Intro to Agroecology

Review from Before Canoe Trip

Land Sparing vs. Land Sharing

General Pedagogy and Approaches

Supported Risk Taking: In our work we encourage students to take advantage of growth opportunities. This could take the form of their first multi-day canoe trip, or slaughtering their first animal, or contacting a policy maker. We provide a framework where students are empowered to try something new.
Coalition Building & Community Engaged Learning: Through field trips with sustainability professionals and visits to a wide variety of host sites students gain firsthand perspectives on how multiple stakeholders, some with very different motivations and interests, can be brought together under the same tent to work on sustainability problems.
Place-Based Learning: By paying attention and deeply getting to know multiple facets of a place, students come to a deeper appreciation of the systems and connections they live among every day. From here students gain insights into how to uniquely address questions of sustainability where they are.
Residential Learning Communities: By living, studying, eating, and learning together students expand opportunities for sense-making and discussion. When immersed in this way students make connections between their everyday actions and observations and their coursework. Everything is relevant.
Crossing from a Disciplinary perspective to a Transdisciplinary perspective: To truly address “wicked problems” students must approach complex irreducible systems. To do this, students must be able to be flexible in gathering knowledge.
Developing Reflective Practices: Because immersive experiences are cross-cutting and entangled, more time must be spend for sense-making. This can come in the form of discussion, reflective writing, “sit spots”, and other contemplative practices
Connections between Diversity and Resilience: Often resilience comes through diversity. We explore this common theme throughout.
Next Generation Sustainability Career Readiness: Students come to Sustainability often unsure of the career paths available in the field. Because this field is rapidly growing and evolving, we connect students with practitioners who can help guide students along this growing edge.

What is Agroecology?

There are many different labels that accompany agriculture. You may have heard of some:

Sustainable agriculture
Regenerative agriculture
Ecological agriculture
Biomimicry
Conservation Agriculture
Organic Agriculture
Syntropic Agriculture
Biodynamic Agriculture
Permaculture
Silvopasture
Agroforestry
Natural Farming
Agroecology
Conventional Agriculture
Industrial Agriculture
Intensive Agriculture
GMO Agriculture

Indeed we use many of these terms in relation to what we do here at Merry Lea. Our farm is named “Merry Lea Teaching Farm”. We use biodynamic and permaculture practices. We are located at an ecological field station embedded within a nature preserve with a conservation/education focus and attached to a college with a faith-based mission. It’s easy to understand how the meanings contained within these different labels can start to blur and overlap to the point that you might ask, “What exactly is Agroecology and how is it related to these other labels often attached to agriculture?”

Before we start to disentangle these meanings I would like to tangle it a bit more for you. Indeed, the term “Agroecology” itself can have different meanings when spoken within different contexts. In the USA agroecology first became established as a term to describe the application of ecological principles and concepts to the design and management of sustainable food systems. This definition focuses mainly on designing agricultural systems that mimic natural ecosystems (in some respects) but largely ignores social, political, and ethical considerations. In fact, some agroecology courses today continue to carry with them this same viewpoint.

In reality it was socioeconomic factors that unmoored agriculture from it’s ecological underpinnings across many regions of the world in the first place. For millennia, agriculture and ecology were tied together inextricably. Nitrogen and phosphorus as well as a host of micronutrients were needed for land to remain fertile and productive. After crops were harvested a source of replacement fertility was required. Nitrogen and phosphorus were remineralized and distributed by grazing animals while soil microbes were relied upon to pull nitrogen out of the atmosphere and convert it to a form that plants could use. Plants pulled carbon out of the air and concentrated micronutrients from deep in the soils incorporating it into their biomass and eventually decomposing - placing carbon and nutrients onto the surface and forming topsoil. Plants and manure were composted together and concentrated in places used for growing crops to increase soil organic matter which in turn provided a slow trickle of fertility throughout the year as well as increased soil moisture holding capacity and other benefits. Well functioning ecosystems were acknowledged as crucial for productive agriculture.

Long story short, deliberate economic policies combined with post-world war II capacities for manufacturing nitrogen fertilizers led to the industrial commodity agricultural model we have today. In this model phosphorus is mined and shipped, nitrogen is chemically pulled from the air via energy-intensive processes, and agrochemicals are used to control fungi, weeds, and pests. This system is less connected to the underlying ecology of agriculture because it does not seek the services these systems provide, instead opting for nutrients provided from elsewhere and pest control that is independent of intact ecosystems. This chain of events demonstrates that socioeconomic factors are very strong forces on the types of agroecosystems we set up, and in turn, the types of agroecosystems we set up have strong effects on the prevailing socio-economic realities of a given area.

