Agroecology Knowledge Hub

Efficiency : innovative agroecological practices produce more using less external resources

Increased resource-use efficiency is an emergent property of agroecological systems that carefully plan and manage diversity to create synergies between different system components. For example, a key efficiency challenge is that less than 50 percent of nitrogen fertilizer added globally to cropland is converted into harvested products and the rest is lost to the environment causing major environmental problems.

Agroecological systems improve the use of natural resources, especially those that are abundant and free, such as solar radiation, atmospheric carbon and nitrogen. By enhancing biological processes and recycling biomass, nutrients and water, producers are able to use fewer external resources, reducing costs and the negative environmental impacts of their use. Ultimately, reducing dependency on external resources empowers producers by increasing their autonomy and resilience to natural or economic shocks.

One way to measure the efficiency of integrated systems is by using Land Equivalent Ratios (LER). LER compares the yields from growing two or more components (e.g. crops, trees, animals) together with yields from growing the same components in monocultures. Integrated agroecological systems frequently demonstrate higher LERs.

Agroecology thus promotes agricultural systems with the necessary biological, socio-economic and institutional diversity and alignment in time and space to support greater efficiency.

Database

Nutrient uptake and utilization play an important role in yield advantage of intercropping. However, the effects of nutrient and utilization on yield advantage of new intercropping systems are rarely explored in Northwest China. A field experiment was carried out to investigate those effects under maize & potato, maize & rapeseed,...
China
Journal article
2015
The capacity for leadership is based on talent, vision and commitment, but it also depends on the ability to understand the functioning of sectors and to interact with people in various contexts, with different points of view. The ‘Leadership in Agroecology and Organic Farming’ training course offers the opportunity to...
Sao Tome and Principe
Learning
2020
This video depicts the second session of the second day of the regional consultation on ‘’Engaging with Academia and Research Institutions (ARIs) to support Family Farmers and Food System Transformation during and post COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia’’ held on  8 and 9 December 2021.  The video focuses on ARIs’ experiences from the Asia region...
Video
2021
Agroecology Newsletter of October 2022
Newsletter
2022
The initiative is taking place in the Rabat region. The Zirâa Al Hayate "Seed of Life" cooperative in the Rabat region distributes plant products from 10 farms with agroecology practices. The cooperative's farms started their activities with agroecology techniques in 2017.  The 10 participating farms of the cooperative are labeled Participatory...
Morocco
Innovation
2021