Vea la versión en español a continuación
Even though farmers and agricultural scientists share the same field of study, they have completely different experimental styles.
This past year in Ecuador, Ph.D. candidate Israel Navarrete was encouraging farmers to experiment, and he was struck by how much time it took them just to pick a research question. While organizing three small groups of farmers in the province of Cotopaxi, Israel found that the local people could take up to three meetings just to pick a topic. Some farmers felt that the other group members weren’t listening to them. (Hurt feelings are as normal in peasant communities as in university departments).
One of Israel’s small groups, made up entirely of women, was dedicated to growing potatoes and black maize. Like the farmers I wrote about recently from Lake Titicaca, the Ecuadorian women had problems with tuber moths destroying their seed potatoes. These farmers from Cotopaxi eventually decided to see if they could control the moths by treating their seed potatoes with garlic extract and with “cementina†(a local type of construction lime).
Israel encouraged them to do multiple replicates of the experiment. Replicates (simultaneous repetitions of the experiment) are a hallmark of the scientific method, and they are especially important in agriculture where each plot of earth, each batch of seed is slightly unique, like snowflakes. An idea has to be tried several times to see if the result is consistent, and is not just a chance occurrence.
But the farmers of Cotopaxi declined to use replicates, and simply tried the lime and garlic on one batch of seed. The solution seemed to work, so Israel encouraged the women to try it again, perhaps in different treatments (such as the lime alone, or the garlic alone, and both together). But the farmers refused. They were satisfied with the results.
As Israel explained this experience, he tried to hide his frustration that the farmers would not work on the experiment in more detail. He was philosophical about the results. He said, “The farmers take a complicated idea and test it in a simple way, while researchers take a simple idea, and test it in a complicated way.â€
Much of the scientific method is designed to show universal truth. The experiment has to be replicable and described in numbers and published. After the data is collected, the experiment can be thrown away.
For the farmers, the experiment doesn’t have to be replicable. It only has to achieve results on their farm. It doesn’t need numbers because the farmers are looking for large qualitative differences. You either get rid of the tuber moths, or you don’t. And unlike the scientists, the farmers have to make a living from the actual experiment. In this case, the farmers planted the seed potatoes they had dusted with lime and garlic.
The scientists write up the experiment and publish. It is part of their job. The farmers learn from the experiment and then eat it. It is part of their life.
In spite of having remarkably different experimental styles, collaboration between smallholders and researchers is most valuable for the insights farmers have from years of making a living on the farm. A biologist may never have come up with the idea of fighting the tuber moth with lime and garlic.
People of different professions can have different goals and methods, even when they work on the same topic, which is all the more reason why they should share ideas with each other.
Related blog stories
Acknowledgement
Israel Navarrete is an Ecuadorian expert on seed health, and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wageningen, in the Netherlands. His research is funded by the International Potato Center (CIP) and the McKnight Foundation’s Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP).
Further reading
Bentley, Jeffery W. 1994 “Facts, Fantasies and Failures of Farmer Participatory Research.” Agriculture and Human Values 11(2&3):140-150.
Photo
Photo by Veronika Vogel, courtesy of Israel Navarrete
EXPERIMENTOS QUE SE COMEN
Jeff Bentley 25 de julio del 2021
Aunque los agricultores y los cientÃficos agrÃcolas comparten el mismo campo de estudio, tienen estilos experimentales completamente diferentes.
El año pasado, en Ecuador, el estudiante de doctorado Israel Navarrete animó a los agricultores a experimentar, y le llamó la atención el tiempo que les llevaba sólo elegir una pregunta de investigación. Mientras organizaba tres pequeños grupos de agricultores en la provincia de Cotopaxi, Israel descubrió que los lugareños podÃan tardar hasta tres reuniones sólo para elegir un tema. Algunos agricultores sentÃan que los otros miembros del grupo no les escuchaban. (Las roces y resentimientos son tan comunes en las comunidades campesinas como en los departamentos universitarios).
Uno de los pequeños grupos de Israel, formado exclusivamente por mujeres, se dedicaba a cultivar papas y maÃz negro. Al igual que los agricultores y agricultoras del Lago Titicaca sobre las que escribà hace poco, las ecuatorianas tenÃan problemas con las polillas de la papa que destruÃan su semilla de papa. Estas agricultoras de Cotopaxi decidieron finalmente ver si podÃan controlar las polillas tratando su semilla con extracto de ajo y con “cementina” (un tipo de cal para la construcción).
Israel les animó a hacer múltiples réplicas del experimento. Las réplicas (repeticiones simultáneas del experimento) son un fundamento del método cientÃfico, y son especialmente importantes en la agricultura, donde cada parcela de tierra, cada lote de semillas es algo único, como los copos de nieve. Hay que probar una idea varias veces para ver si el resultado es consistente y no es una mera casualidad.
