Agriculture future perspectives

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Agriculture- future perspectives
Constantin Ahrens Eva María Briso de Montiano
Gómez Wolfgang Eichert Nana Harbo Florian Jerlich
Erica Salisbury Alessandra Silvestrini Lionel
Thellier Helena Trajkovska Qian Qian Wang
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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Organic vs. industrial agriculture
• 8 threats on soil
• Using GIS to analyse soil erosion
• Other impacts
• Common Agricultural Policy
• Group discussion

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History of Farming

• In 1900 It took one farmer to feed 2.5 people,
  where currently the ratio is 1 to well over 100.
• Before 1945 Introduction of gasoline and
  development of organic methods

• After 1945
• Technical advances
• Green Revolution
• 1972 Versailles France 1st InternationalCongress
  of Organic FarmingLaunch of International
  Federationof Organic Agriculture Movement IFOAM

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Organic Agriculture

• Scientific knowledge and comprehensive
  traceability with traditional farming practices
• Knowledge and techniques gathered over thousands
  of years
• Improvement of social, economic and ecological
  sustainability
• Differents methods
• - IFOAM Basic Standards (IBS)
• - National regulation
• - European Union regulation

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Goals and Practices

• No use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides,
  and no GMOs
• Protection of the soil (from erosion, nutrient
  depletion, structural breakdown)
• Promotion of biodiversity (e.g. growing a variety
  of crops rather than a single crop)
• No drugs (e.g. antibiotics, hormones)
• Access to outdoor grazing, for livestock and
  poultry

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• International Federation of Organic Agriculture
  Movements
• started in 1972 in Versailles
• non-governmental organization
• uniting and assisting the organic movement in its
  full diversity
• accredit certifiers to voluntary standards
• several large retailers in Europe rely on the
  IFOAM standards rather than any particular
  national standard. 
• IFOAM Basic Standards (IBS)
• current state of organic production and
  processing methods
• translated in 18 languages

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Organic vs. Industrial Agriculture
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Organic vs. Industrial Agriculture

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Health Issues

• Industrial Agriculture

• Damages the ecosystems where we are living
• Contamination in the industrial foods may cause a
  lot of illnesses.
• Less regard for human health, more focus on
  increasing production

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Health Issues

• Organic Agriculture
• Safety ---Without excessive use of pesticides and
  
• other hazardous chemicals
• --- Monitoring
• Nutrition --- Higher level of antioxidants
  
• --- More vitamin C, iron,
  magnesium
• and so on
• Flavour and Tasty

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Environmental Issues

• Industrial Agriculture
• Heavy uses of toxic chemicals pollute natural
  resources

• Further damages the local ecosystem causes
  vicious circle of more chemical use
• Serious threat to the global environment

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Environmental Issues

• Organic Agriculture

• Reduces pollutants and manages water resources
• Applies organic method to the land and conserves
  valuable soil resources
• Protecting the environment for further
  generations

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Functions of Soil

• Food and other biomass production
• Storing, filtering and transformation
• Provides habitat and gene pools
• Physical and cultural environment for mankind
• Source of raw materials

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Erosion

• Removal of soil particles by water or wind
• Natural act, human activities increase
• loss of soil and its attributes
• It depends on
• climate
• type structure of soil
• grassroots
• existence and type
• of the vegetation

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Contamination

• Contaminated soil lose his functions
• Contamination can be local or diffused
• The nature of agriculture can diffuse
  contamination
• Industrial facilities are point sources of
  contamination
• Effects have multiple negative consequences

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Soil Compaction

• Caused by mechanical loads compacting soil
  through heavy machines, skiing, overgrazing etc.
• Soil loses absorption capacity
• Affects
• the growth of roots
• water storage
• fertility
• biological activity and stability
• 4 of the soil in Europe is compacted

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Flood and Landslides

• Natural hazards
• Damage agriculture and buildings
• Due to sealing and deforestation
• Mostly endangered
• steep slopes
• erodible soils

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Sealing

• Houses, roads and other structures
• No absorption of rainwater for infiltration and
  filtering
• Always irreversible
• 43 of coastal soils
• in Italy seald (1996)

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Decline of Soil Biodiversity

• Huge variety of organisms
• Providing physical and biochemical properties for
  soil fertility
• Bigger animals break up organic matter
• Micro organisms degraded this
• Rise the sensibility for degradation processes
• 1g soil 600 Million bacteria, gt15.000 species

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Salinisation

• Accumulation of salts reduces fertility
• Problems
• irrigation with high salt content waters
• low rainfalls lead to low eluviations
• groundwater overexploitation
• lowers water table
• ? intrusion of marine water
• in costal areas
• 1 Mio. Ha in the EU
• are effected

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Declining of Organic Matter

• Organic matter
• organic materials
• living organisms
• Humus
• Important for resistance against erosion
• Consequence of farming and forestry
• Build up very slow

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Analysing Soil Issues with GIS

• What is a GIS? An integration of five basic
  components!

Procedures
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GIS Functions
Capture
Store
Query
Analyze
Display
Output
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Soil Erosion Hot Spots
European Environment Agency, 2001
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Problem Areas of Local Soil Contamination
European Environment Agency, 2001
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Problem Areas of Diffuse Soil Contamination
European Environment Agency, 2001
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Problem Areas of Soil Sealing
European Environment Agency, 2001
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Generalisation of Areas of Soil Degradation
European Environment Agency, 2001
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Economic and Social Implications

• Trade, political and market power
• Competition
• Flow-on effects
• Appropriation of land
• Consumerism

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Education and Awareness

• Organic standards and self regulation
• Expos, marketing, information, workshops
  conferences
• Menu listingorganic ingredients
• Knowledge processes

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CAP

• Common Agricultural Policy in the EU

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Objectives

• Article 39 in the Treaty of Rome
• Increase productivity
• Fair standard of living for agricultural
  community
• Stable markets
• Ensure availability of supplies
• Provide consumers with food at reasonable prices

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Instruments

• Three principle mechanisms
• Import tariffs for specified goods
• Internal intervention price
• System of production subsidies

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A Critique of the CAP

• Anti-Development
• State intervention
• Unsustainability

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CAP Subsidies

• Financial tool
• European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee
  Fund
• Guidance section ? quality
• Guarantee section ? quantity

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Financial Instruments

• EAGGF, Guidance Section
• Leader
• Increased usage as environmental concerns become
  more and more important

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Trend on Expenditure on Agri-Environment
Millions of , Source EAGFF Guarantee Section,
budget execution
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Objectives

• Reduction of environmental risks
• Preservation of nature
• Cultivation of the landscape

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Productive Landmanagement

• Input reduction
• Organic farming
• Extensification of farming
• Rotation measures
• Prevention of erosion and fire
• Genetic Diversity
• Reduction of water use

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Non-Productive Landmanagement

• The setting aside of land
• Maintenance of countryside and landscape
• Public access

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Its up to you!

• Developed and developing countries
• Preferences towards organic or industrial
  agriculture
• Discussion in 4 groups
• Discussion in each country
• Overall discussion