Agroecology is a science that melds western academics with traditional, indigenous farming knowledge. The goal is to form a cohesive understanding of sustainable agriculture using concepts such as biodiversity and nutrient recycling to create a farm system that functions much like an ecosystem. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/agroecology-with-clara-nicholls/
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/agroecology-with-clara-nicholls/
Ethan: What exactly is agroecology, and how can it reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture? This is Ethan Elkind from Climate Break. I sat down with Dr. Clara Nicholls, a farmer and UC Berkeley permanent lecturer and researcher on rural development, to discuss these questions.
Dr. Nicholls: Agroecology is a science that provides all the elements for the transition from conventional agriculture into more sustainable agriculture.
Ethan: Agroecology is transformative because it melds western science with traditional indigenous farming practices to figure out how to treat a farm like an ecosystem instead of a factory by using the principles of biodiversity and nutrient recycling. So how does this work in practice?
Dr. Nicholls: You’re working with small farmers, we have, for example, diversification is translating in polyculture, but you are working with big farmers, the diversity takes forms of cover crops or corridors.
Ethan: The idea is that adding more kinds of plants to a farm attracts organisms that prey on pests, without relying on pesticides to do the job. That is just one example of how agroecology reduces the amount of synthetic inputs, such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, that would otherwise be needed to grow food productively. These chemical inputs are produced with fossil fuels, so reducing our reliance on them reduces greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more about agroecology and how to apply it to your local farms, visit climatebreak.org or wherever you get your podcasts.