Pero las agricultoras de Cotopaxi se negaron a usar réplicas y se limitaron a probar la cal y el ajo en un solo lote de semilla. La solución pareció funcionar, por lo que Israel animó a las mujeres a probarlo de nuevo, tal vez en diferentes tratamientos (como la cal sola, o el ajo solo, y ambos juntos). Pero las agricultoras se negaron. Estaban satisfechos con los resultados.
Al explicar esta experiencia, Israel trató de ocultar su frustración de que los agricultores no quisieran trabajar en el experimento con más detalle. Se mostró filosófico sobre los resultados. Dijo: “Los agricultores toman una idea complicada y la prueban de forma sencilla, mientras que los investigadores toman una idea sencilla y la prueban de forma complicada”.
Gran parte del método cientÃfico está diseñado para mostrar una verdad universal. El experimento tiene que ser replicable y estar descrito en números y publicado. Una vez recolectados los datos, el experimento puede desecharse.
Para los agricultores, el experimento no tiene que ser replicable. Sólo tiene que conseguir resultados en su finca. No necesita números porque los agricultores buscan grandes diferencias cualitativas. O se elimina la polilla de la papa, o no. Y a diferencia de los cientÃficos, los agricultores tienen que vivir del experimento en sÃ. En este caso, los agricultores sembraron la semilla de papa que habÃan rociado con cal y ajo.
Los cientÃficos redactan el experimento y lo publican. Es parte de su trabajo. Los agricultores aprenden del experimento y se lo comen. Es parte de su vida.
A pesar de tener estilos experimentales bien diferentes, la colaboración entre los pequeños agricultores y los investigadores es valiosa por los conocimientos que tienen los agricultores tras años de ganarse la vida trabajando la tierra. Puede que a un biólogo no se le haya ocurrido nunca la idea de combatir la polilla del tubérculo con cal y ajo.
Personas de distintas profesiones pueden tener objetivos y métodos diferentes, incluso cuando trabajan en el mismo tema, y justo por eso vale la pena que compartan ideas entre sÃ.
Historias relacionadas en el blog de Agro-Insight
Agradecimiento
Israel Navarrete es un experto ecuatoriano en la sanidad de las semillas, y candidato a PhD en la Universidad de Wageningen, en los PaÃses Bajos. Su investigación está financiada por el Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP) y el Programa Colaborativo de Investigación de Cultivos (CCRP) de la Fundación McKnight.
Lectura adicional
Bentley, Jeffery W. 1990 “La Participación de los Agricultores en Hechos, FantasÃas y Fracasos: Introducción a la Memoria del Simposio.” Ceiba 31(2):29-41.
Foto
Foto por Veronika Vogel, cortesÃa de Israel Navarrete
The surest way to tell if you have black fire ants in your garden is to accidentally stand on or near their nest. The ants will crawl through your clothes first and then start stinging you all at once. You may have to go inside and take off your trousers to find all of the ants in your pants. A second diagnostic test of black fire ants is to plant a vegetable seedbed, and wait for it to come up, but it never does. The ants have eaten all your seeds.
These ants love seeds and they will dig up every one you plant in their foraging area.
You can try dousing their nest with boiling water, insecticide or gasoline (and then lighting it). I’m just kidding, but it may not even work; these ants are pretty tough. Or you can take Rachel Carson’s suggestion, and fight pests with biology, not chemistry.
Years ago, while working with my student Eloy González on his entomology thesis at El Zamorano, Honduras, by total serendipity we learned that fire ants can be perfectly controlled with raw grains of rice.
Here’s how it works. Plant your vegetable seedbed any way you like. Then sprinkle a handful of raw rice over the surface. The black fire ants are omnivorous, but they prefer dense food packages like seeds or other insects. The ants also know a bargain when they see one. The ants will haul off your rice grains and ignore your smaller, harder-to reach soil-covered vegetable seeds.
Once your vegetables come up, the black fire ants will lose interest in them. However, the ants will continue to patrol your vegetable patch, looking for insect pests to drag back to their nest, to eat.
If you don’t want to use rice, try bread crumbs, bits of stale tortillas or other food scraps.
In our garden, we have had no insect pests, except for the Mediterranean fruit flies. Our patchwork of many species of trees and vegetables confuses most insect pests. And because we have never applied insecticides, we have many beneficial insects that kill most of the herbivorous ones before they can become pests. We manage our black fire ants with the rice trick, and by not standing on their nests. They repay us by helping to keep our vegetables pest-free.
If you live outside of tropical Central or South America, you may never have to deal with black fire ants. But wherever you live, you can always look for ways to live with insects, with biology, not chemistry.
