The year so far has seen biotech giants strategically reducing their presence in Europe in response to consumer pressure over genetically modified crops; environmentalists are claiming that the growing awareness of the influence consumers and farmers wield over their food systems will help Europe move towards a more sustainable and equitable approach to agriculture, though businesses and some governments claim the backlash is based on ignorance and believe consumers ‘need educating’ about the benefits of GM.

With Monsanto’s announcement that it does not plan to sell its MON810 maize in France and the withdrawal of BASF’s ‘plant sciences’ division from Europe to the USA, some scientists claim there is a developing opportunity to focus research on strengthening food systems which already feed most people around the world; this has been amongst the recommendations of reports from the UN and various food policy research institutes over the past few years.

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The UK Food Group is a public interest network of farming, consumer and environmental NGOs working together on food issues. The group has put its support behind methods of farming which use the latest in science and abides by the tenets of sustainability, to work with nature, rather than seeking to dominate it, and benefit individuals and communities, instead of focusing solely on financial gain. The approach, termed ‘agroecology,’ was promoted by UN Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter following his investigation into food security last year.

Next green revolution must be truly green

There is a growing recognition in government and the farming sector that, in light of climate change and the need to feed more people whilst halting biodiversity loss, a paradigm shift must occur in farming over the coming decades. Speaking at the Oxford Farming conference, earlier this month, Defra’s chief scientist Dr Bob Watson said, “Business as usual will not work: the system is broken.”

Reports, including De Schutter’s investigation into the Right to Food and the 2008 IAASTD report, which was compiled by a number of governments and research institutions,  stress the need for a more environmentally aware agriculture, which can promote biodiversity, boost soil health, conserve water and mitigate climate change.

However, according to the US-based ETC Group, which pioneered farmers’ rights throughout the 20th Century, “Instead of challenging or changing the structures that generate poverty and exacerbate equality, governments are working hand-in-hand with corporations  to reinforce the very institutions and policies which are the very roots and causes of today’s agro-industrial food crisis.”

Europeans have become increasingly conscious of the effects, both beneficial and detrimental that agriculture has on the environment, and high-profile issues such as the decline of the bees have heightened consumers’ consciousness, to which the withdrawal of biotech firms attests. 86 per cent of consumers quizzed in a poll last year sad that they felt farmers had obligations to the environment and should receive remuneration for their role as custodians of the countryside. The extensive ‘greening measures’ which formed the most controversial aspect of the European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy reform proposals were in place to justify such a large spend (upwards of 40 per cent of the entire EU budget) on one single sector.

Writing in the Ecologist last week, UK Food Group chair Patrick Mulvaney talked of the ‘cognitive dissonance’ which will affect young people going into research work, between the overwhelming public and policy support for ecologically minded solutions and the top down demands of government and big business, which are pushing for GM crops suited primarily to large monoculture systems.

UK institution pushing for agroecology research

This dichotomy is apparent in the UK, where, although government scientists are pushing for equitable and sustainable solutions, funding for these solutions was done away with during the first round of austerity cuts. In July, Rothamsted Research Institute closed three of its departments which were integral to agroecological research; Pete Riley, of pressure group GM Freeze commented, “Rothamsted appears to be swimming against a tide of scientific opinion across the world, which is saying we need to improve our knowledge of the sciences vital to ensuring agricultural ecosystems function to their highest potential and are restored to a condition that will enable future generations to maintain food production.”

Nevertheless, one institution in Coventry is pushing for the adoption of agroecology in policy and in the field. The Centre for Agroecology and Food Security at Coventry University aims to promote “agricultural and food production practices, which are economically sound, socially just and promote long-term protection of natural resources.”

The Institute claims that, “Whereas the previous industrialized approach to agriculture was based on the science of chemistry, we recognize that our farming systems are bounded by the extent of our understanding of natural organisms and systems.”

The centre, and the researchers behind its creation, have conducted research into green manuring to build soil fertility, sustainable disease and weed control and heritage seed conservation. Research has also included critical examinations of organic operations, to ascertain what benefits organic growing holds. 

Julia Wright, deputy director of the Centre for Agroecology and Food Security, spoke to Farming Online about the challenges and opportunities facing agroecological research in the UK and elsewhere. She said that, although biotech firms planned to withdraw their trials and public presence, with so much to gain for them in Europe, it would be unlikely they would stop lobbying to further their agendas within policy circles.

Dr Wright said, “If we want more agroecological research then we need to have funding made available for this to happen, and to train researchers on what it means and how to develop research around agroecological concepts. For this to happen, we need more lobbying from pro-agroecology groups, and on this note there is a new UK Agroecology Alliance just being developed, as well as a fairly new All Parliamentary Group on Agroecology.”

She also explained that, as agroecology takes the perspective that production systems should “optimise yields whilst also performing other similarly beneficial functions such as producing healthy crops, cleaning water” this more holistic approach cannot be directly compared to a purely financially driven push to increase yields. New economic models need to be applied. It is hoped this view will be espoused by politicians at June’s Rio+20 summit.

However, she did say that in studies agroecological systems had proven themselves to be beneficial for regions where improvements are needed to achieve food security; Dr Wright pointed out, “If we compare agroecological/organic to industrialised, older studies did show that organic systems yielded about 20 per cent less than industrial, but these trials were conducted mainly in certified organic systems in temperate countries. Studies in the tropics, and studies of more pioneering agroecological techniques, show that these techniques can double and triple yields. Partly this is due to the very low level of husbandry in the tropics in the first place - any improved technique would raise yields - but not only. An interesting study by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements showed that in regions of good natural resources, organic and industrialised systems produced similar yields; however where the natural resource base was poor (e.g. infertile soils, rain-fed agriculture) organic systems far outperformed industrialised.”

Dr Wright also said that, as a drive to maximise yields leads to erosion of environmental and human health and enough food is already produced worldwide to adequately feed everyone, more effort needs to be put into achieving food security and stopping wastage and land degradation, which are more pressing problems.  Dr Wright stated that, “The mindset of maximising yields is itself reductionist; focusing only on one goal at the expense of others and ignorant of the fact that the environment isn't separate from us or from our production systems.”

She recommended instead that encouraging farmers to optimise and diversify would be preferable to seeking to increase yields of the same crops. Dr Wright précised, “More sustainable techniques can be applied to any kind of farm. In fact it’s more helpful not to polarise organic versus conventional, but to talk about more or less enlightened and regenerative agriculture. There are very good 'conventional' farmers, and relatively poor organic farmers, and sustainability is a moving goal.”

Government funding cuts risk hampering development of sustainable agriculture

Though the government has cut funding for areas of agriculture including soil science, which are integral to developing resilient, sustainable systems, seeing it as the job of the private sector to fund research and development, this view has been widely criticised. The private sector will only fund research which will result in making a profit, not for the benefit of the public. This does not fit with, and may even run contrary, to the need to develop more resilient systems based on creating food security and resistance to the effects of climate change.  

Dr Wright concluded that, although there are undoubtedly obstacles to achieving this, there is hope for agroecological research in the UK. She explained, “The good news, at least from my perspective, is that we now have a new public sector agroecological research and development unit in the form of the Centre for Agroecology and Food Security, a joint initiative of Coventry University and Garden Organic. We intend to work closely with the Permaculture Association and other like minded bodies to further public understanding of agroecological farming.  There is no such thing as objective research, and as such we are overtly choosing to support approaches that support life on this planet.”

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