As part of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Faculty Speaker Series, Ivette Perfecto presented a synopsis of her research interests titled “Agriculture at a Crossroads.” Perfecto is the Bunyan Bryant Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice at SEAS. Her courses and lab focus on complex questions relating to food systems and conservation of biodiversity, specifically within agriculture. The presentation was split into two main subjects: the consequences of the current industrial food system, and how we can mitigate these consequences and break off from this trajectory through agroecology and alternative food systems. 

To begin, Perfecto outlined how high-input agriculture is the primary driver of global biodiversity loss, with examples of insect and bird populations. “We have been using land for agriculture for over 12,000 years, but only recently we have changed how we are using the land, resulting in intensification of the agricultural industry,” she explained when describing the magnitude of the industrial nature of both the United States and global agricultural systems and the ecological consequences of this structure. Perfecto went on to explain how the consequences of a food system like this expand beyond biodiversity loss, but also influence water availability, water quality, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Many of these consequences of industrial agriculture are reflected in injustice in health impacts, economic impacts, and ecological impacts. The global and regional food systems are inherently unjust, Perfecto explained, citing how a high-input agricultural system can result in disproportionate distributions of occupational hazards, environmental contamination, contaminated and unsafe food, and unhealthy dietary patterns and food insecurity. “The burdens of unsustainable production both in terms of environmental degradation and long-term social and economic well-being falls disproportionately on the poor, Indigenous people, and people of color, and without a focus on equity and justice, sustainability efforts can be hindered by inequality,” Perfecto said. 

With the primary issues of the current food system and their consequences laid out for the audience, Perfecto spoke about how we can break off from this trajectory and change agricultural practice to be more ecologically beneficial and just, both regionally and globally. 

The multiple problems that come from our current agricultural system can only be solved with the same kinds of solutions: cross-disciplinary, multifunctional, and multi-beneficial, Perfecto noted. She introduced agroecology as a potential solution to the defined environmental and social problems, explaining that agroecological measures can reduce environmental pressures while maintaining and potentially increasing domestic food availability. 

Perfecto defined three main pillars that are vital for understanding the scope of agroecology. These subjects are the science or ecological theory behind agroecology, practical uses of these theories, and what Perfecto defines as the social movement, or “farmers embracing agroecology in an organized way.” Perfecto used these three subjects to explain how agroecology encompasses the entire food system, “from soil to human organization,” and can begin to mitigate the consequences of high-input agriculture and push us towards more sustainable practice.

Expanding on the importance of science in agroecological practice, Perfecto described the focus of most of her research: coffee farming in Latin America. She defined agroecological research as “the study of interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment within an agricultural system,” and her specific research as “inherently interdisciplinary and in constant dialogue with traditional knowledge.” 

For those unfamiliar with her academic work, Perfecto explained the complex ecological relationships she discovered in Latin American coffee farms. An additional layer of her research includes explaining and communicating the importance of these relationships to local farmers. In collaboration with colleagues from Mexico, Perfecto developed a board game, dubbed “Azteca Chess,” that when played, demonstrates the relationships between the coffee plants, regional ants and beetles, and flies. “The farmers know these organisms exist because they see them nearly every day,” she explained, “but frequently the nuances or complexities of their interactions are hidden and difficult to grasp by farmers.” The game of Azteca Chess shows clearly how these complex relationships impact coffee growth and production, directly impacting the farmers’ livelihoods. 

While the backbone of Perfecto’s research is rooted in science and ecology, she applies her work to the practice and movement of agroecology through the Azteca Chess game. “The practice of agroecology is grounded in the sustainable use of resources and biodiversity, local farmer knowledge and values, and work that is thought and knowledge intensive, not capital intensive,” explained Perfecto. Each of these characteristics connects directly to Perfecto’s research practice and communications. 

“The movement of agroecology, however, is the most important component of agroecology and alternative food systems,” Perfecto concluded. She circled back to the initial emphasis that she placed on injustice and inequity in the current industrial food system: “Agroecology is inherently a political movement; it emerged as a way of resisting neoliberal globalization and the expansion of industrial agriculture and is directly linked with the concept of food sovereignty.” 

Standing on the grounds of science, practice, and movement, Perfecto argues that we can diverge from the current high-input, industrial model that drives both local and global agriculture and develop a system that is sustainable not only for the earth, but for farmers and their communities as well.