• Broadening and deepening the research on environmental and human health implications of pesticides. Continuing improvements in human epidemiology and environmental assessment will be useful to better identify and measure the adverse effects of pesticides and thus guide further research into their safe use;
• Ensuring that research on pest management is locally appropriate and effective by drawing on the existing locally developed knowledge and developing new knowledge of local conditions;
• Developing better tools for prior evaluation of the unintended effects of pesticide use and for monitoring and evaluation of negative effects after adoption; and
• Developing new approaches to integrated pest management and organic agriculture (Box 6-10) based on integrating advances in ecological sciences. Better ecological understanding of both the field environment itself and the wider ecosystem will be essential in this respect.
6.2.7.4 Development of alternative resource management strategies
A variety of approaches show significant promise in improving overall resource management and environmental performance of agriculture. Many of these have incidental or significant roles in pest management strategies, but they are designed with wider purposes in mind. They include:
• Optimizing integrated plant nutrient systems by maximizing plant nutrient use efficiency through recycling all plant nutrient sources within the agroecosystem and by using nitrogen fixation by legumes, balancing the use of local and external sources of plant nutrients while maintaining soil fertility and minimizing plant nutrient losses);
• Adapting no till and conservation tillage technologies to environmental, social and economic conditions within specific territories, using both validation and demonstration steps in representative farms (FAO, 2002);
• Setting up participatory mechanisms associating scientists, farmers and extension services to further develop the incorporation of the above technologies into location-specific sustainable resources management systems;
• Developing controlled agriculture (greenhouse and hydroponics) in periurban areas to produce food for the ever increasing urban population (Littlefield, 1998; Sav-vas and Passam, 2002). Further development of new and innovative systems that are less consuming in energy and inputs is required (John, 2001; FAO, 2005a);
• Developing precision farming to use real-time, site-specific information in crop management, for example:
- Accurate field mapping with information collected from soil samples, pest monitoring and harvest yield data allows farmers to target the use of plant nutrients and crop protection products, leading to an efficient and judicious use of these products (SEENET, 2007);
- Highly developed systems use computers installed in farm machinery such as harvesters, fertilizer spreaders and crop sprayers, combined with mobile satellite global positioning systems, enabling farmers in some situations to spatially vary the rate |
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Box 6-10. Organic agriculture
Although it only represents a small percentage of the total utilized agricultural area, organic farming has developed into one of the most dynamic agricultural subsectors. Organic production has been encouraged by policies to promote sustainable food and farming in many NAE countries. Organic production has the potential to reduce environmental risks associated with use of agrochemicals, market advantage for producers. (EU, 2007; OACC, 2007; USDA, 2007).
In view of the growing production and expanding market due to increasing consumer demand for organic foods, the Codex Alimentarius Commission has developed Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Marketing and Labeling of Organically Produced Foods in order to provide a clear description of the "organic" claim and thereby ensure fair trade practices in this area. The Guidelines are a dynamic text that can be amended as new proposals are put forward in view of the experience gained by member countries as the organic sector develops (Padel and Midmore, 2005; FAO/WHO, 2006; Stolzeetal.,2000).
The main factors and activities to be considered in order to promote organic agriculture are:
• To ensure that all stages of production, preparation, storage, transport and marketing are subject to inspection and comply with the guidelines;
• To develop and promote AKST for new techniques for the production and processing of organic products, including skills and training to support adoption; and
• To develop consumer awareness and marketing systems for organic produce as part of a strategies for sustainable food and farming.
The contribution of organic agriculture to food security is open to debate and subject to divergent views, especially as information is scattered and sometimes speculative. This is a topic worthy of further research, especially given the potential for organic farming to support livelihoods amongst relatively resource poor farmers and rural communities, as well as "reconnecting" consumers with farming through locally or regionally produced organic foods.
of input application and management operations, thereby optimizing the productivity of the crop based on accurate determination of soil and crop needs (SEENET, 2007).
6.2.8 Developing sustainable systems for forestry
Over the past 20 years in some parts of NAE there has been a move away from productivity as a driver of forest management, with more emphasis being put on environmental and social issues. Today awareness has emerged worldwide regarding other forest values or its "multifunctionality." |