Agriculture and biodiversity, growing with nature
Summary
TLDRAgriculture's impact on biodiversity is significant, with farming occupying 40% of the planet's land surface, yet shrinking due to urbanization. The simplification of landscapes and reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have led to species loss. In response, farmers are adopting diverse practices like organic farming, agroforestry, and extensive farming to protect biodiversity. These methods, along with the reintroduction of traditional crop varieties and local consumption, are crucial for sustainable agriculture and aligning with climate and biodiversity goals.
Takeaways
- 🌾 Agriculture is intrinsically linked to biodiversity, with farmers shaping landscapes to grow living organisms for food.
- 🏙️ Farmland is decreasing globally, especially due to urbanization, which consumes an average of 600 hectares annually in the Paris region.
- 🛠️ The transformation and mechanization of agriculture since the Neolithic period have led to significant landscape changes.
- 🌿 The simplification of landscapes and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides have caused a decline in species diversity.
- 🐦 In the Paris region, there has been a nearly 50% drop in farmland bird species between 2004 and 2017.
- 🌱 A small number of plant species dominate global food production, with only thirty supplying 90% of the world's food.
- 🌱 Specialization in farming, with shorter crop rotations and fewer crop species, has reduced genetic diversity significantly.
- 🌳 Reclaiming wildlife habitats and creating green corridors by replanting hedges is essential for supporting biodiversity.
- 💧 Water bodies are vital for many species and contribute to the development of a blue grid, which is important for biodiversity.
- 🌱 Organic farming and agroforestry are solutions that rely on biodiversity and offer ecosystem services to crops.
- 🌿 Extensive farming practices, such as simplified cultivation techniques and avoiding monoculture, can protect biodiverse environments and enrich soil.
Q & A
What is the current percentage of land surface on Earth used for farming?
-Farming occupies 40 percent of the land surface of the planet.
How does urbanization impact farmland in the Paris region?
-Urban growth in the Paris region consumes an average of 600 hectares of farmland every year.
What changes have occurred in agriculture since the Neolithic period?
-Agriculture has been radically transformed and mechanized, leading to changes in landscapes due to land consolidation.
What is the impact of landscape simplification and use of man-made fertilizers and pesticides on species?
-The simplification of the landscape and the growing use of man-made fertilizers and pesticides lead to the disappearance of species that inhabit it.
How has the number of birds adapted to farmland in the Paris region changed between 2004 and 2017?
-The number of birds specially adapted to living on farmland fell by almost half between 2004 and 2017 in the Paris region.
What is the significance of genetic diversity in farming as mentioned in the script?
-Genetic diversity has dropped significantly, with traditional varieties being replaced by selected varieties offering higher yields.
Why is it important to reclaim wildlife habitats in and around farmland?
-Reclaiming wildlife habitats is essential to support biodiversity and to interconnect these areas, for example, by replanting hedges to act as green corridors.
What is the role of meadows in carbon storage and flood control?
-Meadows play a fundamental role in storing carbon and help control flooding by acting as flood expansion areas.
How does organic farming contribute to biodiversity?
-Organic farming is a step forward as it rejects the use of man-made phytosanitary products and fertilizers, supporting biodiversity.
What is agroforestry and how does it benefit the ecosystem?
-Agroforestry is a way to combine farming and forestry, with trees offering a range of ecosystem services to crops, especially when diversified.
How can simplified cultivation techniques benefit the environment?
-Simplified cultivation techniques, such as reducing or stopping plowing, direct sowing, extended crop rotations, and sowing green fertilizers, can protect the soil and nourish it without bare ground.
What is the importance of diversifying the species grown in agriculture?
-Diversifying the species grown is vital to maintain a diverse gene pool, ensure greater stability with regard to climate change, and move away from monoculture.
Outlines
🌱 Impact of Agriculture on Biodiversity
Agriculture's deep-rooted connection with biodiversity is highlighted, with farming occupying 40% of the Earth's land surface. However, urbanization is leading to a reduction in farmland, as seen in the Paris region with an annual loss of 600 hectares. The transformation of agriculture since the Neolithic period has mechanized farming and altered landscapes, leading to a loss of biodiversity. The simplification of landscapes and the increased use of fertilizers and pesticides have caused species to disappear, with a significant drop in farmland bird populations between 2004 and 2017. Genetic diversity has also been affected, with traditional varieties being replaced by high-yield ones. The simplification of farming practices makes land and food systems vulnerable to climate risks, prompting farmers to adopt more diverse approaches to support biodiversity.
🌿 Sustainable Agricultural Practices
This paragraph discusses various agro-ecological approaches that can be integrated to promote biodiversity in agriculture. These include organic farming, agroforestry, and extensive farming, which offer ecosystem services and help protect diverse environments. Simplified cultivation techniques such as reduced plowing, direct sowing, and creating temporary meadows are also mentioned. The importance of diversifying crop species and varieties to maintain a stable gene pool and ensure climate resilience is emphasized. The paragraph concludes by stressing the need for governance, policy, and incentive changes to facilitate the adoption of these practices. It also mentions the role of participatory science initiatives in monitoring biodiversity on farms, advocating for a collaborative approach to develop agricultural methods that are more compatible with nature.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biodiversity
💡Urbanization
💡Landscape Simplification
💡Genetic Diversity
💡Agro-ecological Approaches
💡Organic Farming
💡Agroforestry
💡Climate Risk
💡Eco-conditionality
💡Participatory Science
💡Local Seasonal Produce
Highlights
Agriculture's strong historical connection with biodiversity and its role in shaping landscapes.
40 percent of the planet's land surface is used for farming, yet farmland is shrinking due to urbanization.
