Agro-ecological Approach for Developing a Sustainable Farming and Food System

• Published in: Journal of Developments in Sustainable Agriculture Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 54 - 63
• Main Author: Komatsuzaki, Masakazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Ibaraki Agricultural and Forestry Research Center, University of Tsukuba 2011; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Agricultural resources; Agriculture; community; Education; farmer; global warming; Globalization; Population growth; soil carbon; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable development
• ISSN: 1880-3016; 1880-3024
• DOI: 10.11178/jdsa.6.54

Modern farming technologies have kept agricultural production apace with population growth, but inequities in the food distribution system still plague many families, countries, and regions. A growing awareness of the finite nature of critical nonrenewable resources, the undesirable impacts of the current conventional agriculture system, and the costs and other shortcomings of a globalized food system are causing us to rethink our basic assumptions about how and where to grow food. To ensure the sustainability of agriculture, the responsibility of improving the farming system is not only for those on the production side but also for consumers as well. At the cutting edge of this critical awareness is “agro-ecology,” a new approach for establishing a sustainable farming and food system based on ecological methods and theory and community management. Achieving this agro-ecological approach will require a gradual phasing in of new farming practices and changes in consumer activities. To develop and adopt eco-specific, eco-friendly, and integrated agricultural resource management, education and research projects within communities and between countries and/or generations will be necessary.