Further reading
Paul has his own story about Vietnamese farmers who educate weaver ants, to protect their orchards from insect pests.
Related Agro-Insight blog stories
When ants and microbes join hands
Videos about insects that hunt and control insect pests, from Access Agriculture
The wasp that protects our crops
Promoting weaver ants in your orchard
Weaver ants against fruit flies
Scientific names
The black fire ant, also called the tropical fire ant, is Solenopsis genimata. The red fire ant, the so-called “imported†one is Solenopsis invicta. The red fire ant is native to Argentina, and slipped into the USA, possibly as a stowaway on a ship, after 1933. in Silent Spring, Rachel Carson tells the story of how the US Department of Agriculture lost its chemical war against the red fire ant. That red ant is still thriving in North America. Unlike the black fire ant, which builds discrete, ground-level nests, the red one builds, a tall, conspicuous entrance to its burrow.
Vea la versión en español a continuación
Covid may be the world’s most spectacular emerging disease, but agriculture has its own new pests and diseases. Fortunately, collaboration between agronomists and farmers can offer solutions, as I saw in a recent meeting on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
This is 2021, so we met on Zoom, but I was struck by how much the meeting resembled others I have attended in person with farmers and agronomists.
Ing. Sonia Laura, a researcher from Prosuco who works closely with farmers, had driven out to the village of Iquichachi, a couple of hours from La Paz. Sonia set up the call on her laptop, and the farmers (Sra. Cristina, Sra. Arminda, Sr. Juan, Sr. Paulino, Sr. Zenobio, and Sr. Fidel) all managed to squeeze onto the screen. Bundled up in coats and hats against the high Andean cold, they explained how several years ago, they noticed a new worm eating the potatoes they store at home.
The moth lays its eggs on stored potatoes, and on potato plants in the field. The eggs hatch into caterpillars that go back and forth: from field to home in the harvest, and from storage to field with the seed.
The farmers showed some graphs of data they had been collecting with Sonia, under advice from Ing. Reinaldo Quispe, an agronomist from Proinpa, who joined the call from his office in La Paz. Reinaldo and the farmers had been using the sex scent (pheromone) of female moths to attract and trap the male moths. Each moth species has its own unique sex pheromone. Reinaldo had identified the pests, two related species of tuber moths, native to the Andes, but usually found in the lower, warmer valleys. Both species belong to a moth family that specializes in infesting stored foods.
The agronomist Raúl Ccanto joined us from Peru, from the NGO Yanapai. Raúl explained that Peruvian farmers had suffered from these two moths for many years. Over the years of working with the farmers, Yanapai and others had developed some practical solutions.
As Raúl explained, select the seed carefully. When you take seed from the house to plant in the field, make sure that you only plant healthy tubers, not the ones full of worms.
Also rotate your crops. “This is something you farmers have always done, but it’s important to say that it is a good thing.†Growing potatoes one year, followed by other roots and tubers (such as oca and papalisa, which are not of the potato family), and then other legumes and cereals, helps to keep the soil free of potato pests.
Raúl’s PowerPoint included the results of experiments, done in collaboration with Peruvian farmers, where they tried various ways to manage the moths in stored seed potato. One idea that worked well, and was also cheap, was to dust healthy seed potatoes with talc, which keeps the moths from laying their eggs in potatoes. The talc worked almost as well as malathion, the insecticide.
Raúl skipped lightly over the malathion, barely mentioning it, and for good reason. He had included the chemical treatment in the experiment as a comparison, but he was not promoting it. As Reinaldo explained, farmers often prefer insecticides and use them even in stored potatoes, which one should not do.
In fact, medical schools in Bolivia teach their third-year students to diagnose and treat malathion poisoning, because it is common. “This is something you’ll see,†the older doctors tell their students.
With any new pest or disease, it’s important to know where it came from. Raúl explained that the moths may have recently colonized the cold Altiplano, not just because of climate change, but also because people are bringing wormy seed in from fairs in distant parts of the country. And they are growing more potatoes. As more of the land is planted more often and over larger areas, to meet market demand, a more attractive environment is created for potato pests.
Yes, the farmers agreed, potatoes are being grown more often. And that is why it is crucial for scientists and farmers to put their heads together, to confirm useful ideas, from different perspectives.
The farmers wanted to know if there was something they could apply to their potatoes, to kill the moth. Raúl and Reinaldo both explained that there is no one thing that will manage the pest. It will have to be managed by rotating crops, and by selecting healthy seed. Other ideas like dusting the potatoes with talc will also help. The good news is that the moths can be managed.
It may be in human nature to yearn for simple solutions. Many of us have simply wished that Covid would go away, and that things would go back to normal. Like Covid, managing the tuber moth will require several good ideas, well explained, widely shared and applied.
