Agroecological Farming Systems Research Articles

Effects of application of plant growth promoters, biological control agents and microbial soil additives on photosynthetic efficiency, canopy vegetation indices and yield of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)

ABSTRACT Microbial soil additives and plant biostimulants contain substances and microorganisms that can enhance stress tolerance in plants and increase the yield and quality of the crop. The interest in such inputs for sustainable and agroecological farming systems has led to the development of a range of products. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of some microbial soil additives (MSADs), plant growth promoters (PGPs) and biological control agents (BCAs) on photosynthetic efficiency, canopy vegetation indices and yield of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench), an under-utilised nutraceutical crop. The study showed that soaking the seeds in the BCAs Pythium oligandrum and Bacillus subtilis, on their own, had significant effects on the yield of the buckwheat. Increases in chlorophyll a fluorescence indices were observed in plants grown from seeds soaked in a solution containing P. oligandrum (ET0/RC) and also in soil treated with the MSAD UG Max (ABS/RC, TR0/RC). Treatment with either of the two MSADs also increased the normalised differential vegetation index (NDVI). Soaking the seeds in PGPs combined with BCAs affected only the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, whereas the combined treatment of spraying the plants with PGPs and treating the soil with MSADs affected not only the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (FV/FM, ET0/RC, DI0/RC), but also indicated a tendency for a decrease in the leaf area index (LAI) (p = 0.058) and the NDVI (p = 0.186). The correlations between grain yield, chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters and vegetation indices of the canopy were discussed.

Intercropping in Rice Farming under the System of Rice Intensification—An Agroecological Strategy for Weed Control, Better Yield, Increased Returns, and Social–Ecological Sustainability

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world’s population. In South Asia, rice farming systems provide food to the majority of the population, and agriculture is a primary source of livelihood. With the demand for nutritious food increasing, introducing innovative strategies in farming systems is imperative. In this regard, intensification of rice farming is intricately linked with the challenges of water scarcity, soil degradation, and the vagaries of climate change. Agroecological farming systems like the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) have been proposed as water-saving and sustainable ways of food production. This study examines the effect of intercropping beans with rice under SRI management on the growth of weeds and on the different plant growth parameters. Intercropping led to a 65% decrease in weed infestation on average, which is important given that weed infestation is stated as a criticism of SRI in some circles and is a major factor in limiting yield in rice-producing regions. In addition to the water savings of about 40% due to the SRI methodology, the innovation led to an increase in rice yield by 33% and an increase in the net income of farmers by 57% compared to the conventional rice farming method. The results indicate that intercropping can be a positive addition to the rice farming system, hence contributing to social–ecological sustainability.

Trace Metal Elements (Pb, Cd and As), 15N Nitrogen and Phosphorus Isotopes Accumulation in Three Varieties of Tomato from Conventional and Agro-Ecological Farming Systems in Burkina Faso

Tomato is a market gardening product that plays an important nutritional and economic role in Burkina Faso. However, the bad use of pesticides for its production could have negative impacts consumers’ health. The objective of the present study was to assess the concentration of trace metal elements (Pb, Cd and As), 15N isotopes (NO2-, NO3-, NH4+) and phosphorus (PO42-) in tomatoes according to cultivation practices. Thus, three tomato varieties (Mongal F1, F1 Cobra 26 and Roma F1) were grown using organic and conventional production methods on 2 sites at Nongr Massom, (commune of Kadiogo province). The trace metal elements were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, the isotopes 15N (NO2-, NO3-, NH4+) and phosphorus (PO43-) using standardized methods. Tomatoes from conventional agriculture had higher levels of trace metal elements (0.163 - 0.298 mg/Kg, 0.082 - 0.146 mg/Kg and 0.018 - 0.032 mg/Kg respectively for Pb, Cd and As) than those from organic agriculture samples. Concentration of trace metal is lower for organic production with a reduction of 19.02%, 19.69% and 20.77% for Pb, Cd and As respectively compared to conventional production. High levels were recorded for the Roma F1 variety. The concentrations of trace metal elements in organic production are lower than the codex standards (2010) while those in conventional production are higher. These results could be due to the use of chemical inputs that could have a negative impact on the nutritional quality of these tomatoes. The concentration of trace metal elements in tomato fruits is strongly correlated by production method and less by the variety (genetic).

