Abstract
This study assessed the effectiveness of agroecological farming practices in Beni municipality, Myagdi district, Nepal, by surveying 150 households. The analysis considered various sociodemographic factors, occupations, and ecological aspects to calculate the Characterization of Agroecological Transition (CAET) scores. Only 20 out of the 150 farms received CAET scores between 50-60%, categorizing them as “incipiently transitioning” toward agroecological practices. Three of the ten evaluated elements scored below 40%, while four scored below 50%, and the remaining three were under 60%, resulting in an overall average score of 43.39%. This low score indicates limited adoption of agroecological practices in the area. The highest CAET scores were associated with male farmers, individuals identifying as Brahmin, those with basic literacy, and farms involved in beekeeping, where beneficial pollinators were present. Beekeeping was significantly correlated with higher CAET scores and also linked with food self-sufficiency for daily needs. Additionally, significant differences in CAET scores were observed across gender, ethnicity, and involvement in beekeeping. The study concludes that while interest in agroecological practices exists, adoption is hampered by limited knowledge and socioeconomic challenges. To foster greater agroecological transitions, targeted education and support systems must be developed, with a focus on integrating beekeeping and promoting a pollinator-friendly environment.
Keywords
agroecology
characterization
soil health
transition
References
- Ahmad, F., Joshi, S. R., & Gurung, B. M. (2007). Beekeeping and rural development. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. Available online: https://scispace.com/pdf/beekeeping-and-rural-development-1wh52gen7c.pdf (accessed on 10 May 2025). [Google Scholar]
- Aldasoro Maya, E. M., Rodríguez Robles, U., Martínez Gutiérrez, M. L., Chan Mutul, G. A., Avilez López, T., Morales, H., Ferguson, B. G., & Merrida Rivas, J. A. (2023). Stingless beekeeping: Biocultural conservation and agroecological education. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6, 1081400. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1081400 [Google Scholar]
- Altieri, M. A. (1999). The ecological role of biodiversity in agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 74(1–3), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00028-6 [Google Scholar]
- Altieri, M. A. (2002). Agroecology: The science of natural resource management for poor farmers in marginal environments. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 93(1–3), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(02)00085-3 [Google Scholar]
- Asitik, A. J., & Abu, B. M. (2020). Women empowerment in agriculture and food security in Savannah Accelerated Development Authority zone of Ghana. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, 11(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEMS-03-2019-0102 [Google Scholar]
- Bacon, C. M., Getz, C., Kraus, S., Montenegro, M., & Holland, K. (2012). The social dimensions of sustainability and change in diversified farming systems. Ecology and Society, 17(4), 41. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05226-170441 [Google Scholar]
- Boserup, E. (1970). Women's role in economic development. St. Martin's Press. [Google Scholar]
- D’Annolfo, R., Gemmill-Herren, B., Graeub, B., & Garibaldi, L. A. (2017). A review of social and economic performance of agroecology. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 15(6), 632–644. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2017.1398123 [Google Scholar]
- Das, S., Liptzin, D., & Maharjan, B. (2023). Long-term manure application improves soil health and stabilizes carbon in continuous maize production system. Geoderma, 430, 116338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116338 [Google Scholar]
- Doran, J. W., & Zeiss, M. R. (2000). Soil health and sustainability: Managing the biotic component of soil quality. Applied Soil Ecology, 15(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-1393(00)00067-6 [Google Scholar]
