Agroecological concepts and alternatives to the problems of contemporary agriculture: Monoculture and chemical fertilization in the context of climate change
From Firenze University Press Journal: Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID)
Yassmine Elouattassi, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technique Fez, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
Mohamed Ferioun, Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Technique Fez, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
Naïma El Ghachtouli, Microbial Biotechnology and Bioactive Molecules laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Technique Fez, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
Khalid Derraz, Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technique Fez, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah
Fouad Rachidi, Department of Plant and Environment Protection, National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Morocco
The revolution of the agricultural sector dated from 1950 to 1980 and created an intensive agriculture, called green revolution that was based on increasing fieldwork and yields, which were mainly based on aggressive mechanization and intensive use of chemical inputs, namely fertilizers and pesticides (Fathallah, 2010; Griffin, 1979; Gupta, 1998; Harwood, 2019; Kumar, 2016; Prashar & Shah, 2016; Shattuck, 2021). This has led to a depletion of fossil resources causing impacts on the entire compartment of the environment. Fertilizers lead to the pollution of groundwater and eutrophication of surface waters bychemical substances, such as nitrates and phosphates (Bijay-Singh & Craswell, 2021; El Mountassir et al., 2022; Khan et al., 2018; L. Liu et al., 2021). Pesticides affect the fauna diversity and the accumulation of pesticide residues at the plant level and reduction of pollinating activity, as well as the resulting reduction in the floral and faunal diversity of the soil (Abebe et al., 2022; Domergue, 2017; Pahalvi et al., 2021; Prashar & Shah, 2016).The modernization of agriculture has transformed natural agrarian systems into other new conventional ones, making it possible to exponentially increase agricultural production (Harwood, 2019; Rockström et al., 2017; Shattuck, 2021). This intensification aims to ensure food security, which has been proportional to the demographic increase in the world’s population and has warded off shortages and famines, to the detriment of biodiversity (Douxchamps et al., 2016; Harwood, 2019; Shattuck, 2021). The agricultural revolution has been the subject of several controversies since the last half of 20thcentury (Cornu, 2021; Shattuck, 2021; Yadav & Anand, 2022). The agricultural activities have changed, in particular the installation of monoculture, deep plowing, and genetically modified crops GMCs (Jacobsen et al., 2013; Wu et al., 2021). Despite the massive reliance on pesticides, the resilience of monoculture systems against pest infestations remains limited, because the reliance on a single crop makes these systems vulnerable to widespread damage from pest attacks and diseases, as they can easily adapt and exploit the lack of genetic diversity among the cultivated plants (Altieri, 2009; Cook, 2006; Sarker et al., 2007; Sekine et al., 2021; Ziaie-Juybari et al., 2021). Monocultures rely on chemical fertilizers primarily due to the specific nutritional requirements of the single crop being cultivated over large areas (Altieri, 2009; Clapp, 2023; Fitzgerald, 1990; Kloppenburg, 2005). When a single crop dominates the landscape, it depletes the soil of particular nutrients essential for its growth, resulting in nutrient imbalances and reduced soil fertility over time (Bhattacharya, 2019; Bitew et al., 2019; Rosset & Altieri, 2017). To maintain high yields and meet the nutritional needs of the crop, farmers turn to chemical fertilizers to supplement the missing nutrients (Clapp, 2023; Fitzgerald, 1990; Kloppenburg, 2005). This leads to the destruction of ecological functions, services, and negative impacts on human health (Altieri, 2009, 2018; Cornu, 2021; Rosset & Altieri, 1997; Shukla et al., 2019).In Morocco, the conditions for agricultural production have become increasingly difficult, particularly with the disastrous impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (Vodounou & Doubogan, 2016). Equally, the accentuation of climate change phenomenon has led to increasing temperatures and low water availability, which are very crucial for the agriculture (Abdelmajid et al., 2021; Abedin et al., 2019; Ferioun et al., 2023; Hssaisoune et al., 2020). It is predicted that there will be 43 megacities like Wuhan and Paris that will exceeding 11 million inhabitants in 2050, and more than two-thirds of the world’s population able to live in urban areas (Laborde et al., 2020; Maja & Ayano, 2021). Climate change, resulting from anthropogenic activities, presents an unprecedentedchallenge for agriculture. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events have disrupted traditional growing seasons and heightened the incidence of crop failures (Abdelmajid et al., 2021; Bezner Kerr et al., 2019; Feriounet al., 2023; Mukhopadhyay et al., 2021; Mutengwa et al., 2023). Moreover, changing climate conditions have facilitated the spread of pests and diseases (Adams et al., 1998; Elad & Pertot, 2014; Shrestha, 2019), further jeopardizing global food security (Altieri et al., 2015; Mukhopadhyay et al., 2021; Mutengwa et al., 2023). As agriculture is both a contributor to and a victim of climate change, a comprehensive and sustainable response is urgently needed.In the face of these interconnected challenges, this critical situation has given rise to a new model of agriculture more resilient and sustainable called agroecology, which has emerged as a promising and holistic approach to mitigate the risks posed to the environment, soil, ecosystem services and the health of both human and animal species (Debray et al., 2019; Francis et al., 2003; Gliessman, 2018; López-García et al., 2021). Agroecology is an interdisciplinary approach that comprises three strands: a scientific discipline integrating multiple fields, agricultural practices utilizing natural processes for sustainable productivity, and a social movement empowering farmers and promoting inclusive food production (Altieri, 2018; Migliorini & Wezel, 2017; Shiming & Gliessman, 2017; Wezel, 2017; Wezel et al., 2009, 2014). It reconciles agriculture with biodiversity conservation, emphasizes context-specific methods, and advocates for farmer empowerment and participation in the food system (Bezner Kerr et al., 2021; Jeanneret et al., 2021; López-García et al., 2021).Given this context, the purpose of this review paper is first to discuss the three major problems of agriculture, including climate change and its impact on agriculture, chemical fertilization, monoculturing and environmental health, at the local, regionaland global scale. In the second part, we defined the different concepts that bring together the agroecological approach: (i) agroecology as a scientific discipline, (ii) as a practice by defining the different agroecological practices and their scale of application, and (iii) the politico-economic aspect of agroecology. In the third part, we have proposed the agroecological alternatives that can remedy the three problems presented in the first section, while basing ourselves on several recent studies and research that can examine whether agroecological practices have had positive results on monoculture, chemical fertilization, and climate changes.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jaeid-14672
Read Full Text: https://www.jaeid.it/index.php/jaeid/article/view/14672