The effects of agroecological farming systems on smallholder livelihoods: a case study on push–pull system from Western Kenya

ABSTRACT There is a need for scaling-up agroecology to promote sustainable agriculture at global level. Although, recent studies show that agroecological approaches can achieve both high yields and profits compared with conventional systems, the performance of other socioeconomic indicators remains unknown. This study has two objectives (i) identify the main characteristics of small-scale producers who represent the target-groups of the SDG 2; (ii) provide a comparison between push–pull and conventional farming systems of maize production to explore and possibly implement sustainable systems. In collaboration with Biovision Africa Trust, a participatory assessment framework was implemented in Western Kenya. Twenty-three farmers were selected and data were analysed showing that the push–pull contributes to social/cultural and natural/ecological capitals. In particular, push–pull farmers are more focused on socially oriented groups (75%); moreover, they cultivate smaller plots (1.9 ha) compared to conventional farmers (3.1 ha) without showing a reduction in profitability. The benefits of adopting push–pull system indicated by farmers (e.g. diminished Striga weed) are consistent with the advantages reported in relevant scientific literature. Considering the explorative nature of this study, the article makes a key contribution by pointing towards important questions for future research on agroecology in Sub-Saharan African countries.

Opportunities and barriers in diversified farming and the use of agroecological principles in the Global North – The experiences of Danish biodynamic farmers

ABSTRACT Diversification through agroecological principles may maintain and stabilize yields in an increasingly more unpredictable climate, including market price fluctuations, as well as preserve and enhance the threatened natural resource base and the environment. Based on a participatory interview process this article identifies the barriers encountered by a group of Danish biodynamic farmers striving for self-sufficient farm systems with no or very little dependency on imported materials by developing biologically, economically and socially diverse farms. Through an iterative interview process the study found that barriers outside farm management are hindering the transition toward diverse farming and that a further exploration of the need for and implications of food sovereignty in the Global North might generate the discussions needed to support implementation of more agroecological farming system practises.

Diversity and synanthropy of flies (Diptera: Calyptratae) from Ecuador, with new records for the country

The Calyptratae are one of the most diverse groups of Diptera. Some species have immature states involved in the decomposition of organic matter of animal origin (i.e., they are sarcosaprophagous). In this study, we examined the diversity and synanthropy of sarcosaprophagous calyptrates in several environmental zones of the Ecuadorian Andes. Captures were performed in an urban zone located in the Tocachi community with monocultures (MC) and polycultures (PC), a rural zone with an agroecological farming system (AFS), and a forest zone with a montane forest located in the Parque Arqueológico Cochasquí (PAC) and the Cochasquí montane forest (CMF). A total of 2,925 specimens of Calyptratae were collected, representing 38 morphotypes and 17 species. Four are new reports for Ecuador: Dolichophaonia trigona (Shannon & Del Ponte), Phaonia trispila (Bigot), Compsomyiops melloi Dear, and Calliphora lopesi Mello. CMF and PAC presented high abundance and richness, followed by AFS, MC, and PC; PAC showed the highest diversity, in contrast to lowest in MC; the evenness decreased from forest to urban zones. Species that exhibited a preference for human settlements (positive synanthropic index) included Limnophora marginata Stein, Phaonia trispila, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), Calliphora lopesi, Compsomyiops melloi, and Calliphora nigribasis Macquart. Those with a preference for uninhabited areas (negative index) included Tricharaea sp1, Sarconesiopsis magellanica (Le Guillou), and Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann).

