Modules on Sustainable Agriculture MOSA

2 Elements of Sustainable
Agriculture
For Sustainable Food systems

1
Source: 2
 Main factors that affect farming activities

Energy
Climate Water

Plant
Human

Soil Animal

Monday, November 16, 3

Farmers are responsible for the management of plant, animal,
soil, water and energy to create output

Climate Water

Community

Farmer

Soil management

Plant Livestock

Soil

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Wheat monoculture

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Wheat_harvest.jpg/250px-Wheat_harvest.jpg

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Agroforestry in Grenada

© Friederike Kraemer

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Animal husbandry in Mexico

© Jan Grenz

1111
 Sustainable agriculture - many terms

Forest
Restoration
Landscape
Agriculture
Restoration
Climate
Smart IPM
Diversification
Agriculture Push-Pull
Agroforestry
EverGreen
Agroecological Agriculture
approaches Organic
Farming Conservation Fertiliser
Agriculture Tree
Ecological Technology
Farming
Farming
Sustainable Gods Way
intensificatio
n
Permaculture Holistic
Intercropping
Grazing
Biodynamic Management
agriculture Ecological Syntropic
agriculture agriculture

Source:Patrick Worms, ICRAF

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But what exactly is sustainable
agriculture?

Source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ewGX52qqL.jpg

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 Conservation Agriculture

© S. Krall

© S. Krall

S. Krall © K. Steiner 14
S. Krall
 Agroforestry

© S. Krall © D. Garrity, World Agroforestry Centre, Niger

© D. Garrity, World Agroforestry Centre, Niger

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 Conventional/Precison farming

http://www.nue.okstate.edu/HISTORY/100_1722.jpg

http://unitedsoybean.org/wp-content/uploads/UAV-precision-
agriculture.jpg
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 Organic Agriculture

© M. Hartmann
© Riggwelter

© G. Brändle, Agroscope
© M. Hartmann

G. Brändle, Agroscope 17
 Ecological intensification
Landscape approach

Source: Rural landscape in Rwanda © GIZ Dirk Gebhardt .

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The science behind sustainable agriculture is agro ecology

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The term “agro ecology” is used in different contexts and
historical perspectives as a:

Science behind sustainable agriculture

Transition process towards sustainable agriculture
Social movement towards food sovereignty

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Sustainability is not a question of the type of production systems

• Organic agriculture is in many cases sustainable but not in all cases

• The use of mineral fertilizer can be sustainable but is often not
• Organic fertilizer / manure/ compost needs animals to produce it;
animals need space and food
• Use leguminous crops as complementary syntetic nitrogen fertilization
• Machinery is necessary for a large scale productive agriculture but can
have negative impacts on fields and food prints
• Bio control and biological pesticide are more sustainable but often not
as effective as chemical pesticides
• Technologies like precision agriculture could help making conventional
agriculture more sustainable
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 Complex-adaptive rice systems:
more rice results from more treatment combinations

Yield
Tons/
ha

Treatment combination

Sources : Khumairoh et al., 2012 and Organic 3.0 Pablo Titonelli

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Broschure of the GIZ
sectoral project
Sustainable
Agriculture

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 Main elements of sustainable agriculture
• puts the emphasis on methods and processes that improve soil productivity while minimising
harmful effects on the climate, soil, water, air, biodiversity and human health
• aims at minimising the use of inputs from non-renewable sources and petroleum-based products
and replacing them with those from renewable resources
• focuses on local people and their knowledge, skills, socio-cultural values and institutional
structures
• ensures that the basic nutritional requirements of current and future generations are met in terms
of both quantity and quality as well as that agriculture can also generate additional products
• provides long-term jobs, adequate income and dignified and equal working and living conditions
for everybody involved in agricultural value chains
• reduces the agricultural sector’s vulnerability to adverse natural conditions (e. g. climatic) and
socio-economic factors (e.g. strong price fluctuations) and to other risks
• Distinguish between different sex and age groups
• Is knowledge intensive (more knowledge/ha is needed) knowledge is better translated

GIZ. 2015. Rural Development and Agriculture. Briefing Note. Sustainable agriculture
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Two selected definitions on sustainable agriculture

“Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system

of plant and animal production practices (…)
that will, over the long term:
• satisfy human food and fiber needs
• enhance environmental quality (…)
• sustain the economic viability of farm
operations
• and enhance the quality of life for farming
families and society as a whole.”
(Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education: http://www.westernsare.org/About-Us/What-is-Sustainable-Agriculture)

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 Two selected definitions on sustainable agriculture

Our vision for sustainable agriculture strives to

meet the needs of a growing population, to
protect and preserve this planet we all call
home, and to help improve lives everywhere.
In 2008 Monsanto made a commitment to
sustainable agriculture – pledging to produce
more, conserve more, and improve farmers’
lives by 2030
: http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/pages/our-commitment-to-sustainable-agriculture.aspx

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 The role of politics and private sector
– How to support sustainable agricultural development?

Creating an environment that supports the long term adoption of sustainable farming
practices and that values the true costs and benefits of production:
• Commands, prohibitions, guidelines, directives
• Taxes, subsidies
• Payments for environmental services
• Education & extension
• Infrastructure
• Access to finance
• Access to resources & land tenure, social inclusion
• Research support
• ……..

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Agro ecology as a process of transition means

• Designing and applying a strategy for managing the transition towards

sustainability
• Implies a comprehensive diagnosis of sustainability challenges and
conditions specific to the given context
• Agroecology farming is knowledge-intensive: participatory
experimentation, innovation and extension
• Minimize the use of non renewable inputs that cause harm to the
environment and to the health of farmers and consumers
• Does not exclude the use of chemical inputs -> It rather seeks to
reduce the use of all off-farm inputs to an absolute minimum

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 Transition towards sustainable food systems

A Transition

ble
us t aina
S re
g r icultu
A

Source: Modified from Tittonell, 2014. Current Opinion on Environmental Sustainability 8: 53-61

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 Take home messages:
Summarizing elements of sustainable agriculture

• puts the emphasis on methods and processes that improve soil productivity while minimising
harmful effects on the climate, soil, water, air, biodiversity and human health
• aims at minimising the use of inputs from non-renewable sources and petroleum-based products
and replacing them with those from renewable resources
• focuses on local people and their knowledge, skills, socio-cultural values and institutional
structures
• ensures that the basic nutritional requirements of current and future generations are met in terms
of both quantity and quality as well as that agriculture can also generate additional products
• provides long-term jobs, adequate income and dignified and equal working and living conditions
for everybody involved in agricultural value chains
• reduces the agricultural sector’s vulnerability to adverse natural conditions (e. g. climatic) and
socio-economic factors (e.g. strong price fluctuations) and to other risks
• Distinguish between different sex and age groups
• Is knowledge intensive (more knowledge/ha is needed) knowledge is better translated

GIZ. 2015. Rural Development and Agriculture. Briefing Note. Sustainable agriculture
32
 !
Key messages: Sustainable Agriculture
• Agricultural systems are at the interface between environmental
and human systems and hence, create positive and negative
effects beyond the farm level
• Sustainable agriculture responds to the multifunctionality of
agriculture
• Sustainable agriculture demands whole farm planning &
management towards a long term vision
• New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of
agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to
meet the demands of improving yields without compromising
environmental integrity or public health

Monday, November 16, 33

EXERCICE

Find in group work, interactions between plants,

animals, soil, water, energy, climate and humans.
Present the results in plenum in a graphic form.

e.g. organic
matter, pores,
acids…

e.g. substrate,
nutrients, water

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 Lessons learned:
• Factor interactions vary in their temporal and spatial dimensions.
• Factor interactions do not only affect the farming system but also have
positive or negative effects beyond the farm scale. Especially biotic factors
are common goods, that all members of the community benefit from. In an
optimal case the farmer should therefore not only consider his own goals but
also community interest.
• Factor interactions can be manipulated
• Management influences whether, when, in which direction and how intensive
interactions occur
• Management intensity is key for sustainability
• Quantity/quality/timing of inputs and extraction of outputs, speed/quality of
material turnover
- takes advantage of positive interactions
- tries to minimize/overcome negative interactions
- seeks to identify the optimal intensity level of management in the long run!

Monday, November 16, 35

Monday, November 16, 36
 Thank you for your attention!

Foto: S. Krall, GIZ, Mali, 2011

11/16/2020 Abteilung „Ländliche Entwicklung und Agrarwirtschaft" 37