Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
Dr. Miguel Altieri, Professor Emeritus of Agroecology at UC Berkeley, explains why industrial agriculture has failed to solve hunger and is accelerating climate change. Industrial farming produces one-third of global greenhouse gases and causes widespread environmental and health damage—costing the U.S. $4 billion annually. Altieri argues that agroecology is the only viable path forward: a farming approach rooted in biodiversity, ecological science, and traditional knowledge that offers a climate-resilient alternative to the failing industrial system.
Around 350 million small-scale farms currently feed half of the world’s population, and over 80% of them use agroecological methods. These systems—diverse, efficient, and energy-productive—outperform industrial models, especially during climate shocks. In Cuba, small farms can feed up to 30 people per hectare with energy efficiencies industrial agriculture can’t match. As climate impacts deepen, monocultures collapse, while agroecological systems thrive. Movements like La Vía Campesina are already scaling this model globally, showing that real food security lies not in scale, but in farmers, community knowledge, and resilient practices.
Dr. Miguel Altieri, Professor Emeritus of Agroecology at UC Berkeley, explains why industrial agriculture has failed to solve hunger and is accelerating climate change. Industrial farming produces one-third of global greenhouse gases and causes widespread environmental and health damage—costing the U.S. $4 billion annually. Altieri argues that agroecology is the only viable path forward: a farming approach rooted in biodiversity, ecological science, and traditional knowledge that offers a climate-resilient alternative to the failing industrial system.
Around 350 million small-scale farms currently feed half of the world’s population, and over 80% of them use agroecological methods. These systems—diverse, efficient, and energy-productive—outperform industrial models, especially during climate shocks. In Cuba, small farms can feed up to 30 people per hectare with energy efficiencies industrial agriculture can’t match. As climate impacts deepen, monocultures collapse, while agroecological systems thrive. Movements like La Vía Campesina are already scaling this model globally, showing that real food security lies not in scale, but in farmers, community knowledge, and resilient practices.