Contribution of agroecological farming systems to the delivery of ecosystem services

Agroecology has been suggested as a promising concept for reconciling agricultural production and environmental sustainability by optimizing ecological processes that deliver ecosystem services (ES) to replace external inputs. While this statement is widely agreed upon, few assessments of real-life conditions exist that assess multiple ES simultaneously. This paper provides an assessment of seven ES based on 14 indicators in three agroecological farming systems (AFS) and thirteen of their adjacent conventional farming systems (CFS). Based on field-scale measurements spread over three years, our findings suggest that the studied AFS succeed in providing a wider array of regulating services than their neighboring CFS. Soil aggregate stability and soil respiration rates are in general more supported in AFS, which also show lower pest abundance. On the other hand, CFS show higher grain production and higher performance for two out of three fodder quality indices. While this ‘productivity gap’ may be due to the still-evolving state of the studied AFS, we nuance this through the lens of an emerging paradigm to assess farming system multi-performance. It is now argued that we need to shift from a volume-focused production system to a system that also values the ecological processes underpinning crop production and other benefits to society. Based on our findings, we recommend future work to iterate our initiative, including several indicators per service and embed these into a wider context of co-adaptive science-practice to further develop context-specific and user-useful research.

Main challenges and key features of indicator-based agroecological assessment frameworks in the context of international cooperation

Agroecology increasingly gains importance in the discussion about sustainable food systems. To facilitate the transition from conventional farming to agroecological farming, adequate methods and concepts to measure and assess impact and productivity of agroecological farming systems (AFSs) are needed, which consider their multifunctionality and other specific characteristics, here called agroecological sustainability assessment frameworks and tools (ASAFTs). In the past years, many agricultural sustainability assessment tools and frameworks were developed but their suitability and applicability to AFSs was not investigated. To close this knowledge gap, we aimed at identifying, reviewing, and discussing published ASAFTs in the context of international cooperation, providing an overview of the current challenges, needs, and requirements in assessing AFSs at the farm level with the means of indicators. Desktop and scientific database research was conducted to identify and discuss published indicator-based ASAFTs at the farm level. The analysis was based on the following four framework elements that the authors considered to be essential for ASAFTs: (1) the adaptability to local conditions all over the world, (2) the involvement of farmers in the development process, (3) the consideration of the multiple functions of an agroecosystem in the definition and measurement of its productivity, and (4) the accounting for interactions between multiple agroecosystem functions and their measurement. Only a few analyzed assessment frameworks at least partly consider these essential elements and were designed specifically for AFSs. However, our study also showed that these frameworks were (1) restricted in their geographical application scope, (2) quite heterogeneous and barely comparable, and (3) based on productivity indicators that do not fully capture the multiple functions of AFSs. Therefore, we identified the need for the development of appropriate agroecological productivity indicators and common standard or reference frameworks for assessing AFSs, which will be crucial for upscaling agroecology.

Towards an Eco-social Food System: The Shift from Industrial Agriculture to Agro-ecology in South Africa

Input-intensive industrial-scale production systems are not sustainable means of addressing issues such as food security, nutrition security and sustainable livelihoods. Several literatures suggest that the solution to world hunger is to diversify agriculture and reorient it around ecological practices. There is considerable evidence that supports agro-ecological farming system ss a viable alternative that can improve food production especially for the most vulnerable farming households. In addition, literature shows that an agro-ecology food system holds the key to increasing dietary diversity at the local level, as well as reducing the multiple health risks from industrial agriculture. This paper is aimed at discussing the benefits of agro-ecology food system and how agricultural support systems can play a role. The emphasis of the paper is the application of the agro-ecology approach in an urban/ peri-urban setting. An evaluation report of City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Food Resilience Programme Evaluation unpublished report (2016), shows that very few households engage in gardening/ urban agriculture either in their backyards or nearby open spaces due to the following reasons; strict city by-laws, no access to land, no knowledge of innovative/alternative farming practices lack of interest and limited resources.

