Farming for Change: Charting a course that works for all introduces the latest research from IDDRI that shows that a transition to agroecology:
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Introduction
In its 2019 report, Our Future in the Land, the Food Farming and Countryside Commission argued that “farming can be a force for change, with a transition to agroecology by 2030.” The FFCC’s confidence in an agroecological future was built on IDDRI’s original Ten Years for Agroecology (TYFA) report (2018), which showed a transition to agroecology is both desirable and achievable at a European scale.
Sitting alongside the growing body of work, in the UK and internationally, making the case for agroecology, the TYFA Europe model has established an important foundation from which to explore a just transition to more sustainable food systems and land use, supporting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The model, built on an ambitious scenario for the future of farming (including phasing out synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilizers and redeploying natural grasslands) showed that with the widespread adoption of healthier diets (fewer animal products, more fruit and vegetables), the adoption of agroecological practices across Europe could meet several challenges at once.
Agroecology could supply enough food for 530 million Europeans, while maintaining export capacity, reducing agricultural GHG emissions by 47% compared to 2010, and helping to restore biodiversity, and protect natural resources. At the European scale the approach was conceptually sound, but what of the practical implications of this scenario for UK food and farming? Could similar conclusions be drawn at the country scale? By exploring the multiple demands on farming and land use together rather than apart, this research progresses the debate on the future of food and agriculture in the UK through a system-wide view of its complex relationships and consequences.
This research applies the TYFA Europe model to the UK. It shows that:
— A transition to agroecology is feasible and achievable, keeping the country fed, balancing trade without exporting production, and reducing diet-related ill-health.
— Emissions will be reduced by 55-70%, and this could be further improved if we account for the removal of imported deforestation via soya, reductions in food waste, and adopt the GWP* method of accounting for methane emissions.
— 1.8m hectares (10%) of current agricultural land will be released for ecosystem restoration.
— Biodiversity will be dramatically improved across all productive land by farming for more diversity in crops, grasslands and livestock and reducing synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and nutrient losses.
— A transition to agroecology works best at scale across the UK, allowing these interdependent benefits to develop in synergy across farms, communities, and landscapes.
There are some who argue that society’s multiple challenges are best met by simply intensifying food production in some places to enable more land to be spared for nature recovery, and to help tackle climate change. But often the consequences of this approach – for health, rural communities, farm businesses, and offshoring impacts (amongst others) – are not properly taken into account. Global intensification of food systems has led to incalculable damage – to the climate, to nature, to health and wellbeing, to food security and to economic resilience. Diet-related diseases plague those in the Global North, while across the Global South many do not have access to healthy and safe food. The question of how land is used is at the heart of the debate, about how to improve the food system.
A transition to agroecology offers a more integrated, sustainable, and inclusive pathway for food, farming and land use. Farming for Change Charting a course that works for all. This research provides further detailed evidence that it is a plausible pathway for the UK’s food security and resilience. Sharing our findings with farmers and growers, environmentalists and citizens groups around the UK, we have found widespread support for a broad and inclusive pathway that recognises and responds to the many interdependencies in the food system that people navigate and manage every day.
800 participants took part in eight open inquiry sessions with 30 different expert perspectives on agronomy, land management, economics, culture, and policy, as well as on the different policy perspectives from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. These sessions have affirmed that the agronomic and land management aspects of agroecology are readily achievable right now. For many, agroecology already makes economic sense, but this is not yet the case for all.
The increasing number of collaborative farmer networks is an essential ingredient to facilitating change, but many also say that current conditions still lock farmers and future generations into siloed, chemical input agriculture, based on outmoded assumptions on yield, and productivity. This publication is an important contribution to shaping a new, more sustainable, and fair future for UK food and farming. It provides clear evidence of the potential for agroecology to change the whole food system. Using regenerative farming methods, making healthy food easily available for all, resourcing people to make decisions that are right for their localities – agroecology helps to grow resilient and adaptable communities by addressing critical environmental, societal and civic challenges simultaneously.
This report shows a transition to agroecology by 2030 is not only desirable, but achievable for individuals, businesses and communities across the United Kingdom, and, with the right enabling policy, and market conditions, can be the foundation of a society more responsive to current needs and more resilient to future environmental and economic shocks. Commissioned by FFCC and produced by IDDRI and Asca, this report has benefited from the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the advice of an advisory group made up of the following experts to whom we owe our thanks.
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- Can reduce emissions by upwards of 70%.
- Supports species abundance across and beyond the farmed environment.
