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DISCUSSION No. 123 • FSN Forum digest No. 1212
Harnessing the benefits of ecosystem services for effective ecological intensification in agriculture
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Dear Members,
The discussion Harnessing the benefits of ecosystem services for effective ecological intensification in agriculture<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/liberation> has now come to a close and we would like to present you the latest comments received.
We would also like to thank all for taking part and for sharing their views on ecological intensification. Your inputs will most certainly serve to enrich the work carried out by the EU-funded LIBERATION project.
Over the next week, we will prepare the summary of this exchange.
In the meantime, you can find the complete set of comments, the background and questions posed on the discussion page<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/liberation> available in English<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/liberation>, French<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/fr/forum/discussions/liberation> and Spanish<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/es/forum/discussions/liberation>.
We look forward to the upcoming exchanges and please do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas and for any additional information you may need.
Happy 2016!
Your FSN Forum team
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED
[cid:image003.png@01D147D4.3EED1A20]Kien Nguyen Van, Plant Resources Center (PRC), Viet Nam
Kien stresses that different ecosystem approaches are needed based on the different development, cultural and social conditions that are present in a certain area. He also argues that is it necessary to involve farmers actively in the development of such approaches and to make it clear to them what benefits they can expect.
Link to the full contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-23>
[cid:image003.png@01D147D4.3EED1A20]Steven Jacobs, Organic Farmers & Growers, United Kingdom
Steven, while agreeing with the need for establishing more ecological practices in agriculture warns, against a perpetuation of the current food systems that he sees as being critically flawed. With food treated as a mere commodity, it will be difficult to establish a dialogue and more interaction between food producers, processors and consumers that can lead to truly sustainable production systems.
Link to the full contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-24>
[cid:image003.png@01D147D4.3EED1A20]Subhash Mehta, Devarao Shivaram Trust, India
Subhash shares a series of comments in which he mentions the issue of seed rights and the pressure that farmers are experiencing by having to use commercial seed variants (contribution 1). He also shares an article and a comment advocating the adoption of agroecology (contributions 2 and 4). In a further contribution, he stresses the need for a strengthened agricultural education in order to create a new generation of farmers that take up this activity out of conviction and not as a last resort choice (contribution 3). Subhash also quotes Jomo Kwame Sundaram, former FAO Assistant Director-General and Coordinator for Economic and Social Development and shares an article highlighting the role of the food system in the context of improved nutrition (contributions 5 and 6).
Link to contribution 1<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-25>
Link to contribution 2<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-26>
Link to contribution 3<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-29>
Link to contribution 4<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-30>
Link to contribution 5<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-31>
Link to contribution 6<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-32>
[cid:image003.png@01D147D4.3EED1A20]Davy McCracken, Scotland’s Rural College, United Kingdom
Davy points to physical limits to production such as climate and soil that influence the management practices applicable to certain geographic areas. These limits explain the fundamentally different environmental challenges that highlands and lowlands face. However, notwithstanding these differences, Davy argues that in both areas farming systems will need to move towards a more sustainable use of resources and greater integration with other land uses.
In this context, Davy also informs us about an upcoming conference hosted by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in Edinburgh on 1st and 2nd of March 2016, which will seek to address these issues.
Link to the full contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-27>
[cid:image003.png@01D147D4.3EED1A20]Zoltan Brys, Verdure Woods, Hungary
Zoltan sees mid-, and especially, small-scale farmers as being those most open about learning and experimenting with ecological methods. In addition, he calls for a change in dietary habits which should be taken into consideration when designing promotion of ecosystem services.
Link to the full contribution<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/contributions/re-harnessing-benefits-ecosystem-services-effective-ecological-intensificatio-28>
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