Mexico Cultivates a Future in Agroecology, Shifting From Chemical Dependence to Sustainable Farming
Mexico is leading Latin America in agroecology, shifting from chemical-intensive farming to sustainable practices. Through 4,500 "Field Schools," farmers learn techniques like reduced tillage, bio-inputs, and on-farm seed production.
For decades, Mexican agriculture relied heavily on synthetic chemicals, a practice that, while initially boosting yields, ultimately left a legacy of contaminated soil, degraded land, and increased pest resistance. Today, Mexico is charting a different course, emerging as a leader in agroecological practices in Latin America, a shift driven by a network of community-based learning centers and a renewed focus on soil health and biodiversity.
This transformation, spearheaded by the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development, is rooted in the establishment of approximately 4,500 “Field Schools.” These aren’t traditional classrooms, but rather community hubs where farmers share knowledge and experiment with sustainable farming techniques. “We go to the community, we call everyone,” explains Héctor Robles Berlanga, General Coordinator of Innovation and Agroecological Transition at the Secretariat, in a recent interview. “We need a producer’s plot where we are going to do the practices… there we start to do them and the producers start to see and there we train.”