Transitioning to Sustainable Agriculture Requires Growing and Sustaining an Ecologically Skilled Workforce

In the face of rapidly advancing climate change, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity, it is clear that global agriculture must swiftly and decisively shift toward sustainability. Fortunately, farmers and researchers have developed a thoroughly studied pathway to this transition: agroecological farming systems that mimic natural ecosystems, creating tightly coupled cycles of energy, water, and nutrients. A critical and underappreciated feature of agroecological systems is that they replace fossil fuel- and chemical-intensive management with knowledge-intensive management. Hence, the greatest sustainability challenge for agriculture may well be that of replacing non-renewable resources with ecologically-skilled people, and doing so in ways that create and support desirable rural livelihoods. Yet over the past century, US agriculture has been trending in the opposite direction, rapidly replacing knowledgeable people with non-renewable resources and eroding rural economies in the process. Below, we suggest how US policy could pivot to enable and support the ecologically skilled workforce needed to achieve food security in the face of climate change.

Autumnal Cultivation of Energetic Plants in Agroecological No-tillage System in Southern Brazil

Cropping energetic plants could provide soil protection, additional incomes to farmers and suppress weed development without loss of food production. It also contributes to the development of no-tillage cultivation in agroecological farming system. Energetic plants such as: sunflower, crambe, canola and safflower were evaluated in no-tillage agroecological farming in autumnal planting, after soybean crop. Higher plant heights were observed in sunflower, flowering [46 days after emergency (dae)] and harvest (108 dae) was first observed in crambe plants. Intermediate earliness was observed in the sunflower (61 and 136 dae, respectively). Biomass was found greater in the sunflower compared to safflower or canola. Intermediate values were obtained for crambe plants. Greater grain and oil yields were found in descending order in sunflower, crambe, canola and cartamo. Despite the drought period occurred during crop development, sunflower and crambe yields were similar or even higher to means, than yields of these same crops in conventional fields in Brazil. Sunflower and crambe were the best options to take part in succession/rotation system after soybean spring/summer crop.

The economic potential of agroecology: Empirical evidence from Europe

This article discusses the economic dimensions of agroecological farming systems in Europe. It firstly theoretically elaborates the reasons why, and under what conditions, agroecological farming systems have the potential to produce higher incomes than farms that follow the conventional logic. This theoretical exposition is then followed by a presentation of empirical material from a wide range of European countries that shows the extent to which this potential is being realized. The empirical data draw upon different styles of farming that can be described as ‘proto-agroecological’: approaches to farming that are agroecological by nature, but which may not necessarily explicitly define themselves as agroecological. The empirical material that we present shows the huge potential and radical opportunities that Europe's, often silent, ‘agroecological turn’ offers to farmers that could (and should) be the basis for the future transformation of European agricultural policies, since agroecology not only allows for more sustainable production of healthier food but also considerably improves farmers' incomes. It equally carries the promise of re-enlarging productive agricultural (and related) employment and increasing the total income generated by the agricultural sector, at both regional and national levels. While we recognise that agroecology is a worldwide and multidimensional phenomenon we have chosen to limit this analysis to Europe and the economic dimension. This choice is made in order to refute current discourses that represent agroecology as unproductive and unprofitable and an option that would require massive subsidies. • Throughout Europe a range of proto-agroecological practices can be identified. . • Agroecology carries considerable economic potential: it sustains employment levels and increases incomers. . • The VA/GVP ratio helps to explain the strength of agroecological farming. • Agroecological farming is key to the much needed transformation of European agriculture.

