Agroecological practices are associated with reduced food insecurity across continents over time

Abstract

Abstract Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (No Hunger) appears increasingly challenging at the global scale, with progress having stalled over the past decade. Nevertheless, emerging evidence from diverse local contexts suggests that agroecological farming practices may contribute substantially to reducing food insecurity. Here we draw on a dataset of more than 30,000 households from 17 countries measuring (a) the number and type of adopted agroecological farming practices and (b) household food insecurity, assessed using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). Across most projects (22 out of 32), food insecurity declined over the four observed years (2021–2024). Adoption of practices from at least three agroecological groups was associated with 27% and 35% lower odds of moderate-or-severe and severe food insecurity, respectively. These findings add to a growing body of evidence supporting agroecological approaches, which have been associated with co-benefits such as biodiversity conservation, enhanced soil health, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, decreased agrochemical dependence, and improved human health outcomes, and could therefore inspire policies aiming to shape sustainable and equitable food systems.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Scientific Reports, 2026 · DOI ↗