Transition toward Agroecology among Family Farmers: Crop Protection Practices

Abstract

Over the centuries, generations of family farmers have developed complex, diversified, and locally adapted agricultural systems, managed with ingenious combinations of agricultural practices tested over time, ensuring the nutrition of rural communities and the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity. Crop protection practices among family farmers are at the corner of their success, and in many cases, agroecological practices ensure the success and resilience of the system. Nevertheless, since the last century, family farmers are using curative protection measures to control pests, diseases, and weeds, particularly using pesticides, increasing the risk of its use to the farmer, the consumer, and the environment. Therefore, it seems important to know the crop protection practices adopted by small family farmers, the closeness of these practices to agroecology and to recognize the examples of innovation in crop protection through agroecology among such universe of farmers.