Forward thinking platform: Farming patterns of the future
08/12/2011
This is about alternative combinations of farming models and how they would affect/contribute to hunger reduction (food security), poverty alleviation (income and decent work), and caring for biodiversity and natural resources. By tackling it with a forward thinking posture it is intended i) to avoid the trap of a bipolarized focus (small/large scale), ii) to tackle inequality questions, iii) to expand the issues to the future of rural areas and the links with other sectors including secondary and tertiary sectors, iv) to widen the scope beyond only food production (identities, rural and pastoral societies, multifunctionality, rural crafting and industries …)
Reply to this post if you want to contribute to this topic.
25/09/2012
#1
Future Agricultural Systems
The models for the development of future agricultural systems will vary according to continents, countries and different regions within countries.
Advanced agricultural systems will deinitely require: a) economies of scale for the growing of commodity crops
under a regime of low subsidies and free markets that enhance competitiveness; b) systems that will be adaptive to climate change and to
the increased incorporation of marginal agricultural areas in terms of acid and saline soils, desert soils, recently cleared or
reincorporated forested areas; c) improved irrigation and drainage, and water management on a watershed, regional, sub-regional or valley scale;
d) the incorporation of the advances in modern biotechnology in crop, livestock, forestry and aquaculture production and its integration
into complete production systems including improved varieties and hybrids with major and quantitative gens from the same
genus or different ones and the agronomic packages required for the optimization of their productivity; e) developing sustainable agricultural systems for soil conservation, biodiversity conservation, and
environmental stabilization while expanding agricultural yields of all crops at an intensified rate.
These complex challenges are not insurmountable.The discussion on how to achieve goals in all these major areas
will illustrate the many divergent opinions on how to proceed and will most likely focus on opportunities and
bottlenecks that will have to be considered.
