Agroecology Practices in South China —biodiversity in rice production
From Uniformity to Diversity: The Role of Biodiversity and Agroecology
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Transcript of From Uniformity to Diversity: The Role of Biodiversity and Agroecology
Emile A. Frison– IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
From Uniformity to Diversity: The Role of Biodiversity and
Agroecology
EMILE FRISON, IPES-FOOD
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
What is wrong with our food systems?
Triple burden of malnutrition• Hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity &NCDs
Environmentally unsustainable• Biodiversity losses, water pollution, soil degradation, GHG
emissions, unsustainable use of natural resources, low resilience …
Social inequities• Poverty, disempowerment …
Neglect of cultural values
Directly associated with current food systems based on industrial agriculture
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Outcomes of industrial agriculture: Viscious cycles
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
What diversified agrocecologicalsystems can bring
◦ Economic◦ Productivity and income
◦ Resilience and stability
◦ Environmental◦ Ecosystem services
◦ Biodiversity
◦ Health: better nutrition and healthy environment
◦ Social: Employment
◦ Cultural: respect for cultural preferences
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Different pathways, common goal
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Economic outcomes of diversified agroecological systems
• Productivity equivalent after transition years• Better income after transition years• Better resilience and stability
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Environmental outcomes of diversified agroecological systems
◦ Keep/put carbon in the soil: turns agriculture into a solution rather than a problem
◦ Restore degraded land
◦ Improve ecosystem services◦ Water and nutrient cycling
◦ Pollination
◦ Pest and disease management
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Outcomes of diversified agroecologicalsystems: boosting biodiversity
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Outcomes of diversified agroecologicalsystems: Virtuous cycles
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Nutrition and health
◦ Avoids the negative health outcomes of industrial
agriculture: pesticides/antibiotics
◦ Diverse, healthy diets
◦ Increased levels of beneficial nutrients, such as
omega 3 fatty acids, and antioxidants such as
polyphenols…
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Social and Cultural Social:
More employment
Employment throughout the year
Closer links with consumers
Cultural: Cultivation of diversity of traditional crops
Integration of traditional knowledge
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
A major question
Why do we not see a major transition towards
diversified agroecological systems, given the
expanding evidence that they can deliver on all
dimensions of sustainable food systems?
The political economy of food systems
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
What prevents change: 8 Lock-ins
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
8 Emerging opportunities for a transitionto diversified agroecological systems
• Global recognition (MEA, IAASTD, FAO, 10YFP)
• Changing policies (CAP, Brazil, Cuba, France…)
• Emerging multi-stakeholder initiatives (FPCs, JRC, NL)
• Integrated landscape thinking (City region, ILM, LPFN)
• Integrated food systems science (FSCs)
• Peer-to-peer action research (CaC, FFS …)
• Healthy Eating and Sustainable Sourcing (OA, FT …)
• Short supply chains
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Changing the paradigm
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Recognition of crucial importance of diversity for sustainable agriculture
Crucial role of farmers in managing diversity on-farm
Importance of farmer-managed seed systems
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
On-farm management of diversityOn-farm or in situ conservation and management of plant genetic diversity allows the continued evolution and selection of the diversity to adapt to changing environments and conserves a wider genetic base.
In the absence of continued evolution in situ, the global system of conservation risks becoming static, without the built-in adaptability essential to respond to future challenges, especially in marginal areas.
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Farmer managed seed systems
For the majority of smallholder farmers, traditional, informal seeds systems based on farmer maintained seeds, exchanges between neighbouring or distant farmers and local markets still provide up to 90% of the seed and planting material grown
Traditional seed systems are dynamic. The crops and varieties change over time reflecting the changing production conditions and needs
Informal seed systems are not perfect. They may need improvements
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Different pathways, common goal
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Thank you!
www.ipes-food.org
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Key messages
• Industrial agriculture provides calories to global markets, but with many negative outcomes
• Problems are linked specifically to industrial agriculture
• Industrial agriculture is locked in place by a series of vicious cycles
• Tweaking practices can improve some of the specific outcomes, but will not provide long-term solutions to the multiple problems
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Key messages (cont’d)
• What is required is a fundamentally different model of agriculture: diversified agroecologicalsystems that support food sovereignty
•These systems can compete with industrial agriculture in terms of total outputs, performing particularly strongly under environmental stress
• Change is already happening
• A series of modest steps can collectively shift the centre of gravity in food systems
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Outcomes of organic agriculture: productivity
“Overall, organic yields are typically lower than conventional yields. But these yield differences are highly contextual …, and range from 5% lower organic yields to 34% lower yields”. (Seufert et al. 2012)
Increased yield in 17% of comparisons for organic agriculture and 87% of comparisons for SRI (Garbach et al. 2016)
But most comparisons are done over short periods!
Emile A. Frison – IPES FOOD
Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Rome, 31 January 2017
Outcomes of diversified agroecologicalsystems: productivity & resilience
30 years comparison of organic/conventional