Ecological principles in agricultural policy: but which principles?

Abstract

There are increasing calls to base farming and agricultural research policy on ecological principles. One such principle, the relation between crop species diversity and stability, is reviewed. Parallels are drawn between species-poor early successional vegetation and the management of annual crops by traditional farmers. Traditional management is based on the control of succession, and the exploitation of the competitive strategies characteristic of early-successional species. The existence of apparently stable pure stands in natural vegetation confirms the sound ecological strategy of simple and productive annual cropping. Farmers' ecological knowledge also encompasses the value of introduced crops and varieties. Changes are recommended in international agricultural research policy, with the need to redefine sustainability and to adopt ecological principles more relevant to annual crop production. Suggestions are made to apply specific traditional ecological knowledge of farming to agricultural research and policy.