Mr. MIGUEL ALTIERI. President of SOCLA (The Latin America Scientific Society for Agroecology).

8/3/2019 Mr. MIGUEL ALTIERI. President of SOCLA (The Latin America Scientific Society for Agroecology).

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Climate change and peasantagriculture: agroecological

adaptive responsesMiguel A Altieri

University of California, BerkeleySociedad Cientifica LatinoAmericana de Agroecologia

(SOCLA)

www.agroeco.org/socla


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The planet confronts 3

interrealted crisis

Economic-financial crisis Energy Crisis Ecological Crisis (climate change

represents only one dimension)


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System

undersatnding

Problem? Linear thinking..


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Root Causes of food

insecurity and hungerFood system controlled by a group of

multinational corporations

Grain Merchants and retailers (ADM,Cargill, Bunge)

Seed and biotechnology Companies(Monsanto, Syngenta, Dupont)

Supermarkets (Walmart, Carrefour)ADM, Cargill, Bunge- control 80% of grain;

Monsanto 1/5 seeds


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Average food prices


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Profits of food multinationals


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Producers

Consumers

Food

Empires

By-pass

Peasant

markets


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Climate change

The IPCC warns that warming by 2100 will be worsethan previously expected with a probabletemperature rise of 1.8 to 4 degrees C and a possiblerise of up to 6.4 degrees C.

Hazards include increased flooding in low-lyingareas, greater frequency and severity of droughts insemi-arid areas, and excessive heat conditions allwhich can limit crop growth and yields.


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Impacts on small farmers

Most climate change models predict that damages willbe shared mainly by small farmers, and particularlyrainfed agriculturalists in the Third World. where yieldscould be reduced by 50 percent by 2020.

Agricultural production is projected to be severelycompromised especially in drylands. About 70% ofAfricans depend directly on dry and sub- humid lands fortheir daily livelihoods.

Overall reduction of 10% in maize production to 2055equivalent to losses of $2 billion per year, affectingprincipally 40 million poor livestock keepers in mixed

systems of Latin America and 130 million in sub-SaharanAfrica.


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Existing models give

approximations

Most models predicting a decrease in food security indeveloping countries assume scenarios of severe climatechange and very little capacity for farm-level adaptation tochanges.

Existing models at best provide a broad-brush approximationof expected effects and hide the enormous variability ininternal adapting strategies among rural communities.

Many farmers cope and even prepare for climate change,minimizing crop failure through diversification, soil and watermanagement techniques

This points at the need to re-evaluate indigenous technology asa key source of information on adaptive capacity centered onthe selective, experimental and resilient capabilities of farmersin dealing with climatic change.


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The agricultural challenge for thenext decades

Food production must increasesubstantially and sustainably but using thesame arable land base, with lesspetroleum, less water and nitrogen, withina scenario of climate change, social unrestand financila crisis.

This challenge cannot be met with the

existing industrial agricultural modeland its biotechnological derivations


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Features of an agriculture for thefuture

De-coupled from fossil fuel dependence Agroecosystems of low environmental

impact, nature friendly

Resilient to climate change and othershocks

Multifunctional ( ecosystem, social, culturaland economic services)

Foundation of local food systems


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Low external inputs,high recylcling rates,

crop livestockintegration

High

Eficiency

High inputs, industrialmonocultures

Low

Low external inputs,diversified with lowlevels of integration

Medium-Low

Specialized systems withlow external inputs

Medium

Agroecosystem Diversity

Pro

ductivity

Alta

Baja

Baja

Alta


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Resilient practices used by

traditional farmers

Complex and integrated land use systems use of drought tolerant local varieties Mixed cropping Agroforestry Wild plant gathering and opportunitic

weeding

water harvesting, soil conservation,reforestation and a series of other traditionaltechniques.


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Key features of diverse

traditional farming systems Traditional farmers have developed farming systems

adapted to the local conditions enabling farmers togenerate sustained yields meeting their subsistenceneeds, despite marginal land endowments, climaticvariability and low use of external inputs

Part of this performance is linked to the high levels ofagrobiodiversity exhibited by traditional agroecosystemswhich in turn positively influences agroecosystemfunction

Diversification is therefore an important farm strategy formanaging production risk in small farming systems.


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Levels of Diversity

Genetic Diversity: the variety andvariability of animals, plants andmicroorganisms that are used for foodproduction and agriculture

Species diversity: the diversity of crop/animal and species that supportproduction (soil biota, pollinators,predators, parasitoids, etc)

Ecosystem diversity: the diversity of thelandscape matrix surroundingagroecosystems


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AGRICULTURE + HORTICULTURE

FISHING

DOMESTIC

ANIMALS

SILVICULTURE

BEE-KEEPING

HUNTING

GATHERING

USEFUL PRODUCTIVE BIODIVERSITY

YUCATEC MAYAHOUSEHOLD


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Weeds (quelites) as food crop

. San Bartolo del Llano, Ixtlahuaca,

Mxico. Quelites.

74 quelite species all useful. Used as food, fodder,medicinals, etc. 4.5 kg quelite/family/month. One hectare of milpa produces

1,5 t/ha of quelite andrepresents 25% of the totalvalue of maize ( approx 200dollars).


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Edible insects

Ramos y Pino(1989). More than 70

edible speciesin Mxico (8orders, 28families).

More than 27species ofchapulines .

The greatmajortiy arecollected

the magueyworms arecollected=incipientdomestication?

Escamoles (Liometopum spp.)

Gusanos de maguey blanco (Aegiale hesperiaris)

y rojo (comadia redtenbacheri)

Hormiga chicatana (Atta spp.)

