Agroecology Lecture 2

PRINCIPLES AND FUNDAMENTAL

OF AGROECOLOGY
 Highlights of the Lecture

Meaning of Agroecology
What is Agroecosystems
Fundamentals of Agroecology
Principles of Agroecology
 What is Agroecology?
“Agro” = agriculture, “Ecology” = study
of relationship between living things and
environment
Agroecology is the study of relation of
agricultural crops and the environment
An agroecologist would study
agriculture's various relationships with
soil health, water quality, air quality,
meso- and micro-fauna, surrounding
flora, environmental toxins, and other
envirnomental contexts.
 Agroecology
Agroecology is concerned with the
maintenance of a productive agriculture
that sustains yields and optimizes the use
of local resources while minimizing the
negative environmental and socio-
economic impacts of modern technologies
Why Agroecological studies
are needed
In developing countries, in addition to
promoting environmental degradation,
modern agricultural technologies bypasses
the circumstances and socio-economic
needs of large numbers of resource-poor
farmers.
In industrial countries, modern agriculture
with its yield maximizing high-input
technologies generates environmental and
health problems that often do not serve the
needs of producers and consumers.
 Things to consider
The main focus should lie on the
reduction of agrochemical inputs
through changes in management i.e.
using organic nutrient sources and
integrated pest management.
Instead of focusing on one particular
component of the agroecosystem, it
should focus on all agroecosystem
components and the complex dynamics
of ecological processes.
 An example
An area used for agricultural production,
e.g. a field, is seen as a complex system in
which ecological processes also occur,
e.g. nutrient cycling, predator/prey
interactions, competition, symbiosis and
successional changes. In agroecological
research by understanding these
ecological relationships and processes,
agroecosystems are manipulated to
improve production and to produce more
sustainably, with fewer negative
environmental or social impacts and fewer
external inputs.
 Agroecosystems
Agroecosystems are communities of plants
and animals interacting with their physical and
chemical environments that have been
modified by people to produce food, fibre, fuel
and other products for human consumption
and processing

Sustainable Agroecosystems include the

following -
Maintain their natural resource base.
Rely on minimum artificial inputs from outside the
farm system.
Manage pests and diseases through internal
regulating mechanisms.
Recover from the disturbances caused by cultivation
and harvest.
Agroecosystems assessment
Agroecology model indicating physical environmental
controls and set of land use options
 Goal of Agroecological
design
The ultimate goal of agroecological design
is to integrate components so that overall
biological efficiency is improved,
biodiversity is preserved, and the
agroecosystem productivity and its self-
sustaining capacity is maintained
The goal is to design an agroecosystem
that mimics the structure and function of
local natural ecosystems; that is, a system
with high species diversity and a
biologically active soil, one that promotes
natural pest control, nutrient recycling and
high soil cover to prevent resource losses
 Table 1. Ecological processes to optimize in
agroecosystems
 Strengthen the immune system (proper functioning of
natural pest control)
 Decrease toxicity through elimination of
agrochemicals
 Optimize metabolic function (organic matter
decomposition and nutrient cycling)
 Balance regulatory systems (nutrient cycles, water
balance, energy flow, population regulation, etc.)
 Enhance conservation and regeneration of soil-water
resources and biodiversity
 Increase and sustain long-term productivity
Table 2. Mechanisms to improve agroecosystem immunity

 Increase of plant species and genetic diversity in time

and space.
 Enhancement of functional biodiversity (natural
enemies, antagonists etc.)
 Enhancement of soil organic matter and biological
activity
 Increase of soil cover and crop competitive ability
 Elimination of toxic inputs and residues
Principles of Agroecology (1)
Use Renewable Resources
Use renewable sources of energy instead of
non-renewable sources.
Use biological nitrogen fixation.
Use naturally-occurring materials instead of
synthetic, manufactured inputs.
Use on-farm resources as much as possible.
Recycle on-farm nutrients.
Minimize Toxics
Reduce or eliminate the use of materials that
have the potential to harm the environment or
the health of farmers, farm workers, or
consumers.
Minimize Toxics
Use farming practices that reduce or eliminate
environmental pollution with nitrates, toxic
gases, or other materials generated by
burning or overloading agroecosystems with
nutrients.
Conserve Soil
Sustain soil nutrient and organic matter
stocks.
Minimize erosion.
use perennials
use no-till or reduced tillage methods.
mulch.
Conserve Water
Practice Dry farming
Use efficient irrigation systems.
Conserve Energy
Use energy efficient technologies.
Conserve genetic resources
Save seed.
Maintain local landraces.
Use heirloom varieties.
Conserve Capital
Keep bank debt to a minimum.
Reduce expenditures.
Manage Ecological Relationships
Re-establish ecological relationships that
can occur naturally on the farm instead
of reducing and simplifying them.
Manage pests, diseases, and weeds
instead of “controlling” them.
Use intercropping and cover cropping
Integrate Livestock
Enhance beneficial biota
In soils
– mycorrhizae
– Rhizobia
– free-living nitrogen fixers
 Beneficial insects
Provide refugia for beneficials.
Enhance benefial populations by breed and
release programs.
Recycle Nutrients
Shift from throughflow nutrient
management to recycling of nutrients.
Return crop residues and manures to
soils.
When outside inputs are necessary,
sustain their benefits by recycling them.
 Minimize Disturbance
Use reduced tillage or no-till methods.
Use mulches.
Use perennials
Adjust to Local Environments
Match cropping patterns to the
productive potential and physical
limitations of the farm landscape.
Adapt Biota
adapt plants and animals to the ecological
conditions of the farm rather than modifying
the farm to meet the needs of the crops and
animals.
Diversify
Landscapes
Maintain undisturbed areas as buffer zones.
Use contour and strip tillage.
Maintain riparian buffer zones.
Use rotational grazing.
Biota
Intercrop.
Rotate crops.
Use polyculture.
Integrate animals in system.
Use multiple species of crops and animals
on farm.
Use multiple varieties and landraces of
crops and animals on farm.
Diversify
Economics
Avoid dependence on single crops/products.
Use alternative markets.
Organic markets.
Community Supported Agriculture
"Pick your own" marketing.
Add value to agricultural products.
Process foods before selling them.
Find alternative incomes.
Agrotourism
Avoid dependence on external subsidies.
Use multiple crops to diversify seasonal
timing of production over the year.
Maximize Long-Term Benefits
maximize intergenerational benefits, not
just annual profits.
maximize livelihoods and quality of life in
rural areas.
facilitate generational transfers.
Use long-term strategies.
develop plans that can be adjusted and
reevaluated through time.
Incorporate long-term sustainability into
overall agroecosystem design and
management.
Build soil fertility over the long-term.
build soil organic matter.
Value Health
Human Health
Cultural Health
Environmental Health
Value most highly the overall health of
agroecosystems rather than the outcome of
a particular crop system or season.
Eliminate environmental pollution by toxics
and surplus nutrients.
Animal Health
Plant Health