Agroecology Meets the Care Economy: Macroeconomic Policies for Healthy Food Systems

In a blog post for The Collaborative for a Gender-Just Economy, Marina Durano and Sophia Murphy discuss the intersections of agroecology, a holistic approach to agriculture and food production, and the care economy. They explain that agroecology could underpin a just transition for agriculture, and that, to succeed, agroecology needs to be integrated with a broader care-centered economic vision.

Dr. Marina Durano is a feminist economist currently serving as Senior Director of the Collaborative for Gender-Just Economies Fund. She became active in the Care Economies in Context Project when she served as the project’s liaison to the Open Society Foundations. She has also worked as Senior Adviser on the Care Economy and Partnership Engagements with the UNI Global Union.

Citation

Durano, M. & Murhphy, S. (2026). Agroecology Meets the Care Economy: Macroeconomic Policies for Healthy Food Systems. https://www.collaborative4gje.org/library/agroecology-meets-the-care-economy-bridging-gender-just-economics-and-healthy-food-systems/

Excerpt

Agroecology could underpin a just transition for agriculture. To succeed, agroecology needs to be integrated with a broader care-centered economic vision. At its core, this vision asserts the preeminent importance of protecting nature and human wellbeing as a precondition for productive activity. This requires policy frameworks that enable both systems to flourish together, rather than treating food production and care as separate domains.