In this case, the new information motivated the farmers to set up their own experiments. Sonia told me that after our call, the farmers met to reflect and take action. They decided that each one of them would select their seed, clean their potato storeroom, and sprinkle talc on the selected seed. They will keep using the pheromone traps, among other things. Later, they will explain these practices to their other community members, to take action as a group.
Scientific names
The tuber moths are Phthorimaea operculella and Symmetrischema tangolias (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).
Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and papalisa (Ullucus tuberosus) are native Andean crops, not widely grown outside the region. The papalisa is also called “olluco†in Peru.
Talc is a clay mineral, magnesium silicate, a natural stone that is ground to make a powder.
Acknowledgements
Sonia Laura works with MarÃa Quispe at Prosuco (Promoción de la Sustentabilidad y Conocimientos Compartidos) in La Paz.
Raúl Ccanto works at Grupo Yanapai (meaning “to help†in Quechua), in Peru.
Reinaldo Quispe works at Proinpa (Fundación para la Promoción e Investigación de Productos Andinos), Bolivia.
The work with the Andean tuber moths is supported by the McKnight Foundation’s CCRP (Collaborative Crop Research Program).
Thanks to Sonia Laura and to Paul Van Mele for reading a previous version of this story.
Photos
Thanks also to Sonia Laura for her beautiful photographs.
ZOOM AL TITICACA
Por Jeff Bentley, 6 de junio del 2021
El Covid-19 podrÃa ser la enfermedad nueva más espectacular del mundo, pero la agricultura tiene sus propias plagas y enfermedades emergentes. Afortunadamente, la colaboración entre agrónomos y agricultores puede ofrecer soluciones, como vi en una reciente reunión a orillas del Lago Titicaca.
Estamos en el 2021, asà que nos reunimos por Zoom, pero me sorprendió lo mucho que se parecÃa la reunión a otras a las que he asistido en persona con agricultores y agrónomos.
La Ing. Sonia Laura, una investigadora de Prosuco, que trabaja estrechamente con los agricultores, habÃa ido en camioneta hasta la comunidad rural de Iquicachi, a un par de horas de La Paz. Sonia organizó la llamada en su laptop, y los agricultores (las y los señores Cristina, Arminda y Juan, Paulino, Zenobio, Fidel,) se hicieron entrar todos en la pantalla. Abrigados con chompas y gorros contra el frÃo altoandino, explicaron que hace pocos años se dieron cuenta de que un nuevo gusano se comÃa las papas que almacenaban en sus casas.
La polilla de papa pone sus huevos en las papas almacenadas y en las plantas de papas en el campo. De los huevos nacen gusanos del campo, que van a casa en la cosecha, y del almacén regresan a la chacra con la semilla.
Los agricultores mostraron algunos gráficos de datos que habÃan estado recopilando con Sonia, bajo la orientación del Ing. Reinaldo Quispe, de Proinpa, quien se unió a la llamada desde su oficina en La Paz. Sonia y los agricultores habÃan estado usando el olor sexual (feromona) de las polillas hembras para atraer y atrapar a las polillas macho. Cada especie de polilla tiene su propia feromona sexual. Reinaldo habÃa identificado las plagas, dos especies relacionadas de polillas del tubérculo, nativas de los Andes, pero que suelen encontrarse en los valles más bajos y cálidos. Ambas especies pertenecen a una familia de polillas especializada en infestar alimentos almacenados.
Desde Perú nos acompañó el agrónomo Raúl Ccanto, de la ONG Yanapai. Raúl explicó que los agricultores peruanos habÃan sufrido estas dos polillas durante muchos años. A lo largo de sus años de trabajo con los agricultores, Yanapai y otros han desarrollado algunas soluciones prácticas.
Como explicó Raúl, hay que seleccionar la semilla con cuidado. Cuando saques la semilla de la casa para sembrarla, asegúrate de plantar sólo los tubérculos sanos, no los que están llenos de gusanos.
También hay que rotar los cultivos. “Esto es algo que ustedes los agricultores siempre han hecho, pero es importante decir que es bueno que lo hagan”. Lo que ayuda a mantener el suelo libre de plagas de la papa es cultivarlas solo un año, seguido de otras raÃces y tubérculos (como la oca y la papalisa, que no son de la familia de la papa), y luego sembrar leguminosas y cereales.
La presentación de Raúl incluyó los resultados de los experimentos, realizados en colaboración con agricultores peruanos, en los que se probaron varias formas de controlar las polillas en los almacenes de semillas de papa. Una idea que funcionó bien, y que además era barata, fue rociar la papa seleccionada con talco, que impide que las polillas pongan sus huevos en las papas. El talco funcionaba casi tan bien como el malatión, el insecticida.
