Ecoagriculture: 3 Goals• Food production• Biodiversity conservation• Human livelihoods

Ecoagriculture’s goals are for reducing poverty while improving water quality +

environmental sustainability

Ecosystem Services for Free!• Goods: food, wood, medicines• Regulating: pest control, flood

control, climate stabilization• Supporting: pollination, soil

formation, water purification, oxygen formation

• Cultural: aesthetic, religious, recreational

Is this sustainable tree use?

Wood Harvesting – Is this sustainable ?

The Ecoagriculture Approach

As an alternative strategy to industrial agriculture, an ecoagriculture approach works by mimicking natural systems to create a new ecosystem, including perennials and native species.

By mimicking and re-creating an eco-system, biodiversity, stability, fertility, resilience and resistance are increased, there-by strengthening the overall agricultural system.

Ecology is study of interactions between • non-living components in the environment…

– light – water– wind– nutrients in soil– heat– solar radiation– atmosphere, etc.

AND…

Living Organisms - Oh, it’s a web!• Plants – Trees, shrubs + herbs• Pollinators – birds, bees, flies, butterflies, bats!• Predators – birds, bugs, mammals, microbes• Microbes + Fungi – plant/soil symbioses, food web

• Ecology…views each locale as an integrated whole of interdependent parts that function as a unit. Can a farm mimic a natural habitat?

tundra

caribou

FarmOr

Biome

Climax: a community that has reached a steady state under a particular set of environmental conditions.

Oregon “old growth” climax forest

Natural SystemsA forest does not require outside fertilizers or pesticides or irrigation, yet nutrients in the soil, insect ratios, water are typically keep in proper balance.

Different Wildlife use Different Stages of Successional Environments

Ecoagriculture Strategy• In the Agricultural Landscape:

1. Minimizing agricultural wastes and pollution2. Conserve water, soils and native plants + animals3. Using crops, grass, and tree combinations to mimic

ecological structures + functions of natural habitats4. Minimize or reverse conversion of habitats5. Protecting and expanding habitat patches6. Develop ecological corridors and networks

Whole Farm ApproachThe whole farm approach combines an integrated system that works with nature: reducing tillage and careful application of on-farm nutrients, building soils, using renewable resources and using less pesticides with plant and animal diversity.

Food Forests• Food forests are not ‘natural’, but are designed and

managed ecosystems that are very rich in biodiversity and productivity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ZgzwoQ-ao&feature=relmfu

Costa Rica – Shade crops

Soils – Inputs and Tillage• Soil health and fertility is fundamental for plant

growth. • Fertility can be built with organic inputs from the

farm. Compost breakdown stimulates more microbial activity.

• No till methods are frequently utilized, even when harvested, roots that remain in the ground, thus not disturbing the soil and continuing to retain the carbon within.

FertilizersChemical additions are not required as the system is closed and entirely self-supportive, additionally needed amendments will be provided from organic by-products of the system. http://climatelab.org/Ecoagriculture

18

The Nitrogen Cycle

ADD FIG. 2.21

Cover CropsGrowing plants such as rye, clover or vetch after harvesting a cash crop can provide multiple benefits, including weed and insect control, erosion control, and improved soil quality. Cover crops help reduce erosion worldwide.

Conservation TillageMany soil conservation practices – contour tillage, reduced tillage, and no-till, all help to prevent soil loss from wind and water erosion.

Contour tillage systems also help minimize soil compaction, conserve water and store carbon to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

21

The Carbon Cycle

ADD FIG. 2.20

Till vs No=till Soils

• The organically treated soils were physically more stable and were found to be biologically more active than conventional. (DOK trials, Mäder et al., 2002)

• Under organic farming the soil organic matter captures and retains more water in the crop root zone.

• Water capture in organic fields can also be 100% higher than in conventional fields during torrential rains. (Rodale Institute, 2008)

Biodiversity• The key to an ecoagriculture system is

biodiversity. The more diverse a system is, the more stable it is, and the more resilient it becomes.

