Agroecology as projects. How the marginalization of “agricultural transition” is institutionalized in France, Brazil and Cuba

In France, Brazil, or Cuba, the promise of an ecological transition has been set on the agenda following different paths. Its implementation, however, has taken place through a common policy instrument, that of projects (calls for proposals, development projects, research projects). While agricultural productivism continues to drain most financial and institutional resources, financing projects allows the governments to showcase their willingness to green the agricultural sector. It also maintains the narrative of an ongoing “agroecological transition”. The preferential choice of this policy instrument does not lead to mainstreaming agroecology by integrating it into agricultural transition policies, but rather tends to institutionalize its marginalization. It benefits primarily intermediate actors responsible for bridging the gap between funders and farmers and selects a limited number of exemplary farmers. Agroecological projects thus finance networking rather than changes in farming practices.