Diversify farming systems 3.3
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and drawing on their experience and initiatives in environmental protection and nature conservation, practical and locally adapted innovations for sustainability can be promoted, including the creative power and empowerment of local people. Principle 3: Internalization of ecologically damaging effects: Environmental impacts of agriculture, such as excessive nutrient and pesticide inputs into surrounding ecosystems, humus depletion due to overuse, and soil degradation, should be taken into account as costs, reflected in prices (internalized) and thus limited. Principle 4: Conservation and enhancement of ecosystem services: Agriculture is critically dependent on the provision of ecosystem services because it makes extensive use of land and water among other things. This concerns the production of agricultural goods, soil formation, nutrient cycles, water-pollution control, biodiversity, carbon storage, landscape aesthetics as well as erosion control. Agriculture should be geared towards the conservation of these ecosystem services. Principle 5: Exchange of inputs: In the EU’s industrial agriculture, reduced use of fossil fuels, mineral fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides can conserve biodiversity and reduce GHG emissions. This requires other methods of securing or increasing yields, or other production systems. The use of knowledge, e.g. on biological, ecological and cultural measures, of data and (inter alia digital) technologies (such as drones, precision agriculture, organic fertilizers, biological crop protection), as well as renewable energies and capital, offers options and can also help to save labour. Principle 6: Rehabilitation of degraded soils: In subsistence farming in sub-Saharan Africa, only the demand-oriented use of organic and mineral fertilizers as well as soil-conservation and other adaptation measures can counteract soil degradation and restore soil value. Extension services and financial support are needed to enable small farmers to implement such measures consistently and with the necessary staying power. Principle 7: Promoting agriculture geared towards a circular economy: In a future-proof farming system, manure and crop residues should be recognized as valuable resources, waste avoided, and nutrients (including phosphorus) recycled. The spatially and, in some cases, socio-culturally decoupled farming systems should be reconnected in order to close (nutrient) cycles again. Principle 8: Promoting climate adaptation and resilience: Projected yield declines from increased rainfall variability and heat stress as a result of climate
change underline the need for resilient, diversified farming systems. The occurrence of pandemics and crises (COVID-19 pandemic, famines) also illustrates the important role of resilience in the food system. Shortening and unbundling value chains in international agricultural trade can create systems that are more resilient. The two photographs in Figure 3.3-5 show examples of regionally adapted, diversified farming systems. Such sustainability-oriented, multifunctional landscapes not only enable the production of food and public goods, they also make landscapes more attractive, creating opportunities for value creation through agritourism and recreation. Charming cultural landscapes with great diversity, such as Tuscany or the rice terraces in Asia, are world cultural heritage sites and places of inspiration for literature, painting and music.
3.3.2.2 Greening of industrial agriculture in the EU Following on from the EU-specific problem areas (Section 3.3.1) and on the basis of the eight principles, the EU needs a strategy for the systematic, consistent ecological transformation (greening) of industrial agriculture. This involves diversifying as quickly as possible a form of production that is heavily dependent on external inputs (purchased fertilizer, animal feed, etc.) towards multifunctional cultivation systems (such as organic farming, agroforestry, agrophotovoltaics or precision farming). In addition, fertilizer and pesticide inputs should be greatly reduced and more biodiversity-friendly solutions and cycle-oriented systems implemented. Advantages of greening industrial agriculture The positive effects of greening industrial agriculture on biodiversity, climate-change mitigation and food security are numerous and scientifically proven (Section 3.3.2). For example, greening promotes biodiversity conservation, increases pollination, and reduces the number of pathogens and pests (Lampkin et al., 2015; Tscharntke et al., 2005). Furthermore, fields that are farmed organically have approx. 30% more biodiversity than those on conventional farms (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat des Nationalen Aktionsplans zur nachhaltigen Anwendung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln des BMEL, 2019). Agroecological practices can reduce the need for synthetic pesticides, one of the main causes of biodiversity loss (IPBES, 2019b; Gurr et al., 2016), and increase soil fertility (Stein-Bachinger et al., 2020). More biodiversity in agriculture also has a positive impact on adjacent protected areas (Häkkilä et al., 2017). In general, greening helps to protect agricultural land of high environmental value (BfN, 2017).
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