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.  

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