Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T22:39:16.020Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ecological agriculture: Principles, practices, and constraints1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2007

Fred Magdoff
Fred Magdoff*
Affiliation:
Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The practice of ecological agriculture involves building the strengths of natural ecosystems into agroecosystems, purposely disturbed to produce food and fiber. The overall strategies include using practices that (a) grow healthy plants with good defense capabilities, (b) stressing pests, and (c) enhancing populations of beneficial organisms. These are accomplished by enhanced habitat management both above ground and in the soil. Many of the practices that contribute to the overall strategies are well known—such as intensive use of cover crops or reduced tillage. Reasons for why they have not been more widely used are discussed. The special challenges facing ecological agriculture in the poor countries of the Third World are also discussed. Re-engaging national governments in the active support of their agriculture and addressing the structural inequalities (including access to land) are essential to overcome the many problems facing farmers in the poor countries.

Keywords

ecological agricultureagroecologysoil managementcrop managementfarm subsidiesThird World agriculture
Type
Research Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , June 2007 , pp. 109 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

Modified from the keynote address to the conference ‘Sustainability in the Balance: Juggling Environmental Health, Economic Profitability and Social Equity in the Global Food System’, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 11 April, 2006.

References

1 Nord, M., Andrews, M., and Carlson, S. 2005. Household Food Security in the United States, 2004. Economic Research Report Number 11, Economic Research Service, USDA.Google Scholar
2 Waldman, A. Poor in India Starve as Surplus Wheat Rots. New York Times, December 2, 2002.Google Scholar
3 Thurow, R. and Solomon, J. Want Amid Plenty, An Indian Paradox: Bumper Harvests and Rising Hunger. Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2004.Google Scholar
4 Magdoff, F., Lanyon, L., and Liebhardt, B. 1997. Nutrient cycling, transformations, and flows: implications for a more sustainable agriculture. Advances in Agronomy 60:1–73.Google Scholar
5 Foster, J.B. and Magdoff, F. 2000. Liebig, Marx and the depletion of soil fertility: relevance for today's agriculture. In Magdoff, F., Foster, J.B., and Buttel, F.H. (eds). Hungry for Profit: The Agribusiness Threat to Farmers, Food, and the Environment. Monthly Review Press, New York. p. 43–60.Google Scholar
6 Marx, K. 1887. Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production. Vol. 1. Foreign Languages Publ. House, Moscow.Google Scholar
7 Houghton, R.A. and Hackler, J.L. Carbon flux to the atmosphere from land-use changes. Available at web site http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/landuse/houghton/houghton.html (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
8 Ray, D.E., De La Torre Ugarte, D.G., and Tiller, K.J. 2003. Rethinking US Agricultural Policy: Changing Course to Secure Farmer Livelihoods Worldwide. Agricultural Policy Center, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.Google Scholar
9 Holt-Gimenez, E. 2002. Measuring farmers' agroecological resistance after Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua: a case study in participatory, sustainable land management impact monitoring. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 93(1):87–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10 Pimentel, D. 2006. Soil erosion: a food and environmental threat. Environment, Development, and Sustainability 8:119–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11 Weil, R. and Magdoff, F. 2004. Significance of soil organic matter to soil quality and health. In Magdoff, F. and Weil, R. (eds). Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. p. 1–43.Google Scholar
12 Magdoff, F. and Weil, R. 2004. Soil organic matter management strategies. In Magdoff, F. and Weil, R. (eds). Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. p. 44–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13 Kilman, S. Corn is Booming as Ethanol Heats Up. The Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2006.Google Scholar
14 Morrison, M. Wal-Mart Fishes Upstream. Business Week, March 24, 2006.Google Scholar
15 Gogoi, P. Alfalfa Sprouts, Aisle 78. Business Week, April 10, 2006.Google Scholar
16 Wen, D. 1993. Soil erosion and conservation in China. In Pimentel, D. (ed.). Soil Erosion and Conservation. Cambridge University Press, New York. p. 63–86.Google Scholar
17 Dugger, C.W. Overfarming African Land Is Worsening Hunger Crisis. New York Times, March 31, 2006.Google Scholar
18 Holt-Gimenez, E., Altieri, M.A., and Rosset, P. 2006. Ten reasons why the Rockefeller and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations' alliance for another green revolution will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa. Food First Policy Brief No. 12. Available at web site www.foodfirst.org/node/1527 (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
19 von Reppert-Bismark, J. How Trade Barriers Keep Africans Adrift: West's Farm Subsidies Drive Ghanians Out of Rice Market Fueling Poverty and Migration. The Wall Street Journal, December 27, 2006.Google Scholar
20 Magdoff, F. 2004. A precarious existence: the fate of billions? Monthly Review 55(9):1–14.Google Scholar
21 Mazoyer, M. and Roudar, L. 2006. A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis. Monthly Review Press, New York, NY. p. 441–494.Google Scholar
22 Global Exchange Website. Available at web site http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/cafta/ (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
23 Dugger, C.W. Supermarket Giants Crush Central American Farmers. New York Times, December 28, 2004.Google Scholar
24 Soy Stats. Available at web site www.soystats.com/2005/Default-frames.htm (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
25 Packer, G. 2006. The megacity: decoding the legacy of Lagos. The New Yorker, November 13, 2006.Google Scholar
26 Amin, S. 2003. World poverty, pauperization, and capital accumulation. Monthly Review 55(5):1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27 Wolfe, L.R. 2004. Rural–Urban Migration and the Stabilization of Cuban Agriculture. Global Exchange/Food First. Available at web site http://www.foodfirst.org/node/1123 (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
28 Ecology Action—Grow Biointensive, a Sustainable Solution for Growing food. See www.growbiointensive.org/ and then click on Grow Biointensive (verified 21 December 2006).Google Scholar
29 Halweil, B. 2006. Can organic agriculture feed us all? World Watch 19(3):18–24.Google Scholar