Agroecology for People and the Environment

The so-called ''Green Revolutions'' produced the dominant agricultural model of today. It is both capital and technology intensive and operated by multinational companies in large estates. It tends to exclude traditional, small crop farmers and, over the last century, provoked an unprecedented rural exodus which has negative impacts on both the countryside and cities. While this model significantly increased agricultural performance in terms of yields, it relies heavily on ever-larger inputs (fertilizers, pesticides...) and irrigation water, which has already passed the point of diminishing returns in many regions (Altieri, 2005). More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the increase in world food supplies did not reduce the number of people undernourished, which only fell by ''80 million, from 920 million to 840 million between the late 1960s and the early 1990s''. The FAO's Regional Overview of Food Security And Nutrition published in November 2017 has reported that improvements in sub-Saharan Africa flatlined since 2010, and between 2015 and 2016 the prevalence of undernourishment in all regions of the continent ''rose from 20.8 to 22.7 percent''.

A holistic, ecological approach to agriculture must be implemented to address the root causes of hunger and to reverse land degradation. Agroecology acknowledges the fact that the present agroindustrial model has brought us to an ''ecological limit'' and provides an alternative path. It is labor intensive, reduces the demand for purchased seeds and chemical inputs and works in a systems approach that mimics ecosystems. In this spirit, ''agroecology is able to raise agricultural productivity in ways that are economically viable, environmentally benign and socially uplifting” (Altieri et al).

Agroecology is founded on natural enhancement and regeneration by using natural resources efficiently; for instance, by returning waste to productive use. Since sanitation is one of the pressing challenges communities in sub-Saharan Africa are confronted with, agroecology provides alternatives such as the use of human waste in agriculture (and aquaculture): this improves access to clean water and fosters food security (Haq, Cambridge, 2012)

A case in point is the pilot project initiated by TRAX, an NGO intervening in Northern Ghana, with financial support from Self Help Africa and the UK. The project targeted a dryland farming region in the Upper East Region of northern Ghana, the second poorest region in the country (AFSA, 2016, page 14). Poor soils, erratic rainfall and shorter rainy seasons and lack of alternative incomes are the main challenges faced by the communities. Climate change has already produced adverse effects in Pelungu and the traditional millet crop has failed in its historic role of shortening the ''hunger period”. The project aimed at increasing the production of the orange-fleshed sweet potato by family farmers in Pelungu. The orange-fleshed sweet potato is a variety that grows well under drought conditions on and marginal soils. The introduction of orange-fleshed sweet potato has not only shortened the hunger period but also allowed for surplus yield to be sold in the market.

Technical training courses were provided and smallholder farmers were guided throughout the implementation of the project, using Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) techniques. Instead of inverting the soil completely when plowing (increasing the vulnerability to erosion), the farmers learned to stabilize the topsoil with methods such as minimal and zero tillage. Slash and burning of cultivated and uncultivated lands was also a common practice, but Pelungu farmers were advised to adopt non-burning methods, teaching the importance of nutrients from decomposing residues. Lastly, farmers were taught to use compost and farmyard manure as an alternative to expensive and degrading agrochemicals. The family farmers reported that yields were double that of the ordinary sweet potato, increasing the ability to sell excess produce and raising incomes. (ibid.)

African smallholders who depend on agriculture to subsist may be more exposed to the risks of climate change. However, according to the Alliance for Food Sovereignty Africa, the continent already has what it needs to succeed; ''drought-resistant, pest-resistant, high-yielding, open-pollinated, seasonal, and naturally nutritious crops waiting to be integrated into agricultural systems without the need for newly engineered species. The only obstacle is the appreciation, respect and utilisation of these natural resources''.

For more information:

Agroecology, a tool for the realization of the Right to food - Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food 
Agroecology: the bold future of farming in Africa - AFSA, 2016
Agroecology and the design of climate change-resilient farming systems - Altieri et al., 2015