Agriculture and biodiversity, growing with nature

Summary

Agriculture'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

00:00

🌱 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.

05:00

🌿 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.

Keywords

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the diversity within species, between species, and the ecosystems they form. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as being closely connected to agriculture, as farming practices can either support or diminish biodiversity. The script mentions the negative impact of urbanization and monoculture on biodiversity, with examples such as the shrinking farmland and the decline in bird species in the Paris region.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the process by which towns and cities become more extensive and populations shift from rural to urban areas. The video script uses Paris as an example to illustrate how urban growth leads to the loss of farmland, which in turn affects biodiversity. This process is a significant driver of landscape change and a threat to the habitats that support diverse species.

💡Landscape Simplification

Landscape simplification is the reduction of complexity in natural landscapes, often due to human activities such as agriculture and urban development. The script discusses how this simplification, such as the joining of land parcels and the disappearance of natural features like hedges and wetlands, leads to a loss of species and a decrease in genetic diversity.

💡Genetic Diversity

Genetic diversity refers to the variety of genetic characteristics within a species. The video emphasizes the decline in genetic diversity in farming due to the replacement of traditional varieties with selected, high-yield ones. This reduction in diversity can make crops more susceptible to diseases and less adaptable to changing environmental conditions.

💡Agro-ecological Approaches

Agro-ecological approaches are farming methods that consider the ecological processes and interactions within an agricultural system. The script outlines various such approaches, including organic farming, agroforestry, and extensive farming, which are more compatible with biodiversity and can help to mitigate the negative impacts of conventional agriculture.

💡Organic Farming

Organic farming is a method of agriculture that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms. The video suggests that organic farming is a step towards more sustainable practices by rejecting harmful chemicals, thus supporting biodiversity and reducing the environmental impact of farming.

💡Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a land-use management system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland. The video highlights agroforestry as a way to combine the benefits of farming and forestry, providing ecosystem services and contributing to biodiversity by creating more complex and resilient landscapes.

💡Climate Risk

Climate risk refers to the potential negative impacts of climate change on ecosystems, agriculture, and human societies. The script connects the simplification of farming landscapes to increased vulnerability to climate risk, emphasizing the need for diverse and resilient farming practices to adapt to and mitigate these risks.

💡Eco-conditionality

Eco-conditionality is the principle of making financial support for agriculture conditional on environmental and ecological criteria. The video mentions the transformation of the common agricultural policy through eco-conditionality as a means to ensure that farming practices are compatible with biodiversity and contribute positively to environmental goals.

💡Participatory Science

Participatory science involves the active involvement of non-scientists, such as farmers, in scientific research and monitoring. The script notes the role of naturalists working with farmers through participatory science initiatives to observe and monitor biodiversity on farms, which can lead to more informed and effective conservation strategies.

💡Local Seasonal Produce

Local seasonal produce refers to food that is grown and consumed within a specific region and is available during its natural growing season. The video advocates for a return to consuming local seasonal produce as a way to support diverse farming practices, reduce the environmental impact of long-distance transport, and promote a more sustainable food system.

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.