This brings us to our current definition of Agroecology → research, education, action, and change that brings sustainability to all parts of the food system: Economic, Ecological, and Social. Variations of this type of definition are currently widely held be universities, international governing bodies (FAO), and today’s pioneers in Agroecology. This definition pulls Agroecology out of the exclusive domain of a scientific discipline and into its current paradigm of a Science, a Movement, and a Practice.

Agroecology is considered jointly as a science, a practice, and a social movement. It encompasses the whole food system from the soil to the organization of human societies. It is value-laden and based on core principles. As a science, it gives priority to action research, holistic and participatory approaches, and transdisciplinarity that is inclusive of different knowledge systems. As a practice, it is based on sustainable use of local renewable resources, local farmers’ knowledge and priorities, wise use of biodiversity to provide ecosystem services and resilience, and solutions that provide multiple benefits (environmental, economic, social) from local to global. As a movement, it defends smallholders and family farming, farmers and rural communities, food sovereignty, local and short food supply chains, diversity of indigenous seeds and breeds, healthy and quality food. Agroecology acknowledges that the whole is more than the sum of its parts (i.e. agroecological systems produce emergent properties) and hence fosters interactions between actors in science, practice and movements, by facilitating knowledge sharing and action.

An example of an emergent property in nature is the “v” shape of bird flocks. It emerges from individual interactions of a bird with its nearest mate to make its own flight more energy efficient, or easier, and ends up increasing the distance that the whole flock can fly without rest during a migration – besides producing protection for the flock and a magnificent visual phenomenon, among other benefits. Other examples include the complex functioning of ant colonies and coral reefs, and even human consciousness, which derives from the interconnection of neurons in the nervous system to produce all sorts of information, like self-awareness and emotions. Examples of emergent properties in Agroecosystems include enhanced aesthetic leading to better emotional health, or an increase in soil carbon sequestration.

But….Agroecology is actually much more than these “three pillars”. Many, including the author of this article, insist that these three pillars are handy for a brief introduction, but Agroecology indeed goes much deeper. I encourage you to take 10 minutes and read it if you can.

This view opens up Agroecology as being accessible to all - academics, advocates, and farmer practitioners. This adds the last crucial piece to our definition of Agroecology - that it is Transdisciplinary, Participatory, and Action-Oriented!

So for those keeping track, our working definition of Agroecology is as follows:

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

These types of conversations about meaning can get really abstract really fast. At this point I would like to ground us in some central principles of Agroecology and, following from these, specific practices that embody these principles. Agencies group and describe these principles differently; some may list 10 principles while others list 6, but the core concepts undergirding these principles are the same. For our semester you should be looking out for these THREE BIG principles as we go about our work:

Cycles

Cycles are present in both socio-economic and ecological systems. They can contain both reinforcing loops (positive feedback loops) and balancing loops (negative feedback loops). Cycles form when the output of a process affects the regeneration of the series of events that led to that process in the first place. Some examples of Cycles at work in Agroecology are:

Encouraging efficient internal nutrient cycling (N,P,C) by enhancing ecological function and reducing external inputs [cover crops, crop/animal integration, soil food web management, biological N fixation, compost generation and application, agroforestry and use of vertical niche space, aquaculture, etc.]
The Water Cycle - paying attention to how water flows across landscapes, adapting agriculture to be resilient in the face of perturbations in the water cycle due to climate change, designing land surfaces (drainage ditches, swales, wetlands, etc.) to manage water, types of irrigation (drip, flood, center pivot, overhead) and why you might use one over the other
Value Chain Life Cycle Assessment (cradle-to-cradle, closed loop production, Ecological LCA) - look at the entire value chain for food and food products from their production, processing, distribution, access, consumption, and disposal. Reconnect producers and consumers through a circular and solidarity economy that prioritizes local markets and supports local economic development by creating virtuous cycles throughout the entire value chain. Promoting fair solutions based on local needs, resources and capacities, creating more equitable and sustainable markets. Re-designing food systems based on the principles of circular economy can help address the global food waste challenge by making food value chains shorter and more resource-efficient.
Organism Life Cycles (plants, animals, parasites, etc.) - agroecology seeks to use the natural rhythms and niches of plants and animals to manage agricultural systems. Approaches include integrated pest management (IPM), breaking pest cycles for plants and animals, self-deworming with diverse pastures, controlling pollination through separations in time, intercropping plants with different root depths and harvest dates (tomatoes & herbs/lettuce), control weeds and cover crops by terminating at flowering, etc. Aside from pest control life cycles are valuable for nourishing soil life and the organisms and communities within soil food webs.

