We need a shift from our current paradigm of productivity enhancement while reducing environmental impacts, to a paradigm where sustainability constitutes the entry point for all agricultural development. Case studies include aphids for pest control in China and conservation agriculture in Colombia. Presented by Dr Andrew Noble, director of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems at World Water Week 2013 in Stockholm.
3. We have exceeded three of the nine Planetary
boundaries – danger of greater risks and
uncertainty emerging.
Agriculture is the dominant contributing factor
and the solution.
4. The challenges facing our global food
production systems
Food security . . . Exploitation of resources . . .
6. The paradigm shift that WLE seeks
A shift from our current
paradigm of productivity
enhancement while
reducing environmental
impacts, to a paradigm
where sustainability
constitutes the entry point
for all agricultural
development.
7. Sustainable intensification
1.Ensure the efficient use of resources.
2.Restore the productive capacity of degraded systems.
3.Reduce risk and uncertainty within rainfed and
irrigated landscapes.
10. Case 1: Land use diversity makes economic
sense in the control of aphids in cotton –
north China Plains.
• Aphids are a significant
issue in cotton production
in the north China plains.
• Farmers have resorted to
pesticides to control
aphids that have a
significant impact on costs
and non-target beneficial
insects.
• Ladybeetles are natural
predators of aphids.
11. What did the study show?
• High land use diversity
itself not associated with
high ladybeetle density in
cotton.
• Higher land use share
under maize rotated with
wheat associated with
greater ladybeetle
densities in cotton due to
the low use of pesticides
(maize) and good habitat
for ladybeetles (wheat).
12. Economic value of ladybeetles
• Marginal value of 1
ladybeetle/100 plants (or
540 heads/ha) = (Reduced
insecticide cost + Reduced
labor cost for insecticide
control + Value of yield
saving) = $4.97/ha
• Marginal “benefit” of one
additional kg of insecticide (=
Cost of insecticide - Value of
yield saving + Lost value of
ladybeetles) = -$11.05/ha
13. Benefit sharing mechanisms in the Andes
Fuquene, Colombia
S
Annual net income:
US$ 2,183/ha
Annual net income:
US$ 1,870/ha
Conservation
agriculture and
paramo
restoration
supported by
revolving fund
Revolving fund credit:
+180 farmers /year
Potato cropping,
grazing pressure,
degradation of paramo
14. What if wastes and used water could
have a second life in agriculture and the
renaissance is actually safe and viable?
15. Agro-industrial waste - Energy
Wastewater – Water (irrigation,
aquaculture)
MSW, Faecal sludge - Nutrients (ag. production)
Innovative RRR initiatives – to close water
and nutrient cycles
16. Reuse is not new . . .
• Technical knowledge is largely available.
• But hardly any project can recover costs or
survives its subsidized pilot stage.
• RRR brings a paradigm shift into the
sanitation-agriculture interface by studying
and testing Business Models for RRR with
due consideration of safety aspects and
cultural perceptions.
17. Solutions
Applying a business perspective to the recovery of
nutrients, water and energy from domestic and agro-
industrial waste streams.
Analyzing existing successes across low-income countries
for their set-up, history and business models.
Testing most promising business models for replication and
economic feasibility for city investment plans at largest
possible scale.
Addressing health concerns through the development of
Sanitation Safety Plans with WHO.
18. Partnerships
• Technical expertise:
• Health risk mitigation:
• Business school curricula development:
• National partners: NARS, Min. Of Health, Private sector, ...
• Donors:
19. Concluding Remark
Photo
:Akica
Bahri/IWMI
• At the core of a new paradigm lies the ability to
adopt and develop agricultural systems that
integrate water, land and ecosystems in ways that
build resilient, productive and sustainable
wellbeing for human societies.
• This will in part entail correcting the wrongs of
the past associated with an unsustainable
agricultural food production system.
It is clear from a global perspective that growth along current trajectories using today’s technologies is bound to fail. It would exceed planetary boundaries that ensure stability in our food production systems and lead to environmental degradation that will stop growth and even threaten major reversals of living standards through pollution, deforestation, water scarcity, famines, floods, displacement, and collapsing agricultural productivity.
Wicked Problems are difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to reconciles and whose solution requires a great number of people to change their mindsets and behavior. Most often, technical solutions have proven ineffective because the solution requires a more integrated social approach which is often political in nature and requires flexible consultative processes that develop collective understanding and responses.
A new local revolving fund, financed so far by donations from organizations interested on financing activities delivering ecosystem services, has invested in conservation agriculture by upland farmers. Revolving fund is managed directly by farmer’s organizations and the technical assistance (to ensure practices are correctly implemented) is provided by the CAR-the environmental authority.
Conservation tillage result in an increase in social benefits, but the expected gains will be modest. In the same sense a 17% of increase in net revenues in Fuquene farms could be not enough to overcome the possible aversion to risk of farmers (or other adoption barriers) and to encourage them to make an additional investment to cover initial extra costs of conservation agriculture (ie. cultivation of oat as cover crop). This fact may explain why this practice is not widely adopted in the Fuquene watershed (Currently there are about 1800 ha implementing these practices of 16933 ha under potato production in the watershed. JW mentions that even when interest rates are low most traditional farmers need at least 15- 20% or more advantage to make a change worthwhile (Byerlee et al.)
Therefore the revolving fund provides credits to farmers willing to implement conservation tillage in their potato-based production systems, and since 2005 it has incorporated about 180 small farmers every year and now uses the capital of the fund at its maximum capacity.
Urbanization is changing traditional flows of food and resources:
Cities are becoming vast nutrient sinks while exploiting soils in farming areas.
Cities transform high-quality water into low-quality water affecting human and environmental health.
These challenges can be opportunities:
Wastewater, organic municipal waste, faecal sludge, urine, agro-industrial waste, food processing waste = Water, fertilizer, energy = Assets !
This program takes these challenges seriously looking at related opportunities.
RRR initiatives to close nutrient cycle loop;
Donor investment in understanding aspects of wastewater reuse – wastewater reuse in MENA region
Recovery of nutrients from MSW, FS, etc. for use in agriculture – compost production in West Africa
Recovery of energy from agro-industrial waste (animal waste) – biogas production from slaughterhouse waste in East Africa
Urine to (struvite) fertilizer is an example where technical knowledge is significant but additional research to move it to commercialization needed.
In our approach to realize development outcomes (see section below on ‘Deliverables’), we combine Impact Research and Innovative Partnerships
Theory of Change based on:
Expressed demand for innovative business approaches to address our waste challenges; Innovative business approach aiming at scalable business models that attract private capital, support PPPs and address public safety concerns.
Strategic partnerships at different levels (national authorities and international institutions via guidelines, capacity building and investment plans e.g. WSP, WHO, FAO, USAID.
SANDEC-Eawag: Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
International centre for water management services
Partnerships with business schools, private and public sectors, directed at learning with and for entrepreneurs.
Interlinkages with professional networks, such as the International Water Association and the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, to steer the development and distribution of best practices and business models.