Background Sustainable agriculture
Making agriculture more sustainable requires customization
Contrary to what policymakers often think, there is no single universal solution for making agriculture more sustainable. That is the main outcome of a meta-analysis by the University of Basel. A sustainable agricultural system must be designed with local needs in mind and in consultation with local farmers.
According to the researchers, three principles are central to making agriculture more sustainable: 'no-till', retention of crop residues and crop rotation. No-till farming, in which the soil is not plowed or otherwise worked before sowing, receives the most attention internationally. The idea behind no-till is that the soil is better protected against erosion, retains more carbon and has a positive effect on crop yields.
What exactly is meant by no-till, however, has never been precisely defined. This results in major differences in the studies that have been conducted into this agricultural technique. Some indicate that the technique is very effective, while others found no positive effect. Meanwhile, several farmers saw their yields drop due to no-till.
Many more factors of importance
Professor Nikolaus Kuhn from the University of Basel and Liangang Xiao from the University of North China therefore performed a meta-analysis using the results from 49 different studies. They conclude that goals for which no-till is used, such as carbon sequestration, protection against erosion and increasing crop yields, are not improved by no-till. Only when the crop residues remain after the harvest does an improvement occur in combination with no-till.
Kuhn warns in an explanation of the study on the university's website that (international) organizations focus too much on simplified universal solutions. "Nature knows too many differences to achieve good results everywhere with one technique." In order to keep farmers enthusiastic about the recommendations of scientists and policymakers, it is important, according to Kuhn, to stop looking for general solutions. Instead, the focus should be on techniques and methods that are tailored to local conditions and in collaboration with the people who actually work the land.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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