How to measure agroecology? A rapid appraisal approach based on focus group discussions

This study presents an approach to assess agroecology at village level through focus group discussions with village committees and district extension agents. This approach is intended as an alternative to resources-intensive assessment methods, covering larger areas and providing rapid yet empirical evidences for policy and practice. It is based on the translation of the 13 agroecology principles of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) into 21 contextualized indicators and questions that are relevant for the research area. They are grouped into four entry points for transformative action: land use and governance, farm management, social interactions, and socio-economic situation. This approach was tested in 16 villages and three districts in Xiengkhouang Province in Laos. The results show that villages are at an intermediate agroecological level. Comparable results and conclusions were achieved, regarding potential entry points for transformative action in specific villages, encouraging the reliability of the approach. It also showed to be promising in terms of the capacity to characterize the status of the 13 principles of agroecology, and to capture their changes in time. This approach may be further combined with other assessment methods to complement the aspects that require finer understanding or assessment over large territories.