Raúl pasó por alto el malatión; apenas lo mencionó, y con razón. HabÃa incluido el tratamiento quÃmico en el experimento como comparación, pero no lo promovÃa. Como explicó Reinaldo, los agricultores suelen preferir los insecticidas y los usan incluso en las papas almacenadas, lo cual no se debe hacer.
De hecho, las facultades de medicina de Bolivia enseñan a sus estudiantes de tercer año a diagnosticar y tratar la intoxicación por malatión, porque es algo común. “Esto es algo que van a ver”, dicen los doctores a sus alumnos.
Con cualquier plaga o enfermedad nueva, es importante saber de dónde viene. Raúl explicó que las polillas pueden haber colonizado recientemente el frÃo Altiplano, no sólo por el cambio climático, sino también porque la gente está trayendo semillas agusanadas de ferias en otras partes del paÃs. Y están cultivando más papas sobre mayor superficie. A medida que se siembra más seguido y en más área, para satisfacer la demanda del mercado, se crea un ambiente más atractivo para las plagas de la papa.
SÃ, los agricultores reconocieron que hoy en dÃa las papas se cultivan más seguido. Y por eso es crucial que cientÃficos y agricultores compartan sus ideas, para confirmar las que son útiles.
Los agricultores querÃan saber si habÃa algo que pudieran aplicar a sus papas para matar la polilla. Raúl y Reinaldo explicaron que no hay una sola cosa que la pueda manejar. Habrá que controlar la plaga mediante la rotación de cultivos y la buena selección de semillas. Otras ideas, como aplicar talco a las papas, también ayudarán. La buena noticia es que las polillas sà tienen solución.
Tal vez algo en la naturaleza humana anhela las soluciones sencillas. Muchos hemos deseado que el Covid desaparezca de una sola vez, y que las cosas vuelvan a la normalidad. Al igual que el Covid, el manejo de la polilla de la papa requerirá varias buenas ideas, bien explicadas, ampliamente compartidas y competentemente aplicadas.
En este caso, la nueva información motivó la gente a armar sus propios experimentos. Sonia me informa que se reunieron para reflexionar y tomar acuerdos. Decidieron que cada persona del grupo harÃa la selección de semilla. LimpiarÃa su almacén de papas, y pondrÃa talco en las papas seleccionadas. Seguirán con las trampas con feromonas, entre otras cosas. Luego comunicarán estas prácticas en una reunión con toda la comunidad para tener un trabajo comunal en el control de esta plaga.
Nombres cientÃficos
Las polillas de la papa son Phthorimaea operculella y Symmetrischema tangolias (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).
La oca (Oxalis tuberosa) y la papalisa (Ullucus tuberosus) son cultivos nativos andinos, poco cultivados fuera de la región. La papalisa también se llama “olluco” en el Perú.
El talco es silicato de magnesio. Es una piedra natural que se muele para obtener el polvo. Como explica Raúl Ccanto, es un “mineral no metálicoâ€.
Agradecimientos
Sonia Laura trabaja con MarÃa Quispe en Prosuco (Promoción de la Sustentabilidad y Conocimientos Compartidos) en La Paz.
Raúl Ccanto trabaja en el Grupo Yanapai (que significa “ayudar” en quechua), en el Perú.
Reinaldo Quispe trabaja en Proinpa (Fundación para la Promoción e Investigación de Productos Andinos), en Bolivia.
El trabajo con las polillas de la papa está apoyado por el CCRP (Programa Colaborativo de Investigación de Cultivos) de la Fundación McKnight.
Gracias a Sonia Laura y a Paul Van Mele por leer una versión previa de este relato.
Fotos
Gracias también a Sonia Laura por sus hermosas fotos.
Supermarkets in the USA bulge with everything from strawberries to steak, but this generous supply is threatened by a destructive agro-industry. In the recent book Perilous Bounty, Tom Philpott outlines looming disasters in California and the Midwest.
The Central Valley of California produces an astounding 80% of the world’s almonds and half of the pistachios, besides a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables eaten in the USA. This phenomenal production is irrigated with water that is mined, and can never be replaced. The Central Valley used to be a vast wetland. From 1930 to 1970 a network of dams and canals were built to capture snowmelt from the Sierra Madre mountains, for irrigation.
But the rainfall out west is erratic and some years there is not enough snow to irrigate all the nut trees, so well water makes up the difference. So much water has been pumped that the ground level has fallen by 29 feet (8.8 meters). As the subsoil shrinks, it loses capacity; it can now hold less water than before.
