Public policies for promoting agroecology and organic production in the Global South: a systematic literature review

This article analyses how countries in the Global South have promoted agroecology and organic production through public policies, seeking to understand their formats, motivations, implementation approaches, and sustainability conditions. The research starts with the recognition that the transition to sustainable food systems requires not only technical innovation. It also includes institutional arrangements, state policies, and governance capable of addressing social, environmental, and economic challenges. Methodologically, the study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) conducted according to the PRISMA protocol guidelines, based on scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science, published between 2019 and 2024. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Forty-seven articles were selected for this study. These were analyzed through a descriptive synthesis guided by the four research questions. The results indicated that countries in the Global South have been developing legal and programmatic instruments to promote agroecology and organic production, albeit with significant regional differences. In Latin America, policies strongly associated with social participation, family farming, and food sovereignty predominate. In Africa, fragmented initiatives dependent on international cooperation are observed, while in Asia, large-scale programs supported by the state and oriented toward certification and markets stand out. The main implementation approaches include community-based rural training and extension, public procurement, economic incentives, certification, and articulation between the state, civil society, and international organizations. However, the study reveals recurring weaknesses related to continuous funding, systematic monitoring, and dependence on favorable political contexts. It concludes that although significant progress has been made, the consolidation of agroecology in the Global South depends on lasting institutional commitments, robust participatory mechanisms, and greater intersectoral coordination to preserve the transformative character of these policies.