Hope Not Hype - Third World Network

126 Hope Not Hype
To feed the world and build sustainable agroecosystems and societies at the same
time will require more than current knowledge of agroecology (Tilman et al., 2002).
Governments, philanthropists and industry must invest in research and institutions that
will build knowledge and improve methodology, as well as help to customize
implementation. This knowledge must be made in collaboration with farmers and be
distributed through extension services, non-governmental organizations and the private
sector.
Can the world follow agroecological agriculture and make a profit The likelihood
is high but there is no question that we need new economic models. To meet the goals
discussed above requires more than tinkering with technology and tariffs. We need to be
able to account for the true cost of using non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels.
The value of “marginal land” and water as ecosystem services must be identified.
[D]espite this substantial, rich literature, values for services of an ecosystem remain elusive
largely because there are few market transactions of the services and consequently few
market prices for them (Sinden and Griffith, 2007, p. 397).
The contribution of in situ conservationists, largely farmers, must be recognized.
Ultimately, we have to change the question from “How much can be made on the crops
from this land, or the animals grazed on this paddock” to “How much will it cost to not
have this land, these crops, these animals or these farmers”.
The right biotechnologies are both sophisticated and effective at what they do.
A frequent misconception is that organic agriculture means turning back the clock to a
primitive mode of farming. While organic agriculture does build on traditional knowledge
and practices, what it offers is a modern, ecologically intensive farming system that can
perform successfully without any synthetic fertilizers or pesticides (Scialabba, 2007, p. 217).
A return to the low-yield, low-input agricultural systems that characterize much of
Africa is not the answer. But modern agroecological approaches are not low-yield. However,
they are comparatively low-input in many cases. Reducing input in most agroecosystems
will provide the necessary flexibility to apply external inputs in others, without losing
global sustainability. The right biotechnology is available. It can be implemented right
now, provided that poor and subsistence farmers receive access to institutions that build
local knowledge and spread innovation, and are not prevented from developing their own
markets. The recipe for success is in the Assessment.