- Keeps food production at the core of land management, growing enough healthy and sustainable food for all.
- Ensures we do not export production (or externalise environmental impacts) overseas.
- Provides a broad pathway for resilient and sustainable farm businesses across the UK to take responsibility for food security.
Click Download to Read the Report
Introduction
In its 2019 report, Our Future in the Land, the Food Farming and Countryside Commission argued that “farming can be a force for change, with a transition to agroecology by 2030.” The FFCC’s confidence in an agroecological future was built on IDDRI’s original Ten Years for Agroecology (TYFA) report (2018), which showed a transition to agroecology is both desirable and achievable at a European scale.
Sitting alongside the growing body of work, in the UK and internationally, making the case for agroecology, the TYFA Europe model has established an important foundation from which to explore a just transition to more sustainable food systems and land use, supporting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The model, built on an ambitious scenario for the future of farming (including phasing out synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilizers and redeploying natural grasslands) showed that with the widespread adoption of healthier diets (fewer animal products, more fruit and vegetables), the adoption of agroecological practices across Europe could meet several challenges at once.
Agroecology could supply enough food for 530 million Europeans, while maintaining export capacity, reducing agricultural GHG emissions by 47% compared to 2010, and helping to restore biodiversity, and protect natural resources. At the European scale the approach was conceptually sound, but what of the practical implications of this scenario for UK food and farming? Could similar conclusions be drawn at the country scale? By exploring the multiple demands on farming and land use together rather than apart, this research progresses the debate on the future of food and agriculture in the UK through a system-wide view of its complex relationships and consequences.
This research applies the TYFA Europe model to the UK. It shows that:
— A transition to agroecology is feasible and achievable, keeping the country fed, balancing trade without exporting production, and reducing diet-related ill-health.
— Emissions will be reduced by 55-70%, and this could be further improved if we account for the removal of imported deforestation via soya, reductions in food waste, and adopt the GWP* method of accounting for methane emissions.
— 1.8m hectares (10%) of current agricultural land will be released for ecosystem restoration.
— Biodiversity will be dramatically improved across all productive land by farming for more diversity in crops, grasslands and livestock and reducing synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and nutrient losses.
— A transition to agroecology works best at scale across the UK, allowing these interdependent benefits to develop in synergy across farms, communities, and landscapes.
There are some who argue that society’s multiple challenges are best met by simply intensifying food production in some places to enable more land to be spared for nature recovery, and to help tackle climate change. But often the consequences of this approach – for health, rural communities, farm businesses, and offshoring impacts (amongst others) – are not properly taken into account. Global intensification of food systems has led to incalculable damage – to the climate, to nature, to health and wellbeing, to food security and to economic resilience. Diet-related diseases plague those in the Global North, while across the Global South many do not have access to healthy and safe food. The question of how land is used is at the heart of the debate, about how to improve the food system.
A transition to agroecology offers a more integrated, sustainable, and inclusive pathway for food, farming and land use. Farming for Change Charting a course that works for all. This research provides further detailed evidence that it is a plausible pathway for the UK’s food security and resilience. Sharing our findings with farmers and growers, environmentalists and citizens groups around the UK, we have found widespread support for a broad and inclusive pathway that recognises and responds to the many interdependencies in the food system that people navigate and manage every day.
800 participants took part in eight open inquiry sessions with 30 different expert perspectives on agronomy, land management, economics, culture, and policy, as well as on the different policy perspectives from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. These sessions have affirmed that the agronomic and land management aspects of agroecology are readily achievable right now. For many, agroecology already makes economic sense, but this is not yet the case for all.
The increasing number of collaborative farmer networks is an essential ingredient to facilitating change, but many also say that current conditions still lock farmers and future generations into siloed, chemical input agriculture, based on outmoded assumptions on yield, and productivity. This publication is an important contribution to shaping a new, more sustainable, and fair future for UK food and farming. It provides clear evidence of the potential for agroecology to change the whole food system. Using regenerative farming methods, making healthy food easily available for all, resourcing people to make decisions that are right for their localities – agroecology helps to grow resilient and adaptable communities by addressing critical environmental, societal and civic challenges simultaneously.
This report shows a transition to agroecology by 2030 is not only desirable, but achievable for individuals, businesses and communities across the United Kingdom, and, with the right enabling policy, and market conditions, can be the foundation of a society more responsive to current needs and more resilient to future environmental and economic shocks. Commissioned by FFCC and produced by IDDRI