Governance of Ecosystem Services in Agroecology: When Coordination is Needed but Difficult to Achieve

Nicolas Salliou,Roldan Muradian,Cécile Barnaud

doi:10.3390/su11041158

Abstract

Transitioning towards agroecology involves the integration of biodiversity based ecosystem services into farming systems: for example, relying on biological pest control rather than pesticides. One promising approach for pest control relies on the conservation of semi-natural habitats at the landscape scale to encourage natural enemies of insect pests. However, this approach may require coordination between farmers to manage the interdependencies between the providers and beneficiaries of this ecosystem service. The main objective of this study was to identify hindrances to landscape-scale coordination strategies to control pests. To this end, we used a theoretical framework specifically designed to explore social interdependencies linked to ecosystem services. We applied this framework to a participatory research case study on pest control in apple orchards in southwest France to identify and describe key obstacles. We found four main impediments: (1) The perception of most stakeholders that the landscape does not deliver significant pest control services, (2) the challenge of coping with agroecological uncertainties, (3) an integrated vertical supply chain focused on pesticide use, (4) the existence of independent, non-collective alternatives. We discuss the potential of overcoming these obstacles or turning them into opportunities that promote a transition to agroecology and the integration of ecosystem services in farms and their supply chains.

Highlights

The integration of biodiversity-related ecosystem services into farming systems is central to the transition towards more agroecological ways of farming [1,2]
Based on an analysis of these social interdependencies, we identified four main hindrances to the use of semi-natural habitats (SNH) in landscape composition to promote biological pest control
This shows that many farmers are aware that SNH have an influence on insects, but they mostly associate their impact with pest enhancement

Summary

Introduction

The integration of biodiversity-related ecosystem services into farming systems is central to the transition towards more agroecological ways of farming [1,2]. One promising example is biological pest control, an ancient agroecological approach that consists of making use of certain organisms to control others. Transitioning towards more agroecological ways of farming is challenging, as many farmers still favor an approach based on ecosystem simplification (e.g., monoculture) and intensive use of inputs, despite negative consequences for a wide range of ecosystem services [1]. It is increasingly acknowledged that the use of pesticides and the simplification of farming systems lead to lower levels of biological pest control [5,6]. While pesticide use could be reduced or replaced by increased biological pest control [7], its substitution on the ground can confront a variety of behavioral, institutional and technical barriers

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion