16.2

Agroecology, as a holistic and integrative model, promotes diverse and resilient systems by using co-participatory principles and elements from production through consumption¹. This multidisciplinary field can be understood as: “A new field of knowledge, an approach, a scientific discipline that brings together, synthesizes, and applies knowledge from agronomy, ecology, sociology, ethnobotany, and related sciences, with a holistic and systemic perspective and a strong ethical component, to generate knowledge and to validate and apply appropriate strategies for designing, managing, and evaluating sustainable agroecosystems”². It is also understood as an interrelated set of the dimensions of science, practice, and social movements¹.

According to the National Agricultural Census (2018, updated to 2023), Argentina has 249,663 Agricultural Establishments (EAPs), of which 5,253 constitute agroecological, organic, or biodynamic production. Added to this are 1,999 new agroecological EAPs formed between 2019 and 2023, according to the First Progress Report of the Second National Plan for Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change (2024), in which 229 groups of agroecological and organic producers were formed. Thus, the estimated total of agroecological EAPs amounts to 7,252 units, representing 2.9% of the national total. Based on this baseline, percentages were also calculated for family farming EAPs and other transition initiatives (see Table 1).

Table 1. EAPs by type according to various sources consulted.

Tabla 1. EAPs por tipo según diversas fuentes consultadas.

Based on these data, only 2.9% of holdings are agroecological—a low percentage relative to the target to be reached by 2030. To meet the national goal of 10% agroecological EAPs by 2030, at least 24,966 holdings would need to be agroecological, implying a current gap of 17,714 EAPs.

On the other hand, according to SENASA (2023), during the 2021–2022 period the number of agricultural establishments under organic certification increased by 40 units, which represents an annual growth rate of 3.0%. These SENASA reports maintain a clear registry of organic EAPs and allow proper tracking. However, due to the lack of statistical information between 2023 and 2025, it is not possible to provide updated values for this indicator.