Agroøkologi er en form for landbrug, der både prioriterer miljø og social ansvarlighed, men regeringer har endnu ikke gjort meget for at promovere den. Ny rapport undersøger metoden og dens potentiale.
Agroecological farming is coming of age, writes International Institute for Environment and Development.
Once the exclusive domain of food sovereignty and ecology movements, it has begun to be promoted enthusiastically in both developed and developing countries by non-government organisations, international development organisations and others seeking more sustainable food production and consumption systems.
Though difficult to quantify, a growing body of anecdotal evidence and small-scale studies highlights the environmental and social benefits that these practices can bring.
For example, a review of 40 initiatives employing different agroecological practices showed an average crop yield increase of 113%, in addition to environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, reduction in pesticide use and soil restoration.
Yet despite the fact that agroecological practices can bring resilience and broad-based productivity to rural communities and provide important ecosystem services across the landscape, they are still not being widely promoted in agricultural policies or by agricultural research organisations in developed nor developing countries, nor scaled-up at a significant level.
This paper asks why, tracing the multiple interpretations of agroecology: what it means to different people and how it is used.
It lists the benefits and challenges of agroecological practices and how they compare with input-intensive, large-scale farming. Finally, it asks what more needs to be done to mainstream agroecology more widely in agricultural policies and practices?
What is agroecology?
Agroecology – ‘the application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agro-ecosystems – has three facets. It is:
1. a scientific discipline involving the holistic study of agro-ecosystems, including human and environmental elements
2. a set of principles and practices to enhance the resilience and ecological, socio-economic and cultural sustainability of farming systems
3. a movement seeking a new way of considering agriculture and its relationships with society.
What can agroecology offer?
A growing body of evidence reveals agroecology’s multiple advantages over conventional high-external input farming:
• a multi-functional approach to farming, capable of meeting environmental, economic and social needs
• greater environmental sustainability and resilience, especially in marginal areas subject to environmental degradation and extreme climatic events, and higher agrobiodiversity
• the ability to support farmers’ food sovereignty, reducing their dependence on costly and sometimes difficult-to-access chemical inputs
• higher overall productivity (at farm rather than crop level) achieved through a diverse range of agricultural products and environmental services, which reduce risks of crop failure in the long term.
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