Researcher will address ecological intensification at a fruit growing conference in São Luís (MA)

Researcher Inácio Barros, from Embrapa Tabuleiros Costeiros, will participate on October 20th at the XXIV Brazilian Fruit Culture Congress (www.fruticultura2016.com.br) which will be held from October 16th to 21st, in São Luís (MA). On the 20th, he will address the ecological intensification of fruit growing – Ecologically intensive coconut and citrus production systems.

According to a text published by researcher Inácio Barros, the perspectives suggest that a true revolution in agricultural production processes terwhatever happens. If on the one hand the productivist model has shown its limits, especially with regard to the unsustainable use of natural resources and the negative impacts they cause on the environment, on the other hand it is estimated that the world population will increase from seven to nine billion people. in 2050, increasing demand for food, fiber, wood and biofuels.

This increase will be even greater than a direct progression of population growth, as a substantial improvement in the quality of life of less favored populations is expected. This will inevitably involve a greater per capita use of agricultural products.

The solution adopted for millennia to overcome the increase in demand for agricultural products − deforestation and agricultural expansion − is simply no longer possible. There are almost no reserves of arable land and deforestation is associated with important changes that threaten both agriculture itself (increase in pests, reduction in pollination as a result of the reduction in bees, soil erosion, etc.) and the loss of biodiversity and climate changes.

The challenge then presents itself clearly: how to meet the demands for agricultural products of a larger population with a better quality of life, in a sustainable way, without increasing the cultivated surface and with less availability of water and fossil energy? To respond to this challenge, a new proposal emerged in France at the end of this first decade of the 21st century – Ecological Intensification (French translation) or Sustainable Intensification (British translation) of Agriculture.

Through this model, the aim is to create conditions so that the natural mechanisms of ecosystems are intensified instead of directly subsidizing production with inputs. This means, depending on the case, eliminating or reducing plowing and harrowing and, in this way, optimizing the functioning of the soil; use cover crops to encourage the development of earthworms and fix carbon; practice improved fallowing to maximize the period of photosynthesis, biomass production and biological nitrogen fixation, or even practice biological combating of pests and diseases as much as possible and conserve biodiversity. This model does not exclude the use of fertilizers or pesticides, nor does it rule out genetically modified organisms, but these are practiced in a much more rational way, simply in addition to the best agroecological practices in order to guarantee gains in environmental quality without compromising profitability.

Crop-livestock-forest integration (ILPF) is a typical example of agricultural production systems based on the principles of Ecological Intensification (or Sustainable Intensification). In ILPF, the natural mechanisms of ecosystems are channeled in favor of the production system: the different species present (annual crops, pastures and forest essences) have roots that exploit soil resources at different depths, thus avoiding competition and favoring the complementarity of niche in the use of water and mineral nutrients. The presence of several root extracts also favors the capture of leachate and the reassembly of nutrients.

In relation to the aerial part, the different canopy levels provide better capture and more efficient use of solar radiation and a soil cover that reduces water and soil losses through erosion and/or evaporation, in addition to reducing competition with plants. weeds. The biodiversity present has the potential to promote beneficial mechanisms such as symbiosis (Biological Nitrogen Fixation; mycorrhizal association) and allelopathy that help control invasive plants, in addition to favoring the presence of natural enemies of pests and offering physical and genetic barriers to the spread of illnesses.

Inácio Barros concludes that ecologically intensive agriculture also involves the management of agricultural techniques and spatial organization that is more complex than that used Hoje, applying these techniques and organization to the most different levels of agroecosystem management – ​​from the local to the landscape. Thus, this form of agriculture is intensive not only in terms of ecological functionalities, but also requires a strong intensification of knowledge and a holistic view of the production process, in addition to integrated management of the different users of the ecosystems. There is, without a doubt, a great and necessary evolution.