Urban growth in the Paris region consumes an average of 600 hectares of farmland annually.
Agriculture has undergone radical transformation and mechanization since the Neolithic period.
Landscape simplification and the use of man-made fertilizers and pesticides lead to species disappearance.
In the Paris region, the number of farmland-adapted bird species fell by almost half between 2004 and 2017.
Only thirty plant species supply ninety percent of the world's food, highlighting genetic diversity's decline.
Specialization in farming with shorter crop rotations and fewer crop species has reduced genetic diversity.
Traditional varieties have been replaced by high-yielding selected varieties, impacting biodiversity.
The simplification of the environment makes land and food systems vulnerable to climate risks.
Farmers are adopting varied approaches to reclaim wildlife habitats and support biodiversity.
Interconnecting wildlife habitats through green corridors, such as replanting hedges, is essential.
Bodies of water are vital for many species and contribute to the development of a blue grid.
Meadows play a fundamental role in carbon storage and help control flooding.
Organic farming rejects the use of man-made phytosanitary products and fertilizers, benefiting biodiversity.
Agroforestry combines farming and forestry, offering ecosystem services to crops.
Extensive farming reintroduction helps protect biodiverse environments and enriches soil with organic matter.
Simplified cultivation techniques, such as reduced plowing and direct sowing, protect the soil.
Monoculture should be avoided by varying species grown and reintroducing multiple varieties.
Agro-ecological approaches are not mutually exclusive and can draw inspiration from local contexts.
Diversification of farming aligns with the consumption of local, seasonal produce.
Governance frameworks, public policies, and incentive programs need to change for widespread adoption of sustainable practices.
Transformation of the common agricultural policy, especially through eco-conditionality, is crucial for farming's compatibility with biodiversity.
Naturalists and farmers collaborate through participatory science initiatives to monitor biodiversity on farms.
Biodiversity and agriculture are inseparable, and efforts should be made to develop more nature-compatible agricultural methods.
Transcripts
agriculture has always had strong connections with biodiversity.
Farmers grow and select living organisms and shape entire landscapes in order to feed us.
Today farming occupies 40 percent of the land surface of the planet
and yet farmland is shrinking around the world mainly to make way for urbanization
this is true in the paris region where despite a slowdown in recent years
urban growth still consumes an average of 600 hectares of farmland every year.
Since its beginnings in the neolithic period
agriculture has been radically transformed and mechanized.
Landscapes have changed particularly as a result of land consolidation which has led to parcels of
land being joined together some crops have become scarce as have landscape features such as corpuses
isolated trees hedges farm tracks ditches or ponds and areas of wetland which have been drained.
This simplification of the landscape along with the growing use of man-made
fertilizers and pesticides leads to the disappearance of the species that inhabit it.
In the paris region for example the number of birds specially adapted to living on farmland
fell by almost half between 2004 and 2017.
Of seven thousand plant species that can be grown, only thirty
supply ninety percent of the world's food. In the paris region and across the seine basin
farming has become specialized with shorter crop rotations and fewer crop species
Genetic diversity has also dropped significantly. The numerous traditional varieties grown over
the last century have been replaced by selected varieties offering higher yields.
This simplification of our environment on all scales
makes our land and food vulnerable to climate risk.
This is why farmers are actively changing their methods and adopting more varied approaches.
It is essential to reclaim wildlife habitats able to support biodiversity in and around
areas of farmland. It is important to interconnect these areas for example by replanting hedges
so that they act as green corridors that allow species to move from one place to another.
Permanent or temporary bodies of water are vital to many species
and contribute to the development of a blue grid. Meadows play a fundamental role in storing carbon
and help to control flooding by acting as flood expansion areas.
Where farming techniques are concerned there are many solutions that rely on biodiversity.
Organic farming is the first step forwards as it rejects the use of
man-made phytosanitary products and fertilizers.
Agroforestry is an ideal way to combine farming and forestry on a farm or an area of land.
Trees offer a range of ecosystem services to crops especially when they are diversified.
The gradual reintroduction of extensive farming helps farmers to protect highly
biodiverse environments such as meadows to make better use of non-arable, land to enrich
the soil with organic matter and to move away from land specialization in the countryside.
It is also an opportunity to preserve old livestock breeds that have been in severe decline.
Other practices that have a positive impact on the environment
include simplified cultivation techniques. These involve reducing or stopping plowing
in order to protect the soil direct sowing extended crop rotations creating temporary
meadows and sowing green fertilizers in order to avoid bare ground and to nourish the soil.
T o move away from monoculture it is vital to vary the species grown
sometimes in the same field and to reintroduce several varieties of a single species in order
to maintain a diverse gene pool and ensure greater stability with regard to climate change.
These different agro-ecological approaches are not mutually incompatible.
They can feed into one another all must draw inspiration from the local context
connecting plant production breeding and forestry
fosters synergies between farmers and offers new commercial opportunities.
The diversification of farming goes hand in hand with a return
to the consumption of local seasonal produce.
This means reactivating short local supply chains
and reducing long-distance import and export operations.
But widespread adoption of such practices will only be achieved if
governance frameworks public policies and incentive programs also change.
Many different solutions can be applied on all levels both locally and globally.
The transformation of the common agricultural policy
in particular via the eco-conditionality of financial support is one of the main
levers that can be used to ensure that farming is compatible with biodiversity.
These changes will take time but are unavoidable if climate and biodiversity goals are to be met.
In the meantime naturalists are working with farmers to observe
and monitor biodiversity on farms thanks to participatory science initiatives.
Biodiversity and agriculture are inseparable.
Let's work together to develop agricultural methods that are more compatible with nature.
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