Former Chair Professor - Farming Systems Ecology Group Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Sustainable agricultural production and agroecology

Pablo TittonellNational Coordinator Natural Resources and the Environment, INTA, Argentina

Ecological intensification of agricultural landscapes

Akker Naar Bos Congres – Bemmel, 9 December 2016

The intensification discourse

The world’s population will grow to 9 billion by mid-century, putting substantial demands on the planet’s food supply. To meet these growing demands, we will need to grow almost twice as much food by 2050 as we do today. And that means we’ll need to use genetically modified crops and other advanced technologies to produce this additional food. It’s a race to feed the world, and we had better get started.wrong diagnosis = wrong solution

Hunger is not caused by scarcity, it’s

caused by poverty and inequality

By 2050:• Population is expected to grow by 28%, from 7 to 9 billon• Most of the growth expected in poorest regions (diets below average)• About 3 to 4 billon people to eat better diets (mainly China and India)• Food habits: plant based diet, less waste• We have choices!

Where does the ‘doubling production’ discourse come from?

False advocacy!

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Oman

NL BE

Contribution to world production (%)

Average yield per country (t ha-1)

50

100

75

25

KuwaitNZ

USA

China

Western Europe

S KoreaEgypt

Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia & Central America

Vietnam

India

12.5%

Turkey

Australia

Argentina

3.1

Brazil

UkraineMexico

0.2%

Source: FAOSTAT 2014

15%

1.3 t/ha

Low yi

eld countri

es

High yi

eld countri

es

178 Mha

86 Mha

Land available

Food security requires local solutions to a global problem

American corn

belt

Rural Malawi

Biofuels

Food security

Availability Access Stability Utilisation

Increasing homogeneity in global food supply (Khoury et al., 2014)

Red Meat

Fish

Milk

Fruit

Nuts and Seeds

Vegetables

Whole grains

Globally available food (% of what we need)

568%

100%154%

Murray (2014) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

89%42%66%51%

148%

Agroforestry

Photo credits: Project SAFE (INRA 2005) and P. Tittonell

Crop-livestock integration

Intensive smallholder dairy in Kenya (P. Tittonell 2005)

Nutrition-sensitive landscapes

Bulozi, Zambia

Yes…

Need to produce more food?

but not anywhere, and not at any cost!

Sustainability

Hard targets vs. soft targets

How do we make such a soft concept operational? Dimensions (Brundtland): social, environmental, economic

Indices: semi-quantitative assessments, scores, rankings

Indicators: principles, reference values, thresholds

The planetary boundaries

Any form of agricultural intensification that contributes to trespassing these boundaries, and/or that jeopardizes the ability of future generations to feed themselves can be considered unsustainable

Axiom

The intensification treadmill

The pesticide treadmill

The intensification treadmill

African bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera)

The Bt treadmill

Figure 1. Frequencies of cry2Ab resistance alleles in H. punctigera from cropping populations.

Recognizing that protoxins can be more potent than activated toxins against resistant insects may help to enhance and sustain the efficacy of transgenic Bt crops.

Herbicide use increases and resistance is widespread

Return to older, more problematic herbicidesStacked traits and new recommendations will increase total herbicide use

Facilitates resistance by increasing selection pressure

Critical juncture for sustainable weed mgmt.

Integrated weed

management

Replace more-toxic herbicides Reduce total amount of herbicide use

Simplify and improve weed managementUnlikely weeds would develop resistance

Herbicide-resistant weeds

Dave MortensenEcology Inter College Graduate Degree Program and

Department of Plant Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, dmortensen@psu.edu

Moving forward

- or -

backward?

Herbicide-resistant weeds

Ecological intensification:

Gradual replacement of non-renewable resources and toxines by

ecological processes to increase sustainability

Biodiversity, landscapes and ecosystem services

16

Sense of place

RecreationCr

ops

Meat

Fuel/W

ood

Pollination

Soil C sequest

Water r

etention Aesthetic values

Social relations

Security safe food

Inco

me

Assets (land/

livestock/house)

Household

goods

Mental health

Secu

rity -

Safe

envir

onment

Freedom of choice

Physical health

Farm

ers

Retailors

Food consum

ers

Non-farmer

residents

TouristsProcessing food

industry

Seed and breed

companies

Loca

l mark

ets

Nature

conse

rvationist

s

Ecosystem services

Benefits to human well-being

Beneficiaries

Queiroz et al., 2015

ES bundlesEcosystem services and their spatial characteristics (Costanza, 2008)

