22 June 2010: An international seminar titled “The contribution of agroecological approaches to meet 2050 global food needs” convened in Brussels, Belgium, on 21-22 June 2010, under the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

The meeting brought together 25 agroecology experts, national and international decision makers and representatives of farmer organizations to identify policies aimed at scaling up agroecological approaches. Participants highlighted the role agroecological methods can play in improving food production and incomes, while protecting soil, water and climate. They described agroforestry efforts and case studies from Malawi and Tanzania. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, indicated that he would ask the Committee on World Food Security to use its policy levers to help scale up agroecological approaches. [OHCHR Press Release] [Seminar Website]