Exploring the combination of agroecological and conventional farming practices through the hybrid farming concept

Abstract

ABSTRACT Substantial improvements in resource-use efficiency and conservation are required to fulfill the rising and evolving global food demand, while addressing environmental degradation issues. Agroecology has emerged as a promising pathway to tackle these challenges. A binary stance often prevails in traditional discussions on agricultural transitions, where conventional farming is pitted against agroecological cropping. The reality is that farming practices blend conventional and agroecological features, hence are hybrid. Here we propose a conceptual representation of hybrid farming, that combines diverse farming practices from contrasting agricultural models, aiming to meet production goals. A schematic representation is provided and illustrated by a case study located in the Merguellil downstream plain region in central Tunisia. Hybrid farming involves multiple combinations of agroecological and conventional farming practices with a range of different outlooks and objectives. In the case study, farmers implemented these combinations to increase their income and mitigate risks. The blend of practices used in hybrid farming is not static and can be ever-changing. Various factors, such as shifting socioeconomic and environmental conditions, market trends and interactions with upstream and downstream supply chains fuel this dynamism.