Agroecological transition for suistanable agriculture and safe food production

In a world with growing population, agriculture is facing two challenges which are apparently contrasting: enhancing safe food production and promoting environmental sustainability. Therefore, one of the most fundamental problems to be solved is the matching of agricultural production and food demand in a condition of decreasing area for agricultural production. The decrease in cropland is due to several causes, desertification and soil degradation in the context of climate change being the major ones. Sustainable agriculture needs to produce healthier food and fibre to feed a growing population in harmony with nature. The development of technology, to satisfy the food needs of the growing human population, has generated commercial competition without ignoring the interest in increasing economic margins. As a result, food security has taken a backseat because of the extreme focus on high yield. Unfortunately, this situation causes the production and consumption of food that is far from maintaining the minimum quality of ecosystems. In this context, Agroecology, a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems, seems to be one of the most viable approaches in order to leave a healthy environment, a quality life and a clean world to future generations. A key component of the agroecological perspective is delineating agricultural lands according to their potential characteristics in the scope of sustainable and safe food production. The laws and regulations applied at the state level and the follow-up of the implementation will support rural development. In this context, the Into-DIALOGUE project aims to contribute to rural development along with sustainable and safe food production based on the agroecological approach. The latter will consider field types (in terms of field size, soil type, product pattern, ownership types, etc.). In addition, agroecological systems will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farmland, prevent soil contamination by chemicals, loss of organic matter, soil erosion and decline in soil biodiversity. Finally, the loss of soil biodiversity might also be prevented.