- Geck, M. S., Crossland, M., & Lamanna, C. (2023). Measuring agroecology and its performance: An overview and critical discussion of existing tools and approaches. Outlook on Agriculture, 52(3), 349–359. https://doi.org/10.1177/00307270231196309 [Google Scholar]
- Gliessman, S. R. (2015). Agroecology: The ecology of sustainable food systems (3rd ed.). CRC Press. [Google Scholar]
- Kleijn, D., Winfree, R., Bartomeus, I., Carvalheiro, L. G., Henry, M., Isaacs, R., & Potts, S. G. (2019). Ecological and socio-economic factors in beekeeping. Journal of Agroecology, 45(3), 456–472. [Google Scholar]
- Lopez-Ridaura, S. (2022). Agroecology and systems analysis for sustainable agriculture. Journal of Rural Problems, 58(1), 31–35. https://doi.org/10.7310/arfe.58.31 [Google Scholar]
- Maaz, T. M., Heck, H., Glazer, C. T., Loo, M. K., Zayas, J. R., Krenz, A., Beckstrom, T., Crow, S. E., & Deenik, J. L. (2023). Measuring the immeasurable: A structural equation modeling approach to assessing soil health. Science of the Total Environment, 870, 161900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161900 [Google Scholar]
- Mann, C., Lynch, D., Fillmore, S., & Mills, A. (2019). Relationships between field management, soil health, and microbial community composition. Applied Soil Ecology, 144, 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.06.012 [Google Scholar]
- Meinzen-Dick, R., Quisumbing, A. R., Behrman, J. A., & Markelova, H. (2014). Gender and sustainability in agricultural development. In R. Evenson & P. Pingali (Eds.), Handbook of Agricultural Economics (Vol. 4, pp. 632–665). Elsevier. [Google Scholar]
- Mottet, A., Bicksler, A., Lucantoni, D., De Rosa, F., Scherf, B., Scopel, E., López-Ridaura, S., & Gemmill-Herren, B. (2020). Assessing transitions to sustainable agricultural and food systems: A tool for agroecology performance evaluation (TAPE). Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 579154. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.579154 [Google Scholar]
- Ngegba, P. M., Cui, G., Khalid, M. Z., & Zhong, G. (2022). Use of botanical pesticides in agriculture as an alternative to synthetic pesticides. Agriculture, 12(5), 600. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050600 [Google Scholar]
- Pépin, A., Morel, K., & van der Werf, H. M. G. (2021). Conventionalized vs. agroecological practices on organic vegetable farms: Investigating the influence of farm structure in a bifurcation perspective. Agricultural Systems, 190, 103129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103129 [Google Scholar]
- Rieke, E. L., Bagnall, D. K., Morgan, C. L. S., Flynn, D. K., Howae, J. A., Greub, K. L. H., MacBean, G., Cappellazzi, S. B., Cope, M., Liptzin, D., Norris, C. E., Tracy, P. W., Aberle, E., Ashworth, A., & Bañuelos Tavarez, O. (2022). Evaluation of aggregate stability methods for soil health. Geoderma, 428, 116156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116156 [Google Scholar]
- Sachs, C. E. (2018). Gender, agriculture, and agrarian transformations. In C. Sachs (Ed.), Gender, Agriculture and Agrarian Transformations (pp. 253–277). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429427381 [Google Scholar]
- Schlesinger, J., Munishi, E., & Drescher, A. (2015). Ethnicity as a determinant of agriculture in an urban setting – Evidence from Tanzania. Geoforum, 64, 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2015.06.019 [Google Scholar]
- Sharma, M., & Raut, D. (2023). Gender roles in sustainable agriculture: A comparative study. Agricultural Sustainability Review, 17(2), 67–81. [Google Scholar]
- Singh, A., & Raut, D. (2023). Challenges and opportunities for women in beekeeping. Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Review, 12(4), 87–102. [Google Scholar]
- Tavenner, K., & Crane, T. A. (2018). Gender power in Kenyan dairy: Effects of women's intra-household position on dairy income. Feminist Economics, 24(3), 110–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2017.1391185 [Google Scholar]
How to Cite
Regmi, P., Banjade, D., Khanal, S., Paudel, B., Khatri, M., Poudel, A., Khanal, D., Shrestha, A., & Prasad Joshi, L. (2025). Evaluation of Agroecological Performance Toward Sustainable Agriculture of Beni Municipality, Myagdi, Nepal. AgroEnvironmental Sustainability, 3(2), 111-118. https://doi.org/10.59983/s2025030203