Source habitat

Sink habitat

Built-in corridors

Natural corridors

Habitat management in agricultural landscapes

Ecological infrastructure in agricultural landscapes

Effect of habitat loss is more important than the effect of pesticide use

Before pesticide application

Crop

After pesticide application

Border BorderCrop

Pre

dato

r abu

ndan

ce (#

)

Predator abundance (Varni et al., 2007)

Granivore foliage gleaners

Ground nesting Granivore foliage gleaners

Insectivore foliage gleaners

Insectivore aerial foragers and salliers

Occupancy

Goijman, 2014

Estructura del borde vs. diversidad de artrópodos consumidos

Coun

ts

How to design an ideal landscape? (Zaccagnini et al., 2014)

Landscape-level innovation

Ecosystem services from linear landscape elements

Spatial and temporal heterogeneity

Greater species diversity (Zacagnnini et al., 2013)

Homogeneous

HeterogeneousMammalsAmphibiansBirdsArthropods

Rich

ness

Co-creating knowledge

Ekoland Innovatieprij

s 2013

High yielding organic cereal production in The Netherlands

Practice Planting density

Weight 1000 seeds

Plants/m2 at tillering

Ears/m2 Grain yield (t/ha)

Current 200 52 111 277 6.7

Adapted 60 60 84 317 7.7

Adapting management practices for organic wheat

Co-innovation: a dialogue of wisdoms

Agroecological Farm La Aurora (Argentina)

Beef production (kg/ha)

Wheat production (kg/ha)Production costs (US$/ha)

zamora.martín@inta.gob.ar

Cels: 2983 509167 ; 11 6794 1152

Reproducing La Aurora’s system under controlled conditions

Mixed farming systems

Ruta

nac

iona

l Nº

3

Agroecological

management

Area under current management

Oats/ Vicia/ red clover

2013 Oats

Sorghum/ soy2011/12

Soy

Durum wheat/ red clover

2012Durum wheat

Oats/ Vicia2011

Oats

Current (high input)

Agroecological

Siembra de Sorgo2013/14

Agroecológico

Sorghum2013/14

Soybean 2013/2014

Current (high input)

Agroecological

Trigo candeal (2 variedades) + Trébol rojo

2014

Trigo candeal 2014

Actual. Altos insumos

Agroecológico

Avena, Vicia Alfalfa, Trébol Rojo 2015

Avena2015Year Crop Produce Yield (kg/ha) Crop Produce Yield (kg/ha)

2011 Oats-vicia Beef 147 Oats Beef 100

2011/12 Sorghum-soy Beef 163 Soybean Grain 1200

2012Durum

wheat+ Red clover

Grain 2900 Durum wheat Grain 3600

2013 Oats-vicia Beef 305 Oats Beef 467

2013/14 Sorghum Beef 94 Soybeans Grain 0*

2014 Durum wheat + Red clover Grain 3800 Durum wheat Grain 3800

2015 Oats-vicia Beef 305 Oats Beef 227

Year Agroecológico Actual

Crop diversity11

(Av/Vicia/Sgo/Sj/Mz/Trigo candeal/trigo pan/Trébol rojo/Alfalfa/Festuca)

4 (Av/Vicia/Sj/Trigo candeal)

Use of herbicides 1 l/ha Glifosato - 1200 cc MCPA - 80 cc dicamba - 700 cc Bromoxinil

27,5 l/ha - 1000 cc axial - 160 cc Dicamba + 18,4 g Metsulfuron - 500 cc 2,4-D -100 cc

Tordon

Nr of applications 3 18

Inoculants 9 veces (Micorrizas, Pseudomonas, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Rizobium

meliilotii) 2 veces (Bradyrhizobium japonicum)

Urea 0 590 kg/ha

DAP 390 kg/ha 410 kg/ha

Rye husks 1500 kg/ha 0

AgroecologicalCurrent (high

input)

Ingreso Neto Costo Directo Margen Bruto0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

3390

1346

2045

3056

2219

838

AGROE ACTUAL

U$S/

ha

Economic results

Less energy costs

How do we get out of the “niche”?

