study examines in detail 12 initiatives that have successfully built markets for agroecological products. It also builds on the stakeholders' discussion held during the researcher-practitioner workshop on "innovative approaches for linking sustainable and agroecological production to markets in developing countries" in Bogota, June 2016