The Midwest used to be a home for diversified family farms, rotating crops of corn, wheat, oats and rye, and even growing fruits and vegetables. Cattle ate fodder produced on the farm itself. Since the 1960s, this integrated system has been replaced by a simpler one, of just maize (corn) and soybeans, while the livestock have been sent to factory farms. Crops and animals are now grown on separate farms. The hog mega-barns are so far from the grain farms that the pig manure cannot be used as fertilizer. Instead, the manure finds its way to the Mississippi River and on to the Gulf of Mexico, where it has created a dead zone the size of New Jersey, destroying a thriving fish and shrimp industry. The soil is now eroding at an estimated rate of 5.4 tons per acre per year (13.5 tons per ha). The rich black soil is vanishing fast.
A handful of corporations buy meat (Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS, and Smithfield Foods—owned by the Chinese WH Group) and just four companies make most of the chemical fertilizer in the USA, so farmers are forced to take the prices offered by these few buyers and sellers. This price squeeze forces many family farmers out of business. Between 1940 and 2018, the number of farms in Iowa declined from 213,000 to 86,000, a loss of 60%.
Much of this chemical-intensive farming system operates at a loss, but is made profitable by Federal Crop Insurance, operated by private companies, but subsidized by the US government.
Agriculture does make money for big companies. Monsanto, a corporation that made agrochemicals, saw its value rise from $5 billion in 2000 to $66 Billion in 2018, when Bayer bought the company. During these years, Monsanto consolidated its hold on the seed and pesticide industry. Almost all of the maize, soybean and cotton in the USA is now grown from varieties that have been genetically modified to withstand herbicides, especially glyphosate, sold under the brand name Roundup. At first, farmers loved it. They could plant the genetically modified “Roundup Ready†seed and then spray the emerging plants with herbicides, killing all the weeds and leaving the maize or soybeans fresh and green.
The problem is that weeds invariably evolve resistance to the herbicides. So, seed companies engineer new crop varieties that can withstand more herbicides. Then the weeds become resistant to those herbicides. And farmers have to spend more on seeds and chemicals.
There is a way out. In California, agroecologist Stephen Gliessman grows grapes without irrigation. In the Midwest, farmer-innovators like David Brandt and Tom Frantzen work with researchers to create integrated livestock-cereal farms where cover crops rebuild the soil with organic matter.
I was heartened to read about these inventive farmers. But there are other things we can all do, to live better and eat better. We can:
Plant a garden.
Buy locally, from family farmers.
Eat organic food.
Vote for lawmakers who support anti-trust legislation.
Push for more research on organic farming and agroecology.
Further reading
Philpott, Tom 2020 Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. 246 pp.
Related Agro-Insight blogs
Nederlandse versie hieronder
Whether in Europe or in the global South, young farmers, unless they are born into a farm family, often lack three key things: land, finance and knowledge. But a new breed of farmers has risen, fuelled by passion to produce food in a healthy way, free from agrochemicals. Their journeys are often difficult, but with support from the community and by helping each other, they are heading towards a fairer and brighter future, as I learned this week on a revealing road trip.
Recently, I joined my farmer friends Johan Hons and Vera Kuijpers on their weekly trip to deliver and buy organic produce from wholesalers and fellow farmers to stock up their farm shop that opens from Friday afternoon until Saturday noon. Johan and Vera have been pioneer organic farmers in north-eastern Belgium.
“When we started some 30 years ago, it was just us and one other family who had a basic food packaging machine. Whenever needed, we could use their machine,†Johan said. In the meantime, the number of organic farmers has grown, and an amazing informal network is coming to life.
The back of the van is loaded with freshly harvested potatoes, a few crates of cabbages and leek seedlings that Johan and Vera had reared for the new season. Having left their farm before 6 am, by 8 o’clock we finished our first delivery. Biofresh, a main organic retailer, bought their potatoes. At the same time, we collect the produce they had ordered online a few days earlier. Vera guides me through the warehouse, explaining how the whole system works.
I see crates of organic pineapples from Côte d’Ivoire, bright mangoes from Ghana, ginger from Peru, fava beans, artichokes and oranges from Italy, and various local products, including their potatoes, amongst other things.
“At first, our name was mentioned on the label,†Vera says, “but they have now replaced our name with a number, so people no longer know who has produced them. I think it is to protect themselves from their competitors.†This may well be the case, but as we continue our road trip it dawns on me that the effectiveness of this strategy may only be short-lived.
As we load the van in the parking lot, Floriaan D’Hulster, a young fellow organic farmer whom we had met indoors 10 minutes earlier arrives. He has come to buy Johan and Vera’s crates of cabbages and hands over a little carton box. My curiosity triggered, Johan proudly opens it and shows little seed packages.