• “Diversity provides the system with built-in resilience to changes and cycles in climate, water, insects and pests, grazers, and other natural disturbances.”4

Organic Ag is good for biodiversity and biodiversity is good for Organic Ag !

Organic farmers use more Agro-ecological methods:

• Mixed crop rotations, intercropping, …• Grasslands and green manure, • Habitats and non-farmed areas• Non-chemical pest management

Promoting functional diversity means enhancing and benefitting from Ecological service functions:

•Pollination•Pest and disease prevention•Biodiversity preservation, •Soil quality•Resilience•In situ conservation of genes

Animals• Ecoagriculture uses animals to forage for weed

seeds, fertilize with their manure, and cultivate by scratching and rummaging, which all contribute to the health of the system. “Wastes” are also a fuel.

fuel

fertilizer

Animals• By integrating animals into the system, instead of

separating them, the amount of food needed, expended energy, and time used are all reduced.

Lamb farming in Oregon

Pest Controls• Ecological insect and weed management avoids

solutions that can harm good insects and animals. • It instead combines biological controls like trap

crops, hand removal of weeds + insects, birds, and integrated pest management techniques.

Many uses of a chicken. The Ecoagriculture approach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObLrbE6ADB8&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLA65F6C2CE6CCC4D1

RESEARCH (Bengtsson et al., 2005):

• Species richness (# of species) 30% higher in organic farms (n=32)– Birds, Plants – Predatory insects, carabidae

• Species abundance (Commoness of species) 50% higher in organic farms (n=117)– Weeds, Soil organisms (earthworms) – Predatory insects, carabidae– Not potential pest species!

Causes for higher diversity and abundance under organic farming: •Non use of pesticides & fertiliser•Friendly treatment of hedgerows and non-crop habitats on organic farms•Preservation of mixed farming and diversified land useHole et al., 2005 (n=76)

Agro-ecological methods could also be used in non-organic - but in reality is not!

Organic Agriculture promotes biodiversity

Scienific evidence…..

Economic Opportunity in Nepal• Biodiversity provides more diverse food and

growing options, which creates flexibility in economic opportunities for farmers.

Economic Opportunity in Oregon:Provides an adequate and dependable farm income, Promotes opportunity in family and farm communities

Mustard Plants are good Nitrogen fixing speciesNitrogen-fixing crops can be integrated into a system, adding a protein source for humans and livestock, as

well as nutrients for the soil.

Perennials• Ecoagriculture uses as many perennial

species as possible within a designed system. • This creates the least amount of disturbance

possible to the soil.

Perennial crops• Perennial crops have

deep roots which prevent erosion;

• they require less fertilizer and water;

• the roots can serve as carbon sinks and help offset C02 emissions.

Experimental Perennials vs Annuals

Utilizing perennials also means trees as part of the system.

Utilizing water through the use of a swale and crops

Wetland Habitats• Conservation of wetlands in farming areas critical for native

bird populations.• Modern agriculture ditches/ dries out soils, uses toxic

pesticides and removes weeds/ non-crop vegetation.• Working with farmers to protect and enhance wetland

habitats by preserving and planting buffers benefits both farmers and birds as birds provide a lot of “free”pest control.

HabitatWater gurgling from a well is flooding Craig Gautreaux's rice and crawfish fields, turning the farm into a wetland for migratory birds whose usual Gulf of Mexico wintering grounds are threatened by the oil spill. 7/29/2010 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38475970/ns/us_news-environment/t/feds-farmers-create-habitats-

migrating-birds/#.T4c7JpkvkWA

Water• Slow, spread, sink, shade, and store, are

imperative in ecoagriculture systems. • When water is slowed down and spread out

and sunk, erosion is reduced and absorption is increased.

• Shading helps reduce evaporation, thereby making available water more efficient.6 This is done with an increased use of trees, mulches, and cover crops.

Ecoagriculture GoalsAchieves the integration of natural biological

cycles and controls, Protects and renews soil fertility and the natural

resource base, Optimizes the management and use of on-farm

resources, Reduces the use of nonrenewable resources and

purchased production inputs, Minimizes adverse impacts on health, safety,

wildlife, water quality and the environment.