Agriculture can increase production while protecting the environment – that is the focus of sustainable intensification Living on Earth for 200 thousand years, humans have always benefited from the abundance of resources. From our ancestors, cave dwellers, to the current residents of cities, today we can produce more than we need. But how long will this last? A strong sign that the days of abundance are numbered appeared in the 18th century. In 1798, an Anglican minister realized that the increase in food production was much slower than population growth. With the data observed at the time, he made a basic projection of the evolution of the "number of people versus food production", and predicted that the two curves would intersect at some point from which starvation would be inevitable for a good part of humanity. The results were published in his "An essay on the principle of population", written by the British Economist and minister Thomas Malthus. Demography obtained then a classic study, and the world, a latent concern. Malthus did not live long enough to realize that his prediction would not come true so soon, especially because he had not considered key variables such as scientific and technological advances that increased food production. However, it is true that there is a limit, and we are approaching it. Unlike population, which is always growing, arable lands, resources, and supplies are finite. We have to consider that, in the countryside, food shares space with wood production for furniture; biofuel, that eases the demand for petrol oil; and also fibers for the clothes we wear or for the paper of this magazine, just to name a few examples. To blur the picture, human action modified the planet and its climate, creating one more challenge to agricultural activity. This panorama of adversity ended up motivating the emergence of a new concept of agricultural production based on two pillars. First, it is necessary to make the most of what the Earth can offer us. Why depend on a soybean monoculture, for example, if we can produce in the same area several products like meat, wood, corn and sorghum, in addition of soybeans themselves? Diversification not only increases production capacity but also gives more financial security to the producer, who stops relying on a single product. Increasing production is important, but it is not everything. One also needs to guarantee that the environment will be kept in condition to provide resources, remain with preserved natural areas, and even help to mitigate the effects of human action on the planet's climate. Thus, we have the second axis of the concept: sustainability. The meeting of the two philosophies coined the term "sustainable intensification", something that involves conservation practices, integration of different production systems in the same area, concepts involving agricultural and environmental sciences, and greater interdisciplinarity in agronomic studies. "Some years ago it was strange idea thinking about a pasture or a crop with trees in the middle of it. Today things have changed", says researcher Vanderley Porfírio da Silva, from Embrapa Forestry. He recalls the early days of the development of integrated systems (see the text "A seed of more than two decades"). One of the biggest boosters of sustainable intensification is the role of agriculture and livestock in mitigating the effects caused by greenhouse gases (GHG). "The industry has the ability to neutralize or immobilize these gas emissions", says Eduardo Assad, a researcher from Embrapa Agriculture Informatics. However, to this end, he says it is necessary to find the balance between production and sustainability. "It is possible to raise 30 head of cattle per hectare per year. However, to neutralize the gases emitted by them, we will have a maximum of between one and 1.5 animals per hectare per year", he exemplifies. The main idea, in this case, is to neutralize the GHGs emitted by cattle, especially methane (CH4), which is eliminated by ruminants by eructation, the technical name for "burping". Assad notes that the Brazilian livestock sector has been the target of international criticism – this sector is considered harmful to the environment since it throws huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere. According to him, the trend is of increased international pressure to the point of turning this issue into non-tariff barriers that the country will have to face. "Brazilian beef will have to certify its origin and attest that it was produced in conditions that respect the environment", he forecasts. An answer to the problem would be integrating livestock to cropping, forestry (planted trees) or both, in the so-called integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems. In addition to access to the international market, what else would the producer gain? A lot, according to Assad. "First, this diversifies production and opens possibilities to produce other products besides meat. Then the producer may receive funds for environmental services or sell credits in the carbon market", he explains. Environmental services are paid by government programs to producers who adopt specific conservationist practices. An example is the Reforestation Program, in the state of Espírito Santo, which pays farmers who recover areas of native vegetation. The Low-Carbon Agriculture program (ABC Plan), coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, works towards the same goals. In addition to providing lower interest credit, the ABC Plan allows the use of up to 35% of the financed amount for the recovery of permanent preservation areas and legal reserves (learn more about the ABC program). Water production According to Assad, it is also interesting for governments. The rehabilitation of natural areas opens a new market niche: the production of native plant seedlings. Moreover, conservation practices also mitigate another crucial problem: the water crisis. "A great advantage is that the water will reappear preventing erosion, conserving soils, rivers, and lakes, and facilitating water infiltration in the soil. Such practices renew the groundwater supply and increase the volume of water available", he states. Integrated systems allow one to increase a pasture's stocking rate, which is the maximum number of animals that can be sustainably kept in an area. A simple pasture, without integration, is able to maintain 0.4 animal per hectare/year to neutralize gas emissions. If the pasture is integrated with agricultural production, the number rises to 1.5 animal/ha/year and if the integration involves planted forests, the producer can maintain up to 2.5 animals/ha/year without danger of emitting GHGs in excess. "Trees have a large capacity to neutralize and fix carbon in the soil and in its aerial biomass, which increases stocking rates while reducing the greenhouse effect", says Assad. Another positive aspect is that trees provide shade for the pasture, and give thermal comfort to animals, thus increasing productivity. "The thermal difference between sunny and shaded areas can reach 10°C", says the researcher, stressing that this comfort influences production. Read more Integrate to conquer the Cerrado Forests in the crop fields Sustainable livestock in the Amazon region Brazil reduces agricultural carbon emissions Agroforestry Systems in the Amazon A seed of more than two decades Partnership to foster ICLFS
Agriculture can increase production while protecting the environment – that is the focus of sustainable intensification
Living on Earth for 200 thousand years, humans have always benefited from the abundance of resources. From our ancestors, cave dwellers, to the current residents of cities, today we can produce more than we need. But how long will this last? A strong sign that the days of abundance are numbered appeared in the 18th century. In 1798, an Anglican minister realized that the increase in food production was much slower than population growth. With the data observed at the time, he made a basic projection of the evolution of the "number of people versus food production", and predicted that the two curves would intersect at some point from which starvation would be inevitable for a good part of humanity. The results were published in his "An essay on the principle of population", written by the British Economist and minister Thomas Malthus. Demography obtained then a classic study, and the world, a latent concern.