Diversity
- Agroecology utilizes and celebrates diversity throughout its systems. Diversity is a source of resilience and strength that provides stability and richness through relationships built through interwoven communities. Here we emphasize diversity that leads to socio-ecosystem services. Examples include:
  - Genetic diversity - within a given “type” of crop (i.e. corn) or livestock (i.e. cattle) there exists a rich amount of genetic diversity. Some varieties are very specialized and work well for specific purposes (i.e. Holsteins) while others are more general and may produce evenly across varying conditions. It is important to maintain diversity within “type” and save this seed so that we continue to have genetic diversity to return to as conditions continue to challenge our agriculture - we do not want to lose humanity’s agricultural heritage build over thousands of years.
  - Crop & Animal Diversity - by planting different crops together (companion planting, trap crops, & intercropping) as well as shifting crops by location from season to season (crop rotation) we are able to benefit from strong relationships between crops (basil & tomatoes, soybeans & corn, watermelon and hubbard squash, etc.) as well as plants & animals. We also think about having a mix of annuals and perennials with a variety of rooting depths and fruiting dates as is the case in agroforestry and permaculture. Pollinator/Insect strips are an example of using mixtures of food and non-food crops to build ecological communities that provide ecological services such as pollination, beneficials, and beauty. Having a diverse set of animals involved in a farm system ensures that each animal’s particular ecological nice is fully utilize (chickens - scratching and composting, pigs - food waste and tillage, cattle - grazing grass and trampling, goats - browsing forbs & invasive control, etc.)
  - Landscape Diversity - farming within a diverse landscape provides aesthetics as well as ecological benefits. Increased animal diversity, warm & cool season grasses, water filtration, isolation from pollen, buffering, early season pollinator forage, diverse pastures, historical context, and forest food products are just a few examples - not to mention quality of life and aesthetic value.
  - Demographic Diversity (race, income, background, etc.) - encouraging diversity among those able to actively participate in their food systems enhances engagement, forms relationships, builds communities, and provides increased access, equity and justice for producers and the citizenry.
  - Diversity of Diets - expanding the foods we eat to be mindful of season and locality while also enhancing health and wellness translates to supporting local food systems where seasonal crop choices can be made and healthier more nutrient-dense food can be enjoyed
  - Diversified income streams and enterprises - Exploring the full spectrum of business plans for getting food from the field to the fork - including: (i) Direct Marketing, (ii) Producer and Consumer co-ops, (iii) Farm to restaurant/brewery/distillery, (iv) CSA, (v) On-farm sales, (vi) Farmers Market, (vii) Food Hubs, (viii) Online Aggregators (Market Wagon, Green Bean Delivery), other Relationship-based exchanges. Other farms have learned to diversify to hedge their bets against uncertain market forces (YUH, Andy Ambriole, etc.)

Participation
- This principle embodies the aspects of agroecology that spur us to action. Agroecology is truly a movement as much as it is a science and a set of practices. There are many ways to participate in food issues and food systems. Agroecology emphasizes co-creation, active sharing of knowledge, empowerment, education, and communication. We seek true food sovereignty for all regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in. People can participate through engaging with policy, advocacy, education and food literacy, seed saving, community gardens, backyard farming, attending farmers markets or eating at farm-to-fork restaurants. Agroecology encourages horizontal transfer of ideas (farmer-to-farmer, etc.) and wants to see all people have personal experiences that connect them to how food is grown, processed, transported, sold, prepared, and eaten. Most of all Agroecology seeks to connect people to each other through authentic non-exploitative food experiences. This might be through cooking classes, buyers’ clubs, co-ops, CSAs, faith-based gardening projects, etc.
- Agroecology also fosters the participation of all aspects of biological systems in the production of food. Soil microbes, earthworms, various species of plants, beneficial insects, etc. are all vital

With these 3 Principles of Agroecology in mind, I want to provide you with a general conceptual transition plan towards a deepening agroecology. First off, the great thing to remember about agroecology is that it is scale independent. Agroecology is not limited to one certain type of farming (organic, large-scale grain, small-scale vegetable, intensive, extensive, etc.) but instead agroecological practices can be incorporated by anyone who is interested and sees their value. In this way agroecology lends itself to incremental change of the food system on multiple fronts. Transitioning to an agroecological approach is like reaching levels within a larger framework. It’s possible that some folks may get to Level 1 or 2 and not progress any further while other organizations go all the way to 5. In other cases it may take coordination across many organizations to “level up” within this framework. Regardless, all players are moving towards Agroecological management - and that is a good thing!

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!)

We have (1) discussed our working definition of the term “Agroecology”, (2) defined our 3 principles of Agroecology, (3) listed some specific practices that brings these principles to life, and (4) presented a framework by which systems can transition to Agroecological management. This in itself is far more than we can cover even in a semester! Hopefully this semester you begin to build a framework that helps you to organize your thoughts so that, as you continue to work and think about food systems, the agroecology framework will continue to help you make sense of your experiences. If it personally helps you feel free to keep a table like this that helps you organized your experiences throughout the semester. Other options include this Table of Agroecology Practices or this Blank Table.

Not Required Reading - but helpful links:

I also find the CIDSE paradigm of Agroecology helpful

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