Exterminator Genes: The Right to Say No to Ethics Dumping

The scientific-industrial complex is promoting a new wave of genetically modified organisms, in particular gene drive organisms, using the same hype with which they tried to persuade society that GMOs would be a magic bullet to solve world hunger. The Gates Foundation claims that GDOs could help wipe out diseases such as malaria. Powerful conservation lobby groups claim GDOs will protect engendered species. Not only are the benefits from GDOs based, like their predecessors, on flawed ecological thinking, but they are backed by the same agri-business interests that have devastated agroecological farming systems. The rights of communities to say ‘no’ to new genetic technologies is being eroded, despite United Nations agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, which call for the free, prior and informed consent of affected communities to be respected. By exporting their field trials to countries with weak regulatory regimes and lowering of the standards of consent the Gates Foundation’s Target Malaria project has already been guilty of ethics dumping. These developments demonstrate the urgent need to democratize the development of new technologies.

A robustness-based viewpoint on the production-ecology trade-off in agroecosystems

The intrinsic variability of the ecological functions underlying agroecological farming systems calls for a discussion on their robustness, i.e. their ability to maintain their performances in spite of environmental uncertainties. In this study, we apply the mathematical framework of the viability theory to assess three dimensions of robustness in relation with the production and ecological objectives in three contrasted case studies. Our results first show that robustness towards production and ecological constraints follows similar patterns across case-studies. We moreover show that robustness does not conflict with the production-ecological trade-off for the 3 case studies. From the management standpoint, this means that including the robustness criterion in the analysis helps reducing the set of possible options while ensuring the highest probability of success of the management scenarios chosen.

Seroprevalence of Porcine Cysticercosis in Ludewa District, Njombe, Tanzania

Small-scale subsistence farmers keep over 80% of the pigs in Tanzania as a backyard activity in mixed agro-ecological farming systems under unhygienic conditions that risk persistency of zoonoses including Taenia solium cysticercosis. Pig production and demand for pork has tremendously increased in Tanzanian townships and major cities. Rural areas are the main sources of pigs and pork and that the business is jeopardized by the presence of porcine cysticercosis (PC). Ludewa district is one of the PC unsurveyed sources of pork in townships and cities in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to assess the status of PC in Ludewa district, Tanzania. Auricular venous blood samples were collected from pigs in households for seroprevalence analysis of PC. In this study, 10.07% (95% C.I. 06.86% - 14.47%) of the collected 268 serum samples tested positive in the cysticercosis antigen enzyme-linked immune-sorbent (Ag ELISA) assay. PC infection rate was 10.71% (n = 24) in adult pigs and 6.82% (n = 3) in piglets. PC infection between adult pigs and piglets was not statistically significant (OR = 0.6108; 95% C.I. 0.1125 - 2.1575), p = 0.5877). The highest and lowest number of PC positive cases were detected in Mapogoro (n = 16, 13.91%, 95% C.I. 8.41 - 21.91) and Ludewa Mjini (n = 6, 6.67%, 95% C.I. 2.74 - 14.50) villages respectively. The Chi-Square test indicated no significant statistical difference in the status of PC infection between the three villages (p = 0.1881) involved in this study. PC prevalence in the study area indicates the presence of T. solium tapeworm human carriers and environmental contamination by T. solium eggs. This is the first survey to reveal the prevalence of PC in Ludewa district and therefore calls for further studies on the magnitude, economic and public health impacts of taeniasis and cysticercosis in the human population. The result of this study is also important in the determination of effective control measures of cysticercosis.

Exploring Agroecological Sustainability: Unearthing Innovators and Documenting a Community of Practice in Southeast Australia

ABSTRACTIn this article we describe a movement to regenerate and sustainably use native grasslands using innovative grazing and cropping strategies. We find that this movement has the essential characteristics of a “community of practice” (COP) and is a strong example of a bottom-up transition toward a sustainable agroecological farming system. This COP was identified and described using participatory rural appraisals followed by biophysical and sociocultural studies with active COP members. Using these multiple mixed-method approaches helped characterize the COP’s many layers, revealing how and why it is driven and fashioned by innovators who collaborate via joint enterprise, mutual engagement, and shared repertoire. Holistic Management, Grazing for Profit, and Stipa Native Grasses Association were the key enabling programs/associations for the COP, which, like other agroecological movements, exists on the margins of conventional agri-innovation systems and endures with little public acknowledgment or support. It is a potent grass-roots example of adaptive farm management that generates optimism in the farming families involved, and challenges existing research and extension paradigms regarding both innovation and practice change.

