1. Environmental Dimension of Agroecology

1.1 Agroecology enhances positive interaction, synergy, integration, and complementarities between the elements of agro-ecosystems (plants, animals, trees, soil, water, etc.) and food systems (water, renewable energy, and the connections of re-localised food chains).

1.2 Agroecology, builds and conserves life in the soil to provide favourable conditions for plant growth.

1.3 Agroecology optimises and closes resource loops (nutrients, biomass) by recycling existing nutrients and biomass in farming and food systems.

1.4 Agroecology optimises and maintains biodiversity above and below ground (a wide range of species and varieties, genetic resources, locally-adapted varieties/breeds etc) over time and space (at plot, farm and landscape level).

1.5 Agroecology eliminates the use of and dependency on external synthetic inputs by enabling farmers to control pests, weeds and improve fertility through ecological management.

1.6 Agroecology supports climate adaptation and resilience while contributing to greenhouse gas emission mitigation (reduction and sequestration) through lower use of fossil fuels and higher carbon sequestration in soils.

Impact of this dimension:

Through is environmental dimension and by applying principles which tend to mimic natural ecosystems, agroecology contributes to building more complex agroecosystems. Agroecology increases resilience and the capacity for systems to adapt to climate change in contexts in which climatic risks are common. For instance, “it has been demonstrated that increased biodiversity in the soil improves water use, nutrient uptake, and disease resistance of crop plants”. By delivering resilience, biodiversity often acts as a “buffer against environmental and economic crisis”. Through its environmental dimension, agroecology therefore helps to build self-sufficient, healthy, pollution-free systems that provide an accessible and diverse range of safe food, energy and other domestic needs. As a co-benefit of the application of its principles, agroecology also contributes to mitigating climate change e.g. building healthy soils and restoring depleted soils – thus contributing to carbon sequestration – or by reducing direct and indirect energy use – thus avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. Through efficient use of resources (such as water, energy use, etc.), agroecology also contributes to building resilience and increasing its efficiency. Beyond this major potential for resilience, mitigation and adaptation, agroecology provides a healthy, safe working environment for farmers and farm labourers as well as a healthy environment for rural, peri-urban and urban communities while providing them with healthy, nutritious, diversified food.

Michel Pimbert, Professor at Coventry University, UK

Example 1: Resilience, extreme weather events, and agroecology

Several studies looking at agricultural performance after extreme weather events (droughts and hurricanes) in Central-America have shown that “resilience to climate disasters is closely linked to farms with increased levels of biodiversity” and ”when inserted in a complex landscape matrix, featuring adapted local germplasm deployed in diversified cropping systems managed with organic matter-rich soils and water conservation-harvesting techniques”. For instance “a survey conducted … in Central America after Hurricane Mitch showed that farmers using diversification practices (such as cover crops, intercropping and agroforestry) suffered less damage than their conventional monoculture neighbours”. Similarly, “forty days after Hurricane Ike hit Cuba in 2008, researchers found that diversified farms exhibited losses of 50%, compared to 90 or 100% in neighbouring monocultures” while “agroecologically managed farms showed a faster productive recovery (80 –90%) 40 days after the hurricane than monoculture farms.”

Sources/further information

– Machín Sosa, B., Roque Jaime, A. M., Ávila Lozano, D. R., Rosset Michael, P. (2013). Agroecological revolution: The Farmer-to-Farmer Movement of the ANAP in Cuba.

– Holt-Giménez, E. (2002). Measuring Farmers’ agroecological resistance to hurricane Mitch in Central America.

– Altieri, M. & Nicholls, C. & Henao, A. & Lana, M. (2015). Agroecology and the design of climate change-resilient farming systems.

Example 2: Transforming Soil and Livelihoods in Rural Bangladesh

Since the late 1970s, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, though more expensive than organic alternatives, have increasingly been pushed on to farmers across Bangladesh as part of the Green Revolution approach, resulting in harmful implications for human health, soil and water quality. The subsidising of chemical fertilisers and the pressure placed on farmers to produce sufficient yields to meet Bangladesh’s rapid population growth, has led to an over-dependence on and indiscriminate application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides over organic matter. Failure to replenish soil with organic matter has left soils in many parts of Bangladesh lacking sufficient nutrients for agricultural productivity.

Depleting organic matter reserves in soils has also had implications for food security in Bangladesh in the face of rising climate change vulnerability. Unpredictable rains and unexpected weather conditions are making it increasingly difficult for farmers to plan their production effectively, with depleting soil health exacerbating the issue further. Improving Bangladesh’s soil fertility is, therefore, crucial for smallholder farmers to better withstand and adapt to the impact of climate change, enabling them to provide food for their families and wider communities, strengthen local markets and develop thriving, sustainable livelihoods for generations to come.

CAFOD has partnered with Caritas Bangladesh, USS Jessore, Practical Action Bangladesh and Caritas Switzerland to put agroecological principles at the heart of a three-year DFID-funded Climate Resilient Agriculture project, working with smallholder farmer communities in the Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Jessore and Sylhet divisions of Bangladesh.

A key component of the project has included introducing farmers to the production and use of vermicompost – a nutrient rich, organic fertiliser produced from the excreta of earthworms – which can be easily prepared using materials already found within farming systems including cow dung, banana leaf and kitchen waste. After participating in training sessions on the preparation of vermicompost and visiting demonstration plots, farmers involved in the project began to produce their own vermicompost and applied it to their soil. The results have been quite remarkable.

Farmers across all project areas have witnessed an improvement in the fertility of their soil through an increase in the quantity and quality of their crops after using vermicompost. They have also observed a reduction in harmful pests and diseases which would usually adversely affect their production. Key findings from the project include: over 8,600 project households have increased their food production by at least 20% after using vermicompost on their soil. 6,327 project households have been able to produce multiple crops (from 3-12 different vegetable varieties) on previously unproductive land after using vermicompost alongside the bedding approach in their farming. In addition, 7,067 households have reported that they have generated additional income as a result of the project, largely attributable to the sale of surplus crops produced using vermicompost. These findings are corroborated by research completed by CAFOD’s partner Practical Action and IIED [International Institute for Environment and Development] in 2016, which calls for greater promotion of agroecological practices (including vermicompost) by upscaling the use of organic matter to improve soil fertility and crop production.

Razia Begum, from Jessore, recorded a 150% increase in her production of bitter gourd after using vermicompost and herbal pesticides, while significantly reducing the application of chemical fertiliser on her soil. As a result, Razia has not only been able to provide sufficient food for her family but has been able to sell her surplus produce and vermicompost for additional income. She has also been able to generate income from her expertise in vermi-compost production through facilitating training sessions with farmer field schools in her locality. Her husband, who previously discouraged her involvement in activities that took her away from domestic work, is now keen to support Razia’s entrepreneurial initiative. Like Razia, Jamal Hossain, from Lebutola Union, has observed improvements in the quantity, appearance, longevity and taste of his crops when using vermicompost and herbal pesticides compared to chemical fertiliser: “I really believe in this farming method and I now have evidence to show my neighbours that it works! Vermi-compost is not just good for my crops and my income but it’s good for the environment and our health. We need to encourage the next generation to move away from chemical to organic farming – it is better in so many ways”.

In addition to enhancing crop yields, thus improving food security, this project has contributed to the rehabilitation of soil health, decreased incidence of pest and disease outbreaks, increased incomes for farmers and promoted greater entrepreneurial opportunities for women in farming communities. This project demonstrates the economic and environmental principles of agroecology in practice and promotes sustainable agriculture that works for people and the planet.

Sources/further information

 For more information on how agroecological farming practices can contribute towards improved soil fertility in Bangladesh, please see Practical Action and IIED’s action research paper, entitled, “Collaborative Action on Soil Fertility in South Asia”.

