Regional workshop in Ecuador: Towards sustainable and healthy agri-food systems

2025-09-26

On September 24 and 25, the city of Cuenca in Ecuador hosted the regional workshop “Towards sustainable and healthy agri-food systems”, a dialogue space that brought together seed guardians, producers, veterinarians, agroecologists, nutritionists, chefs, and academics from various organizations. The days were organized by the Agroecological Movement of Latin America and the Caribbean (MAELA), the Institute of Socio-Environmental Health of the National University of Rosario, Argentina and ReAct Latin America. Participants worked on the collective design of a training program that integrates science and community knowledge to transform the way we produce and consume our food.

Transforming how we produce and consume

The way we produce, distribute, and consume food defines not only our health but also the balance of ecosystems and the well-being of our communities. The dominant model of agriculture today – based on monoculture, intensive use of agro-chemicals and antibiotics, deforestation, long distribution chains, and ultra-processed foods – has generated profound impacts: biodiversity loss, soil and water contamination, climate crisis, and the increase of diseases related to ecosystem degradation and ultra-processed diets.

In contrast, sustainable and healthy agri-food systems emerge as an urgent and unavoidable necessity. These models integrate agro-ecological practices, promote biodiversity, rescue ancestral and community knowledge, and are connected to the understanding of the human and soil microbiome – revealing how what we grow and eat influences our health and the regeneration of life.

Alarming figures

• In 2019, global antibiotic use in livestock animals was estimated at approximately 110,777 tons. Between 40–90% of the antibiotic dose administered to livestock is excreted in their faeces and urine, eventually reaching the environment, contaminating soils, waters and plants. By 2030 over 67% of all global antibiotic consumption is expected to be in livestock animals.
• Regarding biodiversity, intensive agriculture is identified as the main driver of species loss, affecting around 24,000 of the 28,000 species, currently at risk of extinction globally.
• On average, vertebrate populations have declined by 69–73% over the past 50 years, due to factors such as agricultural expansion, habitat destruction, and pollution.
• About 59% of all species on Earth – including microbes and plants – live in the soil. When agricultural systems degrade soil through monoculture, excessive agro-chemical use, antibiotic residues, intensive tillage, or loss of vegetation cover, not only is fertile matter lost, but also the soil microbiome that sustains nutrients, soil structure, water cycles, ecosystem regeneration, and biodiversity is disrupted.

These figures show that without a profound transformation of our agri-food systems, problems will intensify: the acceleration of bacterial resistance, degraded soils, endangered ecosystems, less nutritious diets, and more vulnerable communities.

Invitation to action

Every action counts: from the producer who protects their seeds, the consumer who chooses fresh and diverse foods, the professional who promotes the responsible use of antibiotics, to the institutions that shape public policies. If we aspire to sustainable and healthy agri-food systems, all these pieces must work in coordination.

This training program is an opportunity to join forces, share knowledge, and create lasting tools that not only respond to the present but also prevent future harm. Together, we can move towards a model that nourishes life, regenerates the soil, and strengthens human, animal, and environmental health.