Agroecology: A Global Paradigm to Challenge Mainstream Industrial Agriculture

Considerable controversy continues to exist in scientific and policy circles about how to tackle issues of global hunger, malnutrition, and rural economic decline, as well as environmental issues, such as biodiversity loss and climate change adaptation. On the one hand, powerful vested interests, with close ties to government, media, and academic institutions, propose high-input technology-based solutions, speculative and neoliberal “market-based” solutions, and export-oriented agricultural models. On the other hand, an international scientific and grassroots Food Movement has emerged, calling for a redesign of the Global Food System in support of small-scale agroecological farming systems. A call to re-evaluate our current Food Systems was made in 2008 by the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). Here, using the IAASTD study as a backdrop, we review the recent literature to outline key contentious points in the controversy between the need for high-input and “techno-based” versus agroecological farming models. A critical assessment is made of proposed strategies to protect soil resources, improve nutrient and energy cycles, protect agrobiodiversity, and promote social well-being in rural communities. With an increase in the number of affluent consumers (i.e., the middle class) in the developing world, and with the continued problem of extreme and chronic poverty with other larger sectors of society, Organic Farming and Agroecology models are put forward as a sound social, scientific, and rural development strategy.

Onion yield under agroecological farming system using distinct irrigation depths and soil covers

ABSTRACT: The present study was carried out in order to evaluate the effects of irrigation depths applied through drip and presence/absence of soil cover in onion yield, under agroecological farming. The experiment was conducted in Seropédica, RJ, Brazil, from May to September 2012. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with split-plot design with 10 treatments and 7 replications, characterized by the presence (+S) and absence (-S) of soil cover and five irrigation depths according to percentages of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc): 0, 22, 45, 75 and 100% (0, 155, 220.6, 320.5 and 372,7mm in +S condition and 0, 145.5, 207.6, 285, 351,4mm in -S condition). The irrigation influenced by second-order polynomial regression the total yield of bulbs, percentage distribution of bulbs in diameter classes and water use efficiency (WUE) in the -S condition, and in the linear regression the WUE in +S condition. The soil cover promoted an increase on the total bulb yield, WUE and the percentage of bulbs classified in classes of greater diameter.

Seed Sovereignty in Africa: Challenges and opportunities

A fierce battle is currently being waged over Africa’s seed systems. In recent years, the private seed industry has made dramatic gains in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and numerous private and public interventions are underway to restructure and ‘modernize’ seed systems, underpinned by the Green Revolution narrative. Key strategies of civil society groups have centred on supporting agro-ecological farming systems that integrate, strengthen and validate farmer-managed seed systems. As the majority of seed cultivated on the continent is saved on farms, exchanged and locally traded by farmers, this provides a solid base for alternative seed sovereignty systems to thrive outside the credit and corporate market.

Transitions to agroecological farming systems in the Mississippi River Basin: toward an integrated socioecological analysis

Industrial agriculture has extensive environmental and social costs, and efforts to create alternative farming systems are widespread if not yet widely successful. This study explored how a set of grain farmers and rotational graziers in Iowa transitioned to agroecological management practices. Our focus on the resources and strategies that farmers mobilized to develop opportunities for, and overcome barriers to, transitioning to alternative practices allows us to go beyond the existing literature focused on why farmers transition. We attend to both the ecological and socioeconomic context of innovation by comparing processes of technical change in two contrasting regions of Iowa. Farmers cultivated farm-level biodiversity and enterprise diversity, developed new cognitive and psychological competencies, and overcame barriers to innovation by developing external network linkages with peers, knowledge organizations, and federal policies. Our research provides insights into how biophysical, cognitive, structural and market considerations can be integrated into research efforts that aim to make sense of innovation toward sustainable agriculture.