What is agroecology’s moral vision, and what are the larger metaphysical, even theological, implications of it? Even though agroecology as a field now gathers collaborators from across the natural and social sciences, as well as members of farming communities and international movements, there remains relatively little explicit and sustained reflection upon this question. My main contention is that expanding agroecology’s dialogue of wisdoms (_diálogo de saberes_) to include theological traditions can address this lacuna. To show how, I explore the contribution (...) of one particular theological tradition—Catholic social teaching—and how its account of integral ecology enables agroecologists to deepen their engagement with fundamental questions raised by their own normative commitments. (shrink)

This paper engages agroecology by drawing on natural law reflection. Agroecology considers the agricultural field as an ecosystem, designing and managing agriculture on this basis. My purpose is to show how certain strands of natural law reflection offer important tools for theological and ethical engagement with this approach to agriculture. More specifically, I argue that while agroecology can help concretize natural law’s claims about natural order, natural law can help further develop agroecological insights about ecological order and its implications for (...) agriculture, as well as bring to the surface some of agroecology’s underlying anthropological assumptions and political implications. (shrink)