Nov 2, 2011: With the current global economic crisis,
the associated hike in food prices, and the imminent reality of one
billion people facing food insecurity, how can we ensure the provision
of a long-term food supply for a global population that has now reached
seven billion people?
This article has been originally
published on Alternatives Intenational
Some experts, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),
argue that food production needs to increase by 70 per cent by 2050,
whereas others argue that it is a matter of re-distribution, blaming a
wasteful system where 30-50 per cent of food produced worldwide is
thrown away, never consumed, or left to rot in fields. By the same
process, not only food but water and energy go to waste as well.
We are facing two main challenges : We must find the means to provide
a more equal and accessible supply of food to a growing world
population; at the same time, we must aim to minimize waste and create
solutions that do not result in damaging effects on both the climate and
ecosystems.
A global UN study carried out between 2000 and 2005 has shown that
the natural systems on which we all depend are now so critically
stressed - through over-exploitation, invading species, and
environmental pollutants- that they are losing their ability to supply
benefits to our societies and secure human welfare in the form of
’ecosystem services’.
This degradation is critical, as human activity - like agriculture -
relies on a number of ecosystem services such as water purification,
natural pest control and maintenance of soil fertility. Part of the
problem is also that traditional agriculture is heavily reliant on
fossil fuels, through transport and the production of fertilisers and
pesticides and therefore dependent on the energy prices, which are
always fluctuating, and expected to increase.
Although organic agriculture - a practice that uses non-synthetic
nutrient cycling processes, excludes or rarely use synthetic pesticides,
and sustains or regenerates the soil quality, and optimizes animal and
plant interactions - is no cure-all solution, it could constitute a
useful approach. While opponents have often claimed that organic
agriculture could not possibly produce enough food to feed the world’s
population, a recent study refutes these claims.
Published by scientists from the University of Michigan and Michigan
State University in 2006, the study’s estimates indicated that organic
methods could provide enough food on a global per capita basis to
sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger
population, without increasing the agricultural land base. In fact, the
study revealed that yields in developing countries could increase
dramatically, doubling or tripling in some cases by switching to organic
farming.
Further studies have also proven that organic agriculture reduces the
vulnerability of farmers to the negative effects of climate change and
variability as it reduces input costs and increases the diversity of
income sources. Production under organic agriculture systems is less
prone to extreme weather conditions such as drought ; this is due to the
maintenance of nutrients and the increase of soil organic matter which
stores more water than conventional cultivation.
An example of the benefits that can result from organic agriculture
is Project Tigray in Ethiopia, initiated by the Institute for
Sustainable Development (ISD) in association with the Bureau of
Agriculture and Natural Resources (BoANR) of Tigray, in partnership with
the Mekele University. This project began in 1995 in one of
Ethiopia’s most food insecure areas. The aim was to improve
productivity and food security in a fast-growing and predominantly
rural population while reinvigorating the environment. The results and
data collected from the Tigray Project confirmed the claim that organic
farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms
in developing countries as low-intensive methods on the same land.
The Tigray project is proof that human activity, in particular
agriculture, can actually support and enhance rather than disrupt the
natural cycles that allow for the healthy functioning of the ecosystem
as a whole. Farmers, development agents, and ISD staff have identified a
number of positive effects including increased biological diversity,
improved soil fertility, decreased incidence of weeds, whereby the seeds
are killed when the compost heats up during the decomposition process,
decreased vulnerability to drought, higher resistance to pests, and
lower costs for farmers compared with buying artificial fertilisers.
The project also demonstrates that a little money can really go a long
way when farmers take advantage of the free services that nature has to
offer (e.g. composting, a varied crop rotation, inter-cropping of
several different species of crops on one field and collection/storage
of rainwater). The project is affordable, farmer-led, community-based,
and builds on the local technologies and knowledge without creating
relationships of dependency.
The project was particularly beneficial for women and women-headed
families, who were given priority throughout the program. Effort was
made to enhance the position of women in the communities by training and
providing women with seeds and seedlings for plant nurseries,
organizing study trips, and facilitating the purchasing of sheep, goats
and cows in order to be more self-sufficient. As a result, local
communities have been empowered, and have in turn developed
legally-recognised bylaws to govern their land and other natural
resource management activities.
The results of the project were so positive that the government has
now adopted a similar approach as its main strategy for combating land
degradation and poverty in Ethiopia. The successes of the project have
led to its expansion to include many more communities in Tigray and in
other parts of the country.
Access to and increased development of local markets, as well as
local processing capabilities and export infrastructure are an important
step in making organic agriculture a viable and beneficial strategy in
the Global South. Wider recognition of the potential of organic
agriculture is needed and further research must take into account
different climatic conditions and approach each situation with cultural
sensitivity.
Organic agriculture, with the aim to preserve natural nutrients and
enhance biodiversity, can provide for seven billion people while
maintaining and utilising the ecosystems services. More importantly,
the project raised, probably for the first time, the question of paying
farmers, not only for what they produce but for providing important
ecosystem services such as maintaining biological diversity and
absorbing greenhouse gases. The current devaluation of ecosystem
services can at least partially explain present environmental problems
in agriculture, as farmers have no incentives to protect ecosystems or
use the services they provide in a sustainable way.
What would agriculture look like if farmers made their living not
only on how much food they produce, but also based on how much their
farming practice enhances nature?
source:http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org
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