Farming System Types

Remember from last week's class:

Agroecology is a science, a movement, and a set of practices open to everyone involved in food - farmers, consumers, academics, advocates, eaters, etc. This area of inquiry called Agroecology is comprised of research, education, action, and change that brings sustainability to all parts of the food system: economic, ecological, and social. Agroecological approaches are independent of scale and can be practiced from the smallest garden to thousand acre fields. Agroecology is transdisciplinary, participatory, and action-oriented!

Principles* of Agroecology: Cycles, Diversity, Participation

• *though there are plenty of other paradigms (CIDSE, FAO, etc.)

A general conceptual transition plan towards a deepening agroecology that is scale independent:

• Level 1 - Increase input use efficiency, reducing the use of costly, scarce, or environmentally damaging inputs (Crop & Soil Management, Animal Husbandry)

• Level 2 - Substitution of costly, scarce, or environmentally damaging inputs for locally produced, abundant, regenerative & renewable ones (Crop & Soil Management, Animal Husbandry)

• Level 3 - Redesign the Agroecosystem so that it functions on the basis of a new set of ecological processes that provide system resilience. (Ecology of Ag Systems)

• Level 4 - Reconnecting the two most important parts of the food system - consumers and producers - through the development of alternative food networks (Food Systems)

• Level 5 - On the foundation created by the sustainable farm-scale agroecosystems of level 3 and the sustainable food relationships of level 4, build a new global food system based on resilience, participation, localness, fairness, and justice - that is not only sustainable but also helps restore and protect Earth’s life-support systems (ALL + MORE!)

Now let's explore diversity within farming systems and to what degrees they are able to facilitate agroecological principles. Some of these terms may be familiar to you while others may not be:

Monoculture vs. Polyculture AND Annual vs. Perennial (Permaculture may be distinct from these yet...)

Think of a couple of systems that fit each of these (remember cycles, diversity, participation):

1. Monoculture Annual; corn & soy, wheat, oats, etc.

2. Monoculture Perennial; kernza, sugarcane, palm oil, Christmas trees, tea, pasture dominated by a single species of grass

3. Polyculture Annual; any kind of cash crop with cover crops inter-seeded (i.e. corn and rye growing at the SAME time and place), lentil-grain mixed cropping

4. Polyculture Perennial; WPP-Agroforestry, Syntropic Agriculture

5. Perennial+Annual Mixed Polyculture; Alley Cropping

Now - think of how you would integrate animals into these systems (remember cycles, diversity, participation):

6. Monoculture Annual with Animals

7. Monoculture Perennial with Animals

8. Polyculture Annual with Animals

9. Polyculture Perennial with Animals

Now let's critique these systems...what might be some barriers to implementation? Scale? Economics? Knowledge? Support? A Market?

On top of these systems we can then add certifications like Organic, Demeter (biodynamic), Regenerative Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, non-GMO, etc. These exist mainly as gate keepers to maintain integrity and let the public know what they're getting. They cost money and infrastructure to maintain but may also provide access to higher value markets.