Please find below some elements - which possibly could be further considered, when crafting a new version of the HLPE report:
On the topic of sustainable pest management, it would be worthwhile to revert to the May 2018 ‘Beijing Declaration for Biological Control’ (IOBC and China Academy of Agricultural Sciences) – which favors biological control as a central pillar in global crop protection & the first line of defense against crop antagonists (in addition to sanitation, and cultural/physical measures) and specifically refers to synthetic pesticides as the ‘measure of last resort’. Through this approach, there is no room for prophylactic insecticide applications, calendar-based sprays, or any other irrational forms of synthetic pesticide use. The same rationale could be clearly and explicitly incorporated in the HPLE report.
In Griggs et al., 2013, there’s a plea for the establishment of ‘national monitoring, reporting and verification systems’ and for ‘securing open access to information and decision-making processes at all levels’. Given recent reports by Wyckhuys et al. (2018) of substantial global disparities in the online public visibility/awareness of biological control organisms, what a) mechanisms could be deployed to ensure that residents of all countries have equal access to ecologically-based approaches and technologies, and b) what verification systems could be put in place to track their public visibility globally (Griggs et al. 2013. Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature 495, 305-307; Wyckhuys et al. 2018. Global disparity in public awareness of the biological control potential of invertebrates. PeerJ Preprints 6:e27238v1).
I feel encouraged by the report’s emphasis on farm profitability, farmer income, quality of harvested produce (incl. food safety parameters) and ecosystem health as metrics to gauge the sustainability of entire farming systems. A recent paper by LaCanne & Lundgren (2018) revealed how farm profitability was not necessarily related to crop yield but instead to overall health and fertility of the soil (LaCanne, C.E. and Lundgren, J.G., 2018. Regenerative agriculture: merging farming and natural resource conservation profitably. PeerJ, 6, p.e4428.)
In the early 1980s, ‘farming systems research’ (FSR) & a close 3-way engagement between anthropology, sociology and systems-level agronomy were advocated as suitable ways to promote sustainable agriculture. In DeWalt (1985), the closing paragraph reads “If FSR passes into the graveyard into which old buzz words and phrases go, with it will go the hopes of anthropologists and sociologists who wish to contribute to the betterment of the lives of the many small farmers that we have come to know”. Since 1985, FSR indeed has died a silent death – and the HLPE report might want to examine ways to reinvigorate it. (DeWalt, B.R., 1985. Anthropology, sociology, and farming systems research. Human Organization, 44(2), pp.106-114).
Along the same lines, a holistic analysis of farming systems is key - and interdisciplinary science should be greatly encouraged. What measures/incentives can be considered to promote cross-disciplinary interactions, and to e.g., have soil scientists engage with climatologists or entomologists? As it is often challenging to get interdisciplinary research published (or even funded), other means of leverage should be examined.
Many of the agro-ecological tools/technologies that are enumerated in the HLPE report are (highly) knowledge-intensive & their successful on-farm implementation directly hinges upon the extent to which individual growers understand/appreciate them. A critical assessment is required of the extent to which farmers are effectively prepared to implement these technologies, or whether they lack a sound understanding of key ecological concepts and principles. Recent work -e.g., on insect biological control- reveals how farmers across the globe have a highly deficient knowledge of beneficial (pest-controlling) insects, and ways to effectively conserve or augment their on-farm populations. Similar patterns have been reported for farmers’ appreciation of soil health, nutrient cycling, etc. What can be done to fill those knowledge gaps, and remediate this key barrier to agro-ecological technology diffusion?
Please find below some elements - which possibly could be further considered, when crafting a new version of the HLPE report:
On the topic of sustainable pest management, it would be worthwhile to revert to the May 2018 ‘Beijing Declaration for Biological Control’ (IOBC and China Academy of Agricultural Sciences) – which favors biological control as a central pillar in global crop protection & the first line of defense against crop antagonists (in addition to sanitation, and cultural/physical measures) and specifically refers to synthetic pesticides as the ‘measure of last resort’. Through this approach, there is no room for prophylactic insecticide applications, calendar-based sprays, or any other irrational forms of synthetic pesticide use. The same rationale could be clearly and explicitly incorporated in the HPLE report.
In Griggs et al., 2013, there’s a plea for the establishment of ‘national monitoring, reporting and verification systems’ and for ‘securing open access to information and decision-making processes at all levels’. Given recent reports by Wyckhuys et al. (2018) of substantial global disparities in the online public visibility/awareness of biological control organisms, what a) mechanisms could be deployed to ensure that residents of all countries have equal access to ecologically-based approaches and technologies, and b) what verification systems could be put in place to track their public visibility globally (Griggs et al. 2013. Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature 495, 305-307; Wyckhuys et al. 2018. Global disparity in public awareness of the biological control potential of invertebrates. PeerJ Preprints 6:e27238v1).
I feel encouraged by the report’s emphasis on farm profitability, farmer income, quality of harvested produce (incl. food safety parameters) and ecosystem health as metrics to gauge the sustainability of entire farming systems. A recent paper by LaCanne & Lundgren (2018) revealed how farm profitability was not necessarily related to crop yield but instead to overall health and fertility of the soil (LaCanne, C.E. and Lundgren, J.G., 2018. Regenerative agriculture: merging farming and natural resource conservation profitably. PeerJ, 6, p.e4428.)
In the early 1980s, ‘farming systems research’ (FSR) & a close 3-way engagement between anthropology, sociology and systems-level agronomy were advocated as suitable ways to promote sustainable agriculture. In DeWalt (1985), the closing paragraph reads “If FSR passes into the graveyard into which old buzz words and phrases go, with it will go the hopes of anthropologists and sociologists who wish to contribute to the betterment of the lives of the many small farmers that we have come to know”. Since 1985, FSR indeed has died a silent death – and the HLPE report might want to examine ways to reinvigorate it. (DeWalt, B.R., 1985. Anthropology, sociology, and farming systems research. Human Organization, 44(2), pp.106-114).
Along the same lines, a holistic analysis of farming systems is key - and interdisciplinary science should be greatly encouraged. What measures/incentives can be considered to promote cross-disciplinary interactions, and to e.g., have soil scientists engage with climatologists or entomologists? As it is often challenging to get interdisciplinary research published (or even funded), other means of leverage should be examined.
Many of the agro-ecological tools/technologies that are enumerated in the HLPE report are (highly) knowledge-intensive & their successful on-farm implementation directly hinges upon the extent to which individual growers understand/appreciate them. A critical assessment is required of the extent to which farmers are effectively prepared to implement these technologies, or whether they lack a sound understanding of key ecological concepts and principles. Recent work -e.g., on insect biological control- reveals how farmers across the globe have a highly deficient knowledge of beneficial (pest-controlling) insects, and ways to effectively conserve or augment their on-farm populations. Similar patterns have been reported for farmers’ appreciation of soil health, nutrient cycling, etc. What can be done to fill those knowledge gaps, and remediate this key barrier to agro-ecological technology diffusion?