The agroecology It is the application of ecology in agriculture. It arises as an approach that supports the production of food and other products, through processes that protect the environment and small agricultural producers..
It is considered that many of the agroecological principles are as old as agriculture itself (about 10,000 years), however, its recent popularity and expansion is related to the adverse social and environmental effects that have been generated by the so-called “industrialized agriculture”.
The term agroecology is currently used in science, and also as a description of both a sociocultural movement and agricultural practices. All these meanings have very different meanings.
The agroecological approach simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles; to the design and management of food and agricultural systems.
Article index
The so-called “green revolution” in agriculture, which took place from the 1940s to the 1970s, was a technical-industrial movement that promoted the adoption of new technologies, with the aim of increasing crop yields..
These technologies basically implied the implementation of the following strategies:
These strategies generated an increase in agricultural production in an effort to feed a growing global population. However, several unintended harmful consequences also emerged.
Among the damaging consequences of the green revolution, we now know that new high-yield agricultural varieties displaced traditional varieties, which were well adapted to local conditions and were a source of genetic diversity..
Also, the application of high-yield monocultures, such as those used in the production of corn, wheat and rice, caused a reduction in the nutritional quality of the human diet, by replacing fruits, vegetables and traditional crops..
Other environmental impacts due to the adoption of these mass production systems are: the loss of biodiversity and habitat; contamination of water resources by pesticides; soil and water due to excessive use of fertilizers; the reduction in the amount of water available for irrigation; among others.
Global environmental movements have warned about these environmental impacts generated by conventional agricultural activity since the 1960s. However, these forms of global agricultural production still prevail..
The use of the term agroecology dates back to the 1930s, and was used by the Russian agronomist Bensin, who used it to describe the use of ecological methods in research on commercial plants..
However, the term agroecology has come to be interpreted in very different ways.
In its most classic meaning, agroecology refers to the study of purely ecological phenomena within the crop field, such as predator / prey relationships, or competition between crops and weeds..
Generally speaking, agroecology often incorporates ideas about a more environmentally and socially sensitive approach to agriculture, focusing not only on production, but also on the ecological sustainability of the agricultural production system.
This is how agroecology has been defined by one of the most important theorists in this discipline, Miguel Altieri, who argues that the "normative" use of the term implies a series of assumptions about society and production, which go beyond the limits of the agricultural field..
This multiplicity of interpretations of agroecology has been addressed by Alexander Wezel and his collaborators (2009). They report that the development of agroecology began as a scientific discipline in the 1970s and earlier..
Then in the 1980s, as a set of "practices" and finally as a social movement in the 1990s. Today, the term "agroecology" can be understood as:
In conclusion, agroecology involves various approaches to solving the real challenges of agricultural production. Although agroecology was initially concerned with crop production and protection issues, in recent decades it has dealt with environmental, social, economic, ethical and sustainable development issues..
Agroecology seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment, considering the social aspects that must be addressed for a fair and sustainable food system.
Today three main approaches persist in agroecological research, depending on the scale studied:
Agroecology is fundamentally different from other approaches to sustainable development in the following respects:
Agroecology is based on “bottom up” processes (bottom up in English), which means that solutions to existing problems arise from the local and particular, then scale up to the global and general.
Agroecological innovations are based on the joint creation of knowledge, combining science with traditional, practical and local knowledge of producers.
Agroecology empowers producers and communities as key agents of change, by improving their autonomy and capacity to adapt to existing production challenges.
Rather than modifying the practices of unsustainable agricultural systems, agroecology seeks to transform food and agricultural systems, addressing the root causes of existing problems in an integrated way. Thus agroecology provides comprehensive and long-term solutions.
Agroecology includes an explicit focus on the social and economic dimensions of food systems. It focuses especially on the rights of women, youth and indigenous peoples.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has identified a series of 10 key elements interrelated with each other.
These 10 elements are a guide for public policy makers and stakeholders in planning, managing and evaluating the transition to a global sustainable agriculture model..
Each of the elements raised by FAO is outlined very briefly below:
Diversification is key to agroecological transitions, in order to ensure food security and nutrition, while conserving, protecting and enhancing natural resources.
Agroecological systems are characterized by their high diversity.
Creating synergies enhances key functions in food systems, enhancing production and multiple ecosystem services.
Synergies imply joint actions between several factors that reinforce each other, producing a final effect, greater than the sum of their isolated effects..
Innovative agroecological practices produce more, using fewer external resources. In this way, the exploitation of natural resources in world agricultural production is minimized..
Resilience expresses a high capacity for recovery of people, communities and ecosystems, after a negative impact. This is a key aspect in achieving sustainable food and agricultural systems..
Diversified agroecological systems tend to be more resilient, exhibiting greater capacity to recover from shocks, including extreme weather events (such as droughts, floods or hurricanes), and to resist attack by pests and diseases.
Greater recycling during agricultural processes means reducing the costs associated with this economic activity and the environmental damage generated..
Agricultural innovations best respond to local challenges, when they are created together through participatory processes. Hence the importance of the commitment of local communities with the application and development of these agricultural systems..
Protecting and enhancing rural livelihoods, equity and social well-being are essential for sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Agroecology places special emphasis on human and social values, such as dignity, equity, inclusion and justice.
By supporting traditionally healthy, diversified and culturally appropriate diets, agroecology contributes to food security and good nutrition while maintaining the health of ecosystems.
Sustainable agriculture and food require transparent, accountable and effective governance mechanisms at different scales, from the local to the national and to the global.
These transparent governance mechanisms are requirements in the creation of an enabling environment that allows producers to transform their systems, following agroecological concepts and practices..
The circular economy implies the maximum use of resources and the reuse of waste in other processes.
These types of economies, considered solidarity, reconnect producers and consumers, providing innovative solutions to live within our planetary limits. Agroecology seeks this reconnection.
Furthermore, the circular economy guarantees the social basis for inclusive and sustainable development.
Today's food and agricultural systems have been successful in supplying large volumes of food to global markets. However, they are generating negative socio-environmental results, due to:
Many of these current problems are linked to "industrial agriculture." For example, intensive monocultures and industrial-scale farming lots, which now dominate agricultural landscapes, have wiped out local biodiversity, increasing dependence on chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides..
These practices also lead to the establishment of highly vulnerable farming systems..
In view of all the problems of the current industrial agricultural production model, agroecology emerges as a model of sustainable agriculture, based on the preservation of the environment and social balances..
Agroecology considers: the diversification of farms and agricultural landscapes, the substitution of chemical inputs for natural biodegradable inputs, the optimization of biodiversity and the stimulation of interactions between the different species of agricultural ecosystems.
The many agricultural techniques of agroecology involve the design of systems adapted to local conditions, with the use of practices with minimal environmental impact, such as composting, vermiculture, integrated pest management and crop rotation..
In addition, agroecology includes social aspects that support the agricultural production model.
Diversified agroecological systems maintain soil carbon, promote biodiversity, rebuild soil fertility and maintain yields over time, providing a foundation for secure farm livelihoods.
Numerous investigations have shown that SADs can compete with industrial agriculture in terms of total production, with particularly robust performance under environmental stress..
Diversified agroecological systems also promote diversification of diverse diets and improvements in the health of the population..
Conventional agro-industrial production systems have generated very negative socio-environmental effects that are now evident.
This is why there is a growing global interest in the creation of knowledge applicable to agroecological (sustainable) production, the development of new forms of cooperation and even new market relationships, which avoid conventional retail circuits..
It is considered that a greater global political incentive would favor the emergence of alternatives adapted to regional and local needs, in addition to a change in the mode of production of global food systems..
Yet No Comments