Future Perfect

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ustainable

agriculture

wildlife

food

security

consumption

and

production

patterns

services are maintained into the future, as our civilization depends

on them. One way is to create incentives for farmers, and remuner-

ate their efforts in maintaining ecosystem services.

Transforming policies, governance and investments

One example of an agricultural method meeting these challenges

is the ‘push-pull’ system for maize cultivation, developed by the

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in

Kenya. The system is widely accepted and adopted by smallholder

farmers because it addresses their major production constraints.

The key drivers of its adoption are the control of striga, stem-

borer and soil erosion, and the increase of soil fertility and fodder

production. These combined benefits, together with the low

cost, make it highly attractive to farmers. An impact assessment

concluded that push-pull contributes significantly to reducing the

vulnerability of farm families by ensuring higher yields. Of the

assessed farmers, 75 per cent indicated threefold to fourfold maize

yield increases and, more importantly, better yield stability.

Furthermore, as push-pull does not depend on external inputs

such as synthetic pesticides and fertilizer, it is an environmen-

tally friendly method that is likely to increase agro-biodiversity

and contribute to provisioning of ecosystem services. With push-

pull, ICIPE has developed the most successful and widely used

intercropping system in East Africa and beyond, with current

adaptations underway for more arid climates, focusing on millet

and sorghum as the main crops.

The agricultural sector represents countless interests; yet given its

essential role in reducing poverty and achieving economic growth

in developing countries, and in ensuring sustainable development,

there is broad agreement among diverse stakeholders to transform

our agriculture and food system. Efforts to upscale successful agri-

cultural applications from the ground need to be combined with

four efforts outlined below to transform global policies,

governance and investments.

First, to reach a breakthrough, the international

community must take on the responsibility of working

to strengthen these methods and develop an agricul-

tural and food system that manages natural resources

sustainably, advances resilience to climate change,

improves food and nutrition security and benefits the

livelihood of millions of small-scale and family farmers

around the world. Seventy per cent of global food

production is produced by 525 million small farms and

there is significant potential to increase their yields and

revenues using solely ecological methods. Numerous

projects in the tropics and subtropics have shown

that organic agriculture can generate 50-150 per cent

more income.

Small-scale farmers are actually able

to nourish people in developing countries – without

expensive inputs, forest clearing or destruction of valu-

able ecosystems. However, they need to be supported

and sustained by the appropriate agriculture and trade

policies and research, development and education insti-

tutions.

Second, investment flows need to be redirected. In

view of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable

Development, the UNEP Green Economy report calls

for a sustained investment of 2 per cent of our global

economic power to begin the transition to a low-carbon,

resource-efficient world economy. Of this, US$198

billion – or 0.16 per cent of the global GNP – should

flow into agriculture. The funds should be used to regen-

erate degraded soils, promote diversified farms integrated

with crops and livestock, fight erosion, establish efficient

The ‘push-pull’ system helps farmers control pests and improve soil quality and increase their yields

Image: Biovision/Peter Luethi