Example 3: Increasing resilience through mangrove rice cultivation

Mangrove rice cultivation is a resilient system practiced in Western Africa since the fifteenth century. It is land “stolen” from the sea through the labour-intensive construction of a belt of dams and careful water management (rain and seawater) to control the salinity and acidity of the soil. Cultivation used salt- and drought-tolerant rice varieties that came from heterogeneous seed sources mainly introduced, spread and multiplied over the years by farmers themselves. Mangrove rice farming avoids the use of chemical fertiliser as well as herbicide and fungicides.

In the context of Guinea Bissau, a country with a very high per capita rice consumption (110-120 kg/pp/year) and high dependency on imports, the dismantling of Guinea’s peasant world and the impoverishment of native rice varieties are undermining the productive and cultural socio-ecological system of mangrove rice-growing practiced mainly by the Balanta ethnic group. Therefore, over a decade, LVIA-FOCSIV with local key stakeholders has been developing and implementing a national resilience strategy, based on mangrove rice growing, diversified farming, a more balanced diet and shorter supply chains. The strategy has different components such as increasing awareness and knowledge of mangrove land use, more efficient communal water management and the farming system. The improved knowledge and know-how was combined with the development of irrigation facilities and a programme of applied research for local rice improvement, fostering its adaptation as well as increasing productivity in the field but also “in the pot and the belly”. The strategy was defined with and supported by rural communities (“tabanka”), cooperative societies, government stakeholders and research centres through a governance system that encouraged the growing farmer movement, strengthening social and institutional capacities to improve system resilience and the ability to address weaknesses.

So far, improvement of the hydraulic system and water management coupled with the adoption of improved agricultural techniques into a balanced agro-ecological system, has produced rice yields of 4 tons/ha without any chemical inputs (fertiliser, herbicide and fungicides). This is more than twice the average yield of non-irrigated lowland rice (1-2.5 tons/ha with agro-inputs and only 0.7-1.2 tons/ha with limited agro-inputs). The increase in land and labour productivity is an astonishing result, and translates into more income for farmers, local investment, and involvement of young people in farming and at the same time has led to proper recognition of the value of this special socio-ecological system. The increased self-esteem of Balanta farmers of Guinea-Bissau has been demonstrated by their engagement with government to safeguard the local product, demanding support in terms of investment but also the setting-up of “experience exchange, dialogue and strategic thinking to improve our work and the access of our rice to the local market” (Siaca – farmers of Kampiane Village, Guinea Bissau). The resilience strategy increased rural communities’ ability to transform their sustainable development trajectory through a greater voice in decision making in the governance structure.

This example demonstrates particularly the environmental dimension of agroecology in the positive interaction, synergy, integration and complementarities between the different elements of agro-ecosystems. It also demonstrates the economic dimension of agroecology, because, among other things, it shows that agroecology reduces dependence on aid and reinforces community autonomy by encouraging sustainable livelihoods and dignity, and promotes independence from external inputs.

Sources/further information

-Cerise, S., Mauceri, G., Rizzi, I. (2017). Mangrove Rice Cultivation in Guinea Bissau within “The Construction of communities’ resilience in African Countries – Three case studies by FOCSIV NGOs”, Collana Strumenti, FOCSIV n.49.

-Temudo, M. (2011). Planting Knowledge, Harvesting Agro-Biodiversity: a case study of Southern Guinea-Bissau rice-farming; Hum. Ecol (2011) 39: 309-321, Springer Science.

-Andreetta, A., Delgado Huertas, A., Lotti, M., Cerise, S. (2016). Land use changes affecting soil organic carbon storage along a mangrove swamp rice chronosequence in the Cacheu and Oio regions (Northern Guinea-Bissau) Agriculture, Ecosystem and Environment 216 (2016) 314-321.

 

Reportage (Italian)