Agroecology is an interdisciplinary approach that integrates ecological principles into agricultural practices with the goal of creating sustainable farming and food systems. This approach is recognized not only as a scientific discipline but also as a set of agricultural practices and a social movement. The fundamental aim of agroecology is to ensure environmental social and economic sustainability in food production.
Basic Definitions and Scope
Agroecology is defined in various ways across different sources:
- A discipline that aims for ecosystem based agriculture and sustainable use of natural resources.
- The application of ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agroecosystems.
- The integration of research education action and change to bring sustainability to all aspects of the food system ecological economic and social.
- Encompasses various approaches to solving the real challenges of agricultural production and is used in science with different meanings as well as to define a movement or agricultural practices.
- Offers an alternative to the various environmental and socio-economic problems caused by modern industrial agricultural systems while promoting the participation of all stakeholders involved in the production process.
The scale and dimension of agroecological research have evolved over time. Initially focused on the level of agricultural land fields and livestock it later expanded to the farm or ecosystem level and finally to the food system level. The food systems approach incorporates both natural science and social science perspectives.
Principles
The core principles of agroecology are as follows:
- Enhancement and Conservation of Biodiversity: Ecosystem functions are preserved by cultivating diverse plant species in agricultural areas polyculture and creating corridors for natural wildlife.
- Preservation and Improvement of Soil Health: Suitable soil conditions for plant growth are achieved through organic matter management and strengthening of soil biological activity.
- Efficient Use of Natural Resources: The goal is to reduce fossil fuel use and increase efficiency in the use of natural resources such as energy and water. Reducing or eliminating dependence on external inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides is fundamental.
- Utilization of Ecosystem Services: Ecological processes such as nutrient cycling predator prey interactions competition symbiosis and succession are integrated into agricultural production.
- Social and Economic Sustainability: The aim is to produce agricultural products that meet the needs of local communities and enable local farmers to sustainably meet their own food needs. Ensuring the flow of knowledge skills and technology among agricultural producers especially smallholders supporting and empowering farmers through social safety nets and education programs is essential. The goal is to create a solidarity economy between rural and urban areas.
- Participation: Agroecology is an approach that requires the participation of all stakeholders from farm to table and everyone in between.
- Integration of Traditional Knowledge: Local and traditional agricultural knowledge is recognized as a vital resource in the design and implementation of agroecological systems. This includes rediscovering traditional farming practices using local seeds and supporting regional markets.
- Resilience: Agroecological systems aim to be more resilient to climate change and other stress factors.
Agroecology and Modern Agriculture
Although modern industrial agriculture achieved yield increases with the Green Revolution it has also led to environmental degradation overuse of natural resources and various socio-economic problems. Agroecology offers an alternative to these issues by opposing intensive chemical inputs and monoculture farming. Agroecological systems are typically labor intensive and require less fossil fuel energy and synthetic fertilizers.
Contributions of Agroecology
- Food Security: It is a key tool for ensuring food security by drawing on local resources and traditional knowledge.
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Due to its labor intensity and low fossil fuel use it contributes to combating human induced climate change and adapting to rising temperatures.
- Biodiversity: It increases biological diversity in agriculture and improves the quality of the agroecological matrix.
- Sustainability: It aims to enhance the economic and ecological sustainability of agroecosystems.
Challenges
Implementing an agroecological transition can be difficult and requires social economic and political support. The greatest barriers to shifting from a high capital energy intensive industrial production system to a labor intensive low energy consuming agricultural system are often not technical problems but social challenges and political biases. In Türkiye significant structural socio-economic and political obstacles hinder the agroecological transition.
Agroecology in Türkiye
Türkiye's rich agricultural heritage and biological diversity provide a foundation for understanding how agroecological science and sustainable farming practices have taken root in this region. However since the year 2000 the dominance of neoliberal policies in Türkiye's agricultural sector and increased use of agricultural inputs have led to outcomes that contradict agroecological principles such as the withdrawal of small family farms from production and the acceleration of rural to urban migration. It is noted that agricultural sustainability in Türkiye faces various environmental social and economic challenges and is regressing.
