Revamping ecosystem services through agroecology-the case of cereals
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2021
Abstract
Globally, farming systems are mostly dominated by monoculture, which has the advantage of profitability at the expense of ecological systems. Recent years have witnessed an increasing momentum in global efforts to deploy sustainable agriculture practices that mimic ecological processes, with agroecology at the forefront. In addition to the ecological aspect, agroecology also encompasses economic and social aspects targeting the whole food system. Transformative agroecology has been recognized as a stepping stone to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), due to its great potential to build climate change-resilient farming systems while enhancing ecosystem services and reducing biodiversity loss. Nonetheless, the available literature on the recent developments and future trajectories of the adoption of agroecology approaches for improving the production of cereals, the most important group of food crops, is limited. This review aims to highlight the blueprint of agroecology that can contribute to the achievements of the SDGs, allowing explicit interpretation of the term that will benefit twenty-first century agriculture. Using cereal crops as the case study, we provide insights into how far this field has come and the main barriers to its adoption, and conclude that this approach of ``science for and with society'' is the way forward for building a resilient future.
Keywords
Agroecology, Biodiversity, Climate change, Rice, Sustainable agriculture
Divisions
ocean
Funders
Universiti Malaya [IIRG0002D-2020FNW],United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) [FX18BF-10777R040]
Publication Title
Agriculture-Basel
Volume
11
Issue
3
Publisher
MDPI
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND