Monitoring the economic, social and agro-environmental effects of agroecology

Agroecology promotes sustainable agricultural production practices and methods, combining the agricultural practices implemented with the environmental and socio-economic performance of farms.

The production of a quantity of food items in quantity and quality, while respecting the envi-ronment and being economically and socially sustainable and reliable, requires the combination of particular agroecological techniques: water management on the plot, management of soil fertility, integration of agriculture and livestock, combination of crops, pest management, etc.

Monitoring the effects of agroecology requires prior definition of an evaluation framework. The main objective is the monitoring of economic, social and agro-environmental impacts of the programmes implemented by AAH and its partners, using a certain number of specific indicators. It is in no way a matter of comparing the obtained results against those of control groups, nor of demonstrating the interest in agroecological practices versus conventional practices. Strictly operational, this monitoring is not aimed at operational research, which requires more precise protocols.