AGROECOLOGY: HISTORY, PRINCIPLES, APPLICATIONS AND BENEFITS - ENVIRONMENT - 2024

The agroecology 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.

Many of the agroecological principles are considered to be as old as agriculture itself (about 10,000 years), however, their recent popularity and expansion is related to the adverse social and environmental effects that so-called “industrialized agriculture” has generated.

Figure 1. Use of the agroecological practice called: intercropping of crops, in this case tomato is intercropped in the coffee crop. Source: Neil Palmer, via Wikimedia Commons

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.

History of agroecology

Green revolution

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:

• Monoculture systems.
• Use of improved varieties of crops.
• Application of chemical fertilizers.
• Application of synthetic pesticides.
• Use of irrigation systems.

These strategies generated an increase in agricultural production, in an effort to feed a growing global population. However, several unintended harmful consequences also emerged.

Socio-environmental impacts of the green revolution

Among the damaging consequences of the green revolution, we now know that new high-yielding 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.

Figure 2. Vegetable products grown agroecologically. Source: Elina Mark, from Wikimedia Commons

Other environmental impacts due to the adoption of these massive production systems are: 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.

Evolution of the concept of agroecology

Bensin

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 classical 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.

Miguel Altieri

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..

Alexander Wezel and his collaborators

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:

• A scientific discipline.
• An agricultural practice.
• A political or social movement.

In conclusion, agroecology involves various approaches to solving the real challenges of agricultural production. While 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 just and sustainable food system.

Approaches to agroecology

Today three main approaches persist in agroecological research, depending on the scale studied:

• At the scale of parcels and fields.
• At the agroecosystem and farm scale.
• Research covering the entire global food system.

Figure 3. Diversity, one of the premises of agroecology. Source: Keith Weller, USDA, via Wikimedia Commons

Agroecological principles

-What differentiates agroecology from other approaches to sustainable development?

Agroecology is fundamentally different from other approaches to sustainable development in the following respects:

“Bottom-up” processes (

Agroecology is based on "bottom up" processes, 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.

Local autonomy

Agroecology empowers producers and communities as key agents of change, by improving their autonomy and capacity to adapt to existing production challenges.

Long-term comprehensive solutions

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.

Social dimension

Agroecology includes an explicit focus on the social and economic dimensions of food systems. It focuses particularly on the rights of women, youth and indigenous peoples.

-Principles of agroecology according to FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has identified a series of 10 interrelated key elements.

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:

Diversity

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.

Synergies

Creating synergies enhances key functions in food systems, enhancing production and multiple ecosystem services.

Synergies imply joint actions between various factors that reinforce each other, producing a final effect, greater than the sum of their isolated effects.

Efficiency

Innovative agroecological practices produce more, using fewer external resources. In this way, the exploitation of natural resources in world agricultural production is minimized.

Resilience

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, displaying a greater capacity to recover from shocks, including extreme weather events (such as droughts, floods, or hurricanes), and to resist attack by pests and diseases.

Recycling

Greater recycling during agricultural processes means reducing the costs associated with this economic activity and the environmental damage generated.

Joint creation and shared knowledge

Agricultural innovations best respond to local challenges, when created jointly through participatory processes. Hence the importance of the commitment of local communities with the application and development of these agricultural systems.

Human and social values

The protection and enhancement of 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.

Culture and food tradition

By supporting traditionally healthy, diversified and culturally appropriate diets, agroecology contributes to food security and good nutrition while maintaining the health of ecosystems.

Responsible government

Sustainable agriculture and food require transparent, accountable and effective governance mechanisms at different scales, from the local to the national 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.

Circular and solidarity economy

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.

In addition, the circular economy guarantees the social basis for inclusive and sustainable development.

Figure 4. Wheat stem rust is developing new virulent strains that threaten many low diversity cultivars. The problems with pests are enhanced in intensive production models. Source: Photo by Yue Jin. {{PD-USGov-USDA-ARS}}.

Agroecology applications

Problems of the current production model

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:

• The widespread degradation of the world's land, water and ecosystems.
• High greenhouse gas emissions.
• Loss of biodiversity
• The persistence of poverty and malnutrition in undeveloped countries, coupled with the rapid increase in obesity and diet-related diseases in developed countries.
• Pressure on the livelihoods of farmers around the world.

Many of these current problems are linked to "industrial agriculture." For example, intensive monocultures and industrial-scale farm 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.

Figure 5. Intensive or industrial agriculture has presented multiple long-term problems, demonstrating its unsustainability. Source: Soil-Science.info, via Wikimedia Commons

Benefits of agroecology

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, using practices with minimal environmental impact, such as composting, vermiculture, integrated pest management, and crop rotation.

Furthermore, agroecology includes social aspects that support the agricultural production model.

Diversified Agroecological Systems (SAD)

Diversified agroecological systems maintain carbon in the soil, promote biodiversity, rebuild soil fertility, and maintain yields over time, providing a basis for secure farm livelihoods.

Figure 6. Family farming, an alternative that continues to be the one with the highest production worldwide (producer family in El Salvador). Contrary to popular belief, industrial agriculture is not the one with the highest production. Source: flickr.com

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.

The current trend

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, as well as a change in the mode of production of global food systems.

References

1. Altieri, M. (2018). Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press 2nd edition, 448 pp.
2. Francis C, Lieblein G, Gliessman S, Breland TA, Creamer N, et al. 2003. Agroecology: the ecology of food systems. J. Sustain. Agric. 22: 99-118
3. IPES-Food. 2016. From uniformity to diversity: a paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems. International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems. www.ipes- food.org.
4. Tomich, TP, Brodt, S., Ferris, H., Galt, R., Horwath, WR, Kebreab, E.,… Yang, L. (2011). Agroecology: A Review from a Global-Change Perspective. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 36 (1), 193–222. doi: 10.1146 / annurev-environ-012110-121302
5. Wezel, A., Bellon, S., Doré, T., Francis, C., Vallod, D., & David, C. (2009). Agroecology as a science, a movement and a practice. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 29 (4), 503–515. doi: 10.1051 / agro / 2009004