Malthus did not live long enough to realize that his prediction would not come true so soon, especially because he had not considered key variables such as scientific and technological advances that increased food production. However, it is true that there is a limit, and we are approaching it. Unlike population, which is always growing, arable lands, resources, and supplies are finite.
We have to consider that, in the countryside, food shares space with wood production for furniture; biofuel, that eases the demand for petrol oil; and also fibers for the clothes we wear or for the paper of this magazine, just to name a few examples. To blur the picture, human action modified the planet and its climate, creating one more challenge to agricultural activity.
This panorama of adversity ended up motivating the emergence of a new concept of agricultural production based on two pillars. First, it is necessary to make the most of what the Earth can offer us. Why depend on a soybean monoculture, for example, if we can produce in the same area several products like meat, wood, corn and sorghum, in addition of soybeans themselves? Diversification not only increases production capacity but also gives more financial security to the producer, who stops relying on a single product.
Increasing production is important, but it is not everything. One also needs to guarantee that the environment will be kept in condition to provide resources, remain with preserved natural areas, and even help to mitigate the effects of human action on the planet's climate. Thus, we have the second axis of the concept: sustainability.
The meeting of the two philosophies coined the term "sustainable intensification", something that involves conservation practices, integration of different production systems in the same area, concepts involving agricultural and environmental sciences, and greater interdisciplinarity in agronomic studies. "Some years ago it was strange idea thinking about a pasture or a crop with trees in the middle of it. Today things have changed", says researcher Vanderley Porfírio da Silva, from Embrapa Forestry. He recalls the early
One of the biggest boosters of sustainable intensification is the role of agriculture and livestock in mitigating the effects caused by greenhouse gases (GHG). "The industry has the ability to neutralize or immobilize these gas emissions", says Eduardo Assad, a researcher from Embrapa Agriculture Informatics. However, to this end, he says it is necessary to find the balance between production and sustainability. "It is possible to raise 30 head of cattle per hectare per year. However, to neutralize the gases emitted by them, we will have a maximum of between one and 1.5 animals per hectare per year", he exemplifies.
The main idea, in this case, is to neutralize the GHGs emitted by cattle, especially methane (CH4), which is eliminated by ruminants by eructation, the technical name for "burping". Assad notes that the Brazilian livestock sector has been the target of international criticism – this sector is considered harmful to the environment since it throws huge amounts of methane into the atmosphere. According to him, the trend is of increased international pressure to the point of turning this issue into non-tariff barriers that the country will have to face. "Brazilian beef will have to certify its origin and attest that it was produced in conditions that respect the environment", he forecasts. An answer to the problem would be integrating livestock to cropping, forestry (planted trees) or both, in the so-called integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF) systems.
In addition to access to the international market, what else would the producer gain? A lot, according to Assad. "First, this diversifies production and opens possibilities to produce other products besides meat. Then the producer may receive funds for environmental services or sell credits in the carbon market", he explains. Environmental services are paid by government programs to
producers who adopt specific conservationist practices. An example is the Reforestation Program, in the state of Espírito Santo, which pays farmers who recover areas of native vegetation. The Low-Carbon Agriculture program (ABC Plan), coordinated by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, works towards the same goals. In addition to providing lower interest credit, the ABC Plan allows the use of up to 35% of the financed amount for the recovery
of permanent preservation areas and legal reserves (learn more about the ABC program).
Water production
According to Assad, it is also interesting for governments. The rehabilitation of natural areas opens a new market niche: the production of native plant seedlings. Moreover, conservation practices also mitigate another crucial problem: the water crisis. "A great advantage is that the water will reappear preventing erosion, conserving soils, rivers, and lakes, and facilitating water infiltration in the soil. Such practices renew the groundwater supply and increase the volume of water available", he states.
Integrated systems allow one to increase a pasture's stocking rate, which is the maximum number of animals that can be sustainably kept in an area. A simple pasture, without integration, is able to maintain 0.4 animal per hectare/year to neutralize gas emissions. If the pasture is integrated with agricultural production,
the number rises to 1.5 animal/ha/year and if the integration involves planted forests, the producer can maintain up to 2.5 animals/ha/year without danger of emitting GHGs in excess. "Trees have a large capacity to neutralize and fix carbon in the soil and in its aerial biomass, which increases stocking rates while reducing the greenhouse effect", says Assad. Another positive aspect is that trees provide shade for the pasture, and give thermal comfort to animals, thus increasing productivity. "The thermal difference between sunny and shaded areas can reach 10°C", says the researcher, stressing that this comfort influences production.
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