Rice-ducks-fish-azolla - Indonesia

Khumairoh et al., 2012

Building upon local agroecological knowledge

Rice yield (t ha-1) at increasing levels of complexity

Assessing greenhouse gas emissions (T. del Rio, 2014)

Air ammonia concentration at 3 sampling dates

Nutritional ‘carrying capacity’ of each system(G. Garnacho Alemany, 2014)

Large scale rice-fish polycultures (Argentina)• 900 ha rice-fish system (and growing)• Use of a local fish species (Pacú)• Water and nutrient recycling• Agrochemical-free rice (9 t/ha)• Native grasses to outcompete weeds (Echinocloa)• Processing and cooling facilities

• Challenge: reduce dependence on sojabean

A conventional farmer purchasing pesticides

An agroecological farmer inspecting his intercrop

Comunicación e imágen

Photo: Steve Sherwood Photo: Clarin Rural

Estancia Laguna Blanca, Entre Rios, ArgentinaEcological farming on 3000 ha

Agroecology can also be high-tech!

e.g. nanotechnology solutions

Tools

Four action areas to support transitions

DialogueEvidence

Practice change Guidance

PoliciesRegulationsStandardsFinancing

InclusivenessJoint actionHomologate metricsNegotiate tradeoffs

Awareness raisingInnovation networksEfficient/solidary marketsCapacity building Institutions

Co-creation of knowledgeImpact assessmentForesight/monitoringOptions and IndicatorsCapacity building

Virtuous circle

Thanks for your attention

www.concienciaambiental.org

www.pablotittonell.net

Pablo TittonellCoordinador Programa Nacional Recursos Naturales, Gestión Ambiental y EcorregionesInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) EEA Bariloche Modesta Vitoria 4450, CC 2778400 San Carlos de BarilocheRío Negro, ArgentinaTittonell.pablo@inta.gob.ar www.agroecologycourses.org  

WikiLeaks: Monsanto recruits scientists as lobbyists!

Philip Morris vs. Uruguay

Switzerland-based tobacco giant is suing Uruguay over cigarette packaging restrictions

(limits on space for branding unfairly infringes on intellectual property rights)

Before After

Minas Gerais, Brazil

Extreme poverty (%) in Brazil, 1990-2008

FAO, 2010

Zero hunger program

Targeted actionsA national policy on agroecology

“People in China, who with brain and brawn, have successfully and continuously sustained

large families on small areas without impoverishing their soil. ”

580 600 620 640

214

305 407

505 431

531

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1961 1969 1977 1985 1993 2001 2009 2017 2025

Gra

in (m

illio

n to

n)

Year

Grain demand

Grain production

Population

The challenge of feeding an increasingly urban population张强

黑龙江农科院中国农大

吉林农科院

吉林农大

中国农大中国农大

中国农大 河北农科院

河北农大山东农大

青岛农大南京农大安徽科技学院 安徽农科院浙大

华中农大

南亚所中国农大

海南大学

四川农科院

西南大学

山西农科院内蒙古农大

西北农林大学

甘肃农科院

石河子大学

河南农大

云南农大

已建小院 23

在建小院 13

四川农大

广西大学

Stepwise approach: productivity, efficiency, incomes, diversification

Fu-Suo Zhang

Images were taken in March 27, 2004

0.1 to 0.3 ha per family

Credits: F. Zhang

The case of China

Ecosystem services in the Norrström basin

39

Mapping bundles of ecosystem services in the Norrström basin, Sweden

Queiroz et al., 2015

Land sharing vs. land sparing

Optimisation

Technical innovation

Insti

tutio

nal i

nnov

ation

Current

systems

Eco-

efficiency

Input

substitution

Systems

re-design

Agro-

ecological

landscapes &

food systems

Co-evolution of social organisations

Regulations

Critical transition

zone (vulnerability)

Consumer drive

Territorial development

Towards sustainable food systems…

Ecosystem servicesThe ´cascade´ model (Haines-Young and Potschin, 2009)

Intermediate and final services (Fisher and Turner, 2009)

Biophysical structures or

processes Ecological functions

Ecosystem services

Benefits (Value)Intermediate products

Final products

Intermediate services Final services Benefitse.g.Water regulationPollinationSoil formation

e.g. Clean water provisionConstant flowStorm regulation

e.g. Drinking waterRecreationProperty protection

Ecosystem services and their spatial characteristics (Costanza, 2008)

A tipping point?

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 20150

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Argentina Brazil

L ha

-1 y

r-1Use of agrochemicals (FAO Stat)

Agrochemical use in Argentina (1997-2013) CASAFE