Varied and Sustainable instead of Simple and Conflicted

Created by Lukas Maschek | |   Research

Agricultural systems are as diverse as the landscapes in which they are embedded. In their latest study, Anil Shrestha and David Horwitz provide an overview of the diversity of ecologically based and ‘unconventional’ agricultural systems. The aim is to highlight similarities and differences without making a judgemental comparison of the individual systems.

Since the 1960s, the Green Revolution has led to a significant increase in food production and food security. The downside of this development is a drastic increase in monocultures, land degradation and social inequalities over the same period, coupled with an unprecedented decline in biodiversity. As a result, the need for ecologically sustainable agricultural systems has been growing; the alternatives to conventional agriculture are becoming more numerous.

The following non-conventional farming systems were considered for this study:

  1. Agroecology: integration of research, education and social dynamics according to the principles of ecology.
  2. Regenerative Agriculture: focus on restoring soil fertility using ecological methods.
  3. Holistic Management: use of grazing systems to improve soils as well as the social and economic health of communities
  4. Carbon Farming: focus on increasing carbon storage in the soil, often in combination with CO2 certificates.
  5. Organic Farming: Certified system that avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and increases the humus content in the soil.
  6. Permaculture: a system based on circular economics that attempts to imitate natural ecosystems.
  7. Biodynamic Agriculture: Holistic approach focussing on the use of natural resources and existing biodiversity to promote soil fertility.
  8. Conservation Agriculture: minimising soil cultivation with the aim of promoting biodiversity and using existing resources more efficiently.

The authors of the study are not seeking to determine which of these systems is the best. All of the agricultural systems mentioned promote environmental protection and the health of soil, plants and animals, while at the same time reducing external inputs. They minimise the use of chemicals, use natural resources whenever possible and increase both soil fertility and biodiversity. In this way, they help to make food production sustainable and resource-efficient.

Commentary
A key question is whether these ‘unconventional’ agricultural systems are able to feed a growing world population. However, there is no question that current conventional agriculture does not use existing resources sustainably and, for example, reduces biodiversity and soil fertility. It is therefore essential to base food security on systems that function sustainably and not just in the short term. As the oldest representative of the methods listed and as the forerunner of Organic Agriculture, Biodynamic Agriculture has a special role to play in two respects: firstly as a pioneer of sustainable agriculture in the modern age, and secondly as a bridge-builder between the material aspects of food security and the philosophical and spiritual approaches of ecology.

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