Organic agriculture – a realistic pathway? Evidence from long-term systems research on 27 January, 15:00 - 16:30 CET
The results of 12 years of comparative farming systems research in Kenya, Bolivia, and India provide scientific evidence on organic and conventional systems' economic and ecological sustainability. They illustrate how organic systems and other agroecological approaches can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 SDGs aim to end poverty and other deprivations. There is substantial evidence illustrating that the dominant agricultural management practices are not sustainable for the future. Organic agriculture is proposed as an alternative, but its performance under tropical conditions is questioned as long-term studies are scarce.
The conference, organized by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships of the European Commission (DG INTPA, former DEVCO), addresses whether organic agriculture is a realistic pathway for smallholders in the Global South and if it can support the transformation of food systems. Furthermore, it addresses some key issues of the SDGs, such as responsible consumption and production and eliminating poverty and hunger.
The report "What is the contribution of organic agriculture to sustainable development? A twelve-year synthesis (2007-2019) - of long-term comparisons of farming systems in the tropics (SysCom)'' was launched, and the results were presented at the conference. The report's findings are reflected in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on its work on agroecology.
Speakers:
- Christophe Larose, Head of Sector, INTPA F3 Sustainable Agri-Food systems, and Fisheries;
- Knut Schmidtke, Director of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, FiBL;
- Christina Blank, Programme Manager of the Global Programme Food Security, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation;
- Beate Huber, President, FiBL Europe;
- Bernard Lehmann, Vice-Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on food security and nutrition.