“This is from our group of farmers with whom we started to produce vegetable seed. The seed has been cleaned, nicely labelled and packaged at the premises of Akelei, the organic farm where Floriaan works, and will be available in our farm shop as of tomorrow,†Johan smiles. Their non-profit association “Vitale Rassen†was formalised in 2019 and regroups organic farmers across Flanders who produce seed under EU organic standards.
On to the next destination. Like Biofresh, Sinature is a wholesaler, but they also have their own greenhouses behind their warehouse. “We like to buy as much locally produced food as possible,†Vera says, “as that is in line with our philosophy and many clients also ask me about this.â€
As we walk through the warehouse, Vera carefully goes over various lists. I learn that they are at the same time buying produce for other fellow farmers. “Many of us have started to sell our produce ourselves directly to consumers, whether at farm markets or farm shops,†Vera says, “and it is good to be able to offer clients a rich diversity of food on top of your own produce. As we have a van and a trailer, we provide this service to our fellow farmers against a small fee to cover our costs.â€
At Bernd Vandersmissen’s farm I am excited to see how even in greenhouses, they successfully integrate crops and livestock. Two pigs are happily sleeping under a trailer in an area secured by a temporary electric fence. While the pigs feed on the green manure (a mixture of rye and phacelia), they keep the soil loose and fertile.
Many of the new generation of farmers have managed one way or the other to secure some land. To gain knowledge and become professional growers, the non-profit organisation Landwijzer has been offering both short and two-year long courses on organic and biodynamic farming for the past 20 years.
The remainder of the day we make various stops to buy and deliver fresh produce at some inspiring farms. As Johan and Vera are pioneers, they know everyone involved in the organic food system. Many of the new generation of farmers have also done their internship with them as part of their Landwijzer course, so they have a strong bond. By providing this weekly service, they also get a chance to chat with their colleagues and exchange ideas and recent news.
When I ask Johan how the new generation of farmers is coping with the purchasing power of large buyers that push down prices, he explains that price formation and market diversification are key aspects covered in the courses offered by Landwijzer.
A few days earlier I had an online meeting with one of the coordinators of the Fairtrade Producers’ Organisation from Latin America. To secure a living income, cocoa and coffee growers are also forced to increasingly look at income and market diversification. While the food industry may gradually come to realize that paying a fair price for food is needed to keep farmers in business, it is reassuring to see that farmers continue to innovate by pro-actively strengthening ties between themselves and the community of consumers. Belonging to a network may make a vital difference for new farmers, who often lack land and a family connection to agriculture.
Related blogs
Inspiring platforms
Access Agriculture: hosts over 220 training videos in over 85 languages. Each video describes underlying principles, as such encouraging people to experiment with new ideas.
EcoAgtube: a new social media platform where anyone can upload their own videos related to natural farming and circular economy.
De volgende generatie boeren
Of ze nu in Europa of in het Zuiden zijn geboren, het ontbreekt jonge boeren, tenzij ze in een boerenfamilie zijn geboren, vaak aan drie belangrijke dingen: land, financiën en kennis. Maar er is een nieuwe generatie boeren opgestaan, gedreven door de passie om op een gezonde manier voedsel te produceren, vrij van landbouwchemicaliën. Hun reis is vaak moeilijk, maar met steun van de gemeenschap en door elkaar te helpen, zijn ze op weg naar een eerlijkere en mooiere toekomst, zoals ik deze week leerde tijdens een onthullende road trip.
Onlangs vergezelde ik mijn boerenvrienden Johan Hons en Vera Kuijpers op hun wekelijkse reis om biologische producten te leveren en te kopen van groothandelaars en collega-boeren om hun boerderijwinkel te bevoorraden die open is van vrijdagmiddag tot zaterdagmiddag. Johan en Vera zijn pioniers op het gebied van biologische landbouw in het noordoosten van België. “Toen we zo’n 30 jaar geleden begonnen, waren we alleen met één andere familie die een basisverpakkingsmachine voor levensmiddelen had. Als het nodig was, konden we hun machine gebruiken,” zei Johan. Intussen is het aantal biologische boeren gegroeid en is er een geweldig informeel netwerk ontstaan.
De achterbak van het busje is volgeladen met vers geoogste aardappelen, een paar kratten kool en prei-zaailingen die Johan en Vera hadden opgekweekt voor het nieuwe seizoen. We zijn al voor 6 uur vertrokken van hun boerderij en tegen 8 uur zijn we klaar met onze eerste levering. Biofresh, een belangrijke biologische detailhandelaar, kocht hun aardappelen. Tegelijkertijd halen we de producten op die ze een paar dagen eerder online hadden besteld. Vera leidt me door het magazijn en legt uit hoe het hele systeem werkt.