Chapulines


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In Yuanyuang terraced region therewas a totally different picture.


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Traditional Landscape arrangement in agriculturalwatershed.


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Andenes : 122, 882 ha- Papa dulce- Oca, Olluco, Mashua- Tarwi


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Restos Camellones: 102, 442 has.Recuperados: 4, 720 has


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Stability of polycultures

Polycultures exhibit greater yield stabilityand less productivity declines during adrought than in the case of monocultures.

Studies on the effect of drought on enhancedyields with polycultures by manipulatingwater stress on intercrops of sorghum andpeanut , millet and peanut, and sorghum andmillet, showed that all the intercropsoveryielded consistently at low levels ofmoisture availability (


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Los maces indgenas

de Mxico


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Grfica de distribucin de algunos tipos

de maz segn altura y precipitacin

45


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Maiz de cajete


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Agroecological definition ofresiliency

Resiliency is the propensity of a system tomaintain its organizational structure andproductivity after a perturbation. Thisperturbation or shock can consist of frequentstressful events, cumulative or unpredictable.

Resiliency exhibits two properties: resistance toshock and capcity to recover after the shock.

A resilient agroecosystem is able to still producefood after suffering the effects of a storm,hurricane or drought, or given a sudden increasein the cost of petroleum or external inputscarcity.


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Diversity and resiliency

Agricultural diversification can enhance theresiliency of agroecosystems y protectproduction capacity in various ways, includingprotection of crops against extreme weatehr

effects and fluctuations in temperature andprecipitation

Agroecologically managed systems possess anadvantage asa they possess characteristics of

vegetational complexity linked to the resilientcapacity of theses systems to climate change


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Evidence I ( Huracan Mitch-CentralAmerica)

In Central America, diverse farms with soilconservation practices ( mulch, living or deadbarriers, terraces, etc) resisted more the imapctof hurricane Mitch in 1998 than farms managed

under monoculture (Holt-Gimenez 2002). Although damage was significant throughout,

agroecologically managed farms conservedmore soil and vegetational cover, suffered less

erosion, mud-slides and economic


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Evidencia II ( Huracan Ike-Cuba)

Areas under industrial monoculturesuffered more damage and exhibited lessrecovery than diversified farms.

After the hurricane average loss indiversified farms was about 50%compared to 90-100% in monocultures

Productive recovery was about 80 -90%,and was noticeable 40 days after thehurricane


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% de dano incial a fincas por el Huracan


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pIke (2008) la coopertaiva Rafael Zaroza enSancti Spritus,Cuba, escala 1 bajo, 3alto, ) segun grado de integracionagroecologica ( 1 baja, 3 alta).

% estimado de recuperacion de fincas a


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plos 60, 120 y 180 dias despues deHuracan Ike (2008) en CCS RafaelZaroza Sancti Spritus segun nivel deintegracion agroecologica ( 1 bajo, 3 alto)comparada con el promedio de lacooperativa entera.


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Cultivos de cobertura

Centeno (Secale cereale) - 80 kg.ha-1 Veza (Vicia sativa)- 60 kg.ha-1 Rabano forrajero (Raphanus sativus) - 15

kg.ha-1


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Soil water storage under varioussoil covers


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Contribucin porcentual de la agricultura campesina a

la produccin nacional total en diversos rubros


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Agroecological strategies

Animal

integration

Green

manures

Organic

amendments

Rotations

Polycultur

es


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Fernanditos Farm

Coco

Pltano

Remolacha

Malanga

Col

Frijol

Zanahoria

Boniato

Maz

Tomate

Papa

Pimiento

Papaya

Cebolla

Porcino

LER 1.76


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Area (ha)

Energy (GJ/ha/ao)

Proten (kg/ha)/ao People fed by produced energy(Pers/ha/ao)

People fed by produced protein

(Pers/ha/ao)

40

90

318

21

12.5

Energy efficiency output/input 11.2


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Finca Del Medio Jos A. Casimiro

Sancti Spritus


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Area (ha)

Energy (GJ/ha/ao)

Proten (kg/ha)/ao People fed by produced energy(Pers/ha/ao)

People fed by produced protein

(Pers/ha/ao)

10

50.6

867

11

34

Energy efficiency 30


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Agroecological principles underlying productivity,

sustainablity and viability of agroecoystems

1. Spatial and temporal genetic and species diversity at farm

and landcape level

2.Crop and animal integration

3. Biologically active soils and high biomass recyling rates

4. Optimization of the use of space (Agroecological design)


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Casi 300 estudios comparativos de agricultura orgnica/agroecolgica yagricultura convencional

1: org.=conven. < l: conven. mayor que org. >1: org. mayor que conven.

Food Sovereignty


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Peoples right to

healthy and culturallyappropriate food

produced throughecologically sound

and sustainable

methods, and their

right to define theirown food andagriculture systems.

Food Sovereignty


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Land reformAccess to land, water

seeds

Agroecological strategies

State supportMarkets. Credit, extensionResearch, etc.Social movements

The pillars of food sovereignity


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AGROECOLOGY

Ecology

Anthropology

Etnoecology

Sociology

Basicagricultural

sciences

Ecological

economics

Biological Control

Traditional

Farmers

knowledge

Principles

Specific technological

forms

Participatory

research in

farmers fields


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AGROECOLOGY

FOOD SOVEREIGNITY

ENERGY SOVEREIGNITY TECHNOLOGICAL

SOVEREIGNITY

RESILIENCY

Mr. MIGUEL ALTIERI. President of SOCLA (The Latin America Scientific Society for Agroecology).

Documents

Transcript of Mr. MIGUEL ALTIERI. President of SOCLA (The Latin America Scientific Society for Agroecology).