The Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Department of GFA has gained a wide range of experiences in agroecological transformation of agrifood systems in different contexts. In this interview with GFA consultant José Undurraga, he reflects on his experiences related to this topic as an extension agent, researcher and consultant.

José Undurraga joined GFA Consulting Group in early 2024. His background is in agricultural engineering and he has a M.Sc. in Rural Development and Value Chains while he is finishing a PhD in Agroforestry and Rural Development at the University of Freiburg.

Throughout his career, he has specialized on agroecological principles promoting transitions towards sustainable models of agriculture and rural development in projects with smallholder farmers in South America and Southeast Asia. He has extensive experience in designing and providing rural extension and advisory services to small farmers, carefully considering the principles of co-creation, knowledge sharing, and responsible local governance.

José, since April 2024 you are working on the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) project implemented by GFA in Ethiopia on behalf of KfW. How does this project contribute to agroecological transitions of smallholder farmers?

At the ARD department of GFA, we believe in agroecology as a driver of transformation to more sustainable agrifood systems. The CSA project in Ethiopia aims at fostering changes towards sustainable and climate-resilient agroecological practices among smallholders. Taking into account a systemic and landscape approach, we at GFA emphasise the importance of CSA to improve climate resilience, land productivity and carbon storage at a landscape level. In Ethiopia, we work hard to increase access to diversified sustainable livelihoods for small-scale farmers and their families. To this end, our project team facilitates participatory approaches to involve communities and local government in planning and decision making. One of our main tasks is to facilitate the design and implementation of Multi-Year Development Plans and Annual Work Plans for CSA activities in major watersheds. Together with local farmer organizations, our focus is on integrating CSA practices into landscape restoration efforts, ensuring sustainable land management and agricultural productivity for the benefit of nature and the local communities.

We intend to enhance farmers’ resilience to the negative effects of the climate crisis through practices such as crop diversification, agroforestry, and soil conservation techniques. By supporting sustainable intensification to optimize agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impacts, the GFA project team and its local partners ultimately strive to improve both farmers’ livelihood and environmental protection.

José Undurraga

What exactly is the nexus between climate-smart agriculture and agroecological principles?

Although differing in their emphasis and scope, both CSA and agroecology are approaches aiming at the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. While CSA primarily focuses on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies within agriculture, agroecology takes a more holistic approach that integrates ecological, social, economic and even political dimensions into agricultural systems. Within this framework, the CSA project in Ethiopia intends to contribute towards an agroecological transition of small-scale farmers. Together with our GFA team of experts at headquarters, we at the project level plan to take up a variety of measures. We intend to enhance farmers’ resilience to the negative effects of the climate crisis through practices such as crop diversification, agroforestry, and soil conservation techniques. By supporting sustainable intensification to optimize agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impacts through practices such as precision agriculture, improved irrigation techniques, and efficient use of inputs, the GFA project team and its local partners ultimately strive to improve both farmers’ livelihood and environmental protection. In this respect, preserving soil health for enhanced nutrient cycling, preserving microbial communities, improving water retention and increasing carbon sequestration through conservation tillage, cover cropping, and organic amendments, play a crucial role. Facilitating community engagement for social equity and local empowerment are equally important. Participatory bottom-up approaches for capacity development, knowledge sharing, and the promotion of farmer-led innovations help us achieving these goals.

You and the ARD department at GFA obviously don’t start from scratch. What existing experiences and lessons learned as an extension agent, researcher and consultant can you draw on?

Indeed, agroecology as a science, movement and practice can be promoted from various angles. At Chile's National Institute for Agricultural Development (INDAP), I was involved in facilitating smallholder farmers' transition to agroecological practices through advisory services, training, and investment projects. This work emphasized production diversification for food sovereignty, resilience to climate change, and strengthening farmer organizations for more and better participation in multilevel governance. From a consultancy angle, we implemented rural development projects and studies with a territorial approach that aimed at fostering responsible governance and maximizing synergies in agrifood systems. As a researcher, I contributed to explore the impacts of rural development interventions on local pathways, focusing on agroecological transitions of peasant systems. In the Peruvian Amazon, we developed and tested a rural extension and advisory service model to integrate local and scientific knowledge for co-designing agroforestry interventions. By combining trees with crops and livestock, these systems harness ecological processes to enhance productivity, sustainability, and resilience of smallholder livelihoods. My previous experience helps me to understand how to translate agroecological principles from theory into practice so they promote a sustainable transition of agrifood systems with smallholder farmers in Ethiopia as well as other contexts.

In the heart of Vietnam's Mekong Delta, a story of change unfolds. It is about farmers and cooperatives, about growth and resilience. At its core is the GIZ project Green Innovation Centres in the Agricultural and Food Sector. GFA Consulting Group in a consortium with Agriterra implemented a component related to the development of business capacities among rice cooperatives.