Ik zie kratten met biologische ananassen uit Ivoorkust, mango’s uit Ghana, gember uit Peru, tuinbonen, artisjokken en sinaasappels uit Italië, en verschillende lokale producten, waaronder hun aardappelen. “In het begin stond onze naam op het etiket,” zegt Vera, “maar nu hebben ze onze naam vervangen door een nummer, zodat de mensen niet meer weten wie ze heeft geproduceerd. Ik denk dat het is om zichzelf te beschermen tegen hun concurrenten.” Dat kan wel zo zijn, maar terwijl we onze reis voortzetten, dringt het tot me door dat de doeltreffendheid van deze strategie wel eens van korte duur zou kunnen zijn.
Terwijl we het busje inladen op de parkeerplaats, arriveert Floriaan D’Hulster, een jonge bio-boer die we 10 minuten eerder binnen hadden ontmoet. Hij is gekomen om de kratten kolen van Johan en Vera te kopen en overhandigt een kartonnen doosje. Mijn nieuwsgierigheid is gewekt, Johan maakt het trots open en laat kleine zaadverpakkingen zien. “Dit is van onze groep boeren met wie we begonnen zijn groentezaad te produceren. Het zaad is geschoond, mooi geëtiketteerd en verpakt op het terrein van Akelei, de biologische boerderij waar Floriaan werkt, en zal vanaf morgen verkrijgbaar zijn in onze boerderijwinkel”, lacht Johan. Hun vzw “Vitale Rassen” werd in 2019 geformaliseerd en groepeert bioboeren over heel Vlaanderen die zaaigoed produceren volgens de biologische normen van de EU.
Op naar de volgende bestemming. Net als Biofresh is Sinature een groothandel, maar ze hebben ook eigen kassen achter hun magazijn. “We kopen graag zoveel mogelijk lokaal geproduceerd voedsel”, zegt Vera, “want dat ligt in de lijn van onze filosofie en veel klanten vragen me daar ook naar.”
Terwijl we door het magazijn lopen, neemt Vera zorgvuldig verschillende lijsten door. Ik leer dat ze tegelijkertijd producten inkopen voor andere collega-boeren. “Velen van ons zijn onze producten zelf rechtstreeks aan de consument gaan verkopen, op boerenmarkten of in boerderijwinkels”, vertelt Vera, “en het is goed om klanten naast je eigen producten ook een rijke diversiteit aan voedsel te kunnen bieden. Omdat we een bestelwagen en een aanhangwagen hebben, verlenen we deze service aan onze collega-boeren tegen een kleine vergoeding om onze kosten te dekken.”
Op de boerderij van Bernd Vandersmissen leer ik hoe ze zelfs in kassen met succes gewassen en vee integreren. Twee varkens slapen tevreden onder een trailer in een ruimte die beveiligd is met een tijdelijk elektrisch hek. Terwijl de varkens zich voeden met de groenbemesting (een mengsel van rogge en phacelia), houden ze de grond los en vruchtbaar.
Veel van de nieuwe generatie boeren zijn er op de een of andere manier in geslaagd om wat land in handen te krijgen. Om kennis op te doen en professionele telers te worden, biedt de vzw Landwijzer al 20 jaar zowel korte als tweejarige cursussen aan over biologische en biodynamische landbouw.
De rest van de dag maken we verschillende stops om verse producten te kopen en af te leveren bij enkele inspirerende boerderijen. Omdat Johan en Vera pioniers zijn, kennen ze iedereen die betrokken is bij het biologische voedselsysteem. Veel van de nieuwe generatie boeren hebben ook bij hen stage gelopen in het kader van hun Landwijzer opleiding, dus ze hebben een sterke band. Door deze wekelijkse service krijgen ze ook de kans om met hun collega’s bij te praten en ideeën en recent nieuws uit te wisselen.
Als ik Johan vraag hoe de nieuwe generatie boeren omgaat met de koopkracht van grote afnemers die de prijzen drukken, legt hij uit dat prijsvorming en marktdiversificatie belangrijke aspecten zijn die in de cursussen van Landwijzer aan de orde komen.
Een paar dagen eerder had ik een online-ontmoeting met een van de coördinatoren van de Fairtrade Producers’ Organisation uit Latijns-Amerika. Om in hun levensonderhoud te kunnen voorzien, worden ook cacao- en koffietelers gedwongen steeds meer te kijken naar inkomens- en marktdiversificatie. Terwijl de voedingsindustrie geleidelijk tot het inzicht komt dat het betalen van een eerlijke prijs voor voedsel nodig is om boeren in bedrijf te houden, is het geruststellend om te zien dat boeren blijven innoveren door pro-actief de banden tussen henzelf en de gemeenschap van consumenten aan te halen. Deel uitmaken van een netwerk kan een wezenlijk verschil maken voor nieuwe boeren, die vaak niet over land beschikken en geen familieband met de landbouw hebben.
