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Agroecology is a common sense approach to agrisystems which is site specific and therefore has no universal formula or recipe for success. Thus the approach is the most important aspect of agroecology. It's direction is one in which productivity, stability, sustainability and equitability are the pillars, and therefore equally integral to the success of the agroecosystem. These four properties are studied using natural sciences to understand the ecology of farmers practices, while using social sciences to understand the effects of farming practices on rural communities, economic constraints to developing new methods, as well as cultural factors determining farming practices.
The agroecological approach is not a new phenomenon. However, it has had a resurgence in the global south out of necessity as the agriculture landscape has drastically changed and has left many farmers with no land, or land that has been degraded from misuse and a chemical overload. It has revolutionized farming for small holders as well as big ones. In Mexico, governments have adopted agroecological policies and have seen these reforms improve the social, ecological, and economic wellbeing. This mainstream adoption of agroecology has spread to south America, and out of necessity soon to be adopted in North America.