From August 2021 to December 2023, GFA embarked on a mission to empower rice cooperatives and farmers. With a focus on enhancing financial efficiency, strategic planning, and risk management, the project aimed at establishing sustainability principles in the agricultural landscape of the region. Spanning across the Vietnam rice belt of six rice-growing provinces in the Mekong Delta (see map), the project emphasized the agro-ecological principle of co-creation and knowledge sharing.

The implementation of the farm business school (FBS) training program was fundamental to the project's strategy. Comprehensive methods and tools provided farmers with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurial agriculture. “When over 10,000 farmers had participated in FBS trainings by the end of 2023, the project had reached a significant milestone”, stated Kamila Tovbaeva, who provided backstopping for the project from GFA headquarters. Plans for a government-funded continuation of FBS trainings in 2024 ensure the program's continuity and scalability, and will further solidify its impact on agricultural capacity development in the region.

When over 10,000 farmers had participated in FBS trainings by the end of 2023, the project had reached a significant milestone.

Kamila Tovbaeva

Another focus area of the project was cooperative development. Over 1,000 managers and key members from 91 rice cooperatives, including many women, were trained in essential aspects of governance, business planning, financial management, and marketing. This approach meant to foster effective leadership and decision-making within cooperatives. Leveraging government funds for further training initiatives in 2023 and beyond, the project seeks to nurture a culture of resilience and sustainability within cooperatives, ensuring their long-term viability and impact on the agricultural landscape.

The efforts of the project bore tangible fruit, as evidenced by significant improvements in the performance of rice cooperatives. “By end of the project we have observed a noticeable increase in the turnover among almost all beneficiary cooperatives. This increase is associated with different factors as increased membership, better financial management and accounting and also an increase in rice selling price” concluded Tien Tran Thi Thuy in her capacity as GFA lead consultant on location.

A critical aspect of the project's success was its emphasis on knowledge sharing and capacity development in line with the agro-ecological principle of co-creation and dissemination of knowledge. The training materials related to cooperative development garnered recognition for their practice-orientation and effectiveness, and served as valuable resources for all agricultural stakeholders. Through meticulous planning and execution, the GFA project team ensured the replication and dissemination of these materials across provinces and cities, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration. By anchoring knowledge within local institutions and communities, the project leaves behind a legacy of empowerment, innovation, and resilience based on sustained support and ongoing capacity development in the years to come. Beyond individual capacity building, the project aimed at embedding sustainable practices within national institutions. The development and approval of the FBS vocational training program framework marked significant progress in this respect. Aligned with Vietnamese government regulations, the framework was endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, paving the way for its deployment to 35 institutes, universities, and colleges associated with the ministry. This institutionalization of FBS principles within educational institutions ensures long-term sustainability and impact, laying a solid foundation for the future of agricultural extension in Vietnam.

A GFA team elaborated a scalable landscape approach for land use planning at Lake Chamo in Ethiopia based on agroecological principles and building blocks. In an interview, Thomas Steinsberger, GFA team leader from 2022 to 2024, talks about his insights regarding the innovative project implemented on behalf of GIZ.

What is special about the landscape approach and what is its relation to agroecology in the case of the project at Lake Chamo?

Integrated landscape management is a holistic approach that considers the multiple and interconnected aspects of a landscape. It aims at balancing the conservation of natural resources with the socio-economic needs of the communities living in or depending on that landscape. For example, soil is stabilized by ecologically and economically useful grasses, shrubs or trees. The agroecological measures follow a cross-sectoral vision and many of the innovations we at GFA studied and proposed are in line with agroecological principles.

Can you give examples of innovations you promoted and how you proceeded?

We cooperated with an NGO training center experienced in resource saving and agroecological techniques. They purposefully created measures such as bench terracing, permaculture, water retention or community forest management based on traditional practices. This link to indigenous knowledge and the practical experience of visitors and trainees had the effect that respective techniques were swiftly accepted and replicated. A community that established a protected area around a dried-up water flow created another example of an immediately visible ecological impact. The renaturation had a fast effect so that after just one season, water was flowing again.

Investments in sustainable resource management cost farmers land, work and money. How could you to convince them to participate?

Our GFA team promoted additional income generation options such as the production and use or marketing of fodder grasses, fruit or fibers. The case of bamboo also served as a good example: Steep hills and river slopes can be stabilized with bamboo plantations. Parts of these can be harvested and sold or can be used to produce matting for erosion protection. In summary, successful agroecological techniques are those that produce visible results quickly, are easy to practice and are disseminated through practical training.

What are the most important lessons learnt from the implementation of the project?

We at GFA aim at a change in understanding and behavior. To secure a buy-in and sustainable application of innovative techniques and practices, we learned that co-creation of knowledge is key. First of all, we did not limit awareness raising to a few initial workshops, but we set up a continuous information and training structure for stakeholders at all levels. Most importantly, our field facilitators facilitated information flows, capacity development and conflict management. Secondly, we established a social media exchange group with more than 150 followers from various stakeholder groups. Members of this still existing group ask and answer questions, post experiences and exchange information.

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