Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to the design and management of farming systems, supporting biodiversity, nutrient cycling and resilience, and informing several sustainable sourcing frameworks used in EU agricultural supply chains.
In trade practice
Suppliers adopting agroecological practices may reduce synthetic inputs, integrate cover crops and rely on biological pest control, all of which can be documented for buyer sustainability audits. Organic certification in Ukraine, governed by Law of Ukraine No. 2496-VIII and aligned with EU Regulation 2018/848, shares significant overlap with agroecological principles. Buyers assessing supplier sustainability may request farm management plans describing these practices. Absence of documented evidence is a common gap at first audit.
In a specification
A sourcing policy or supplier code of conduct may reference agroecological farming principles as a preferred or required production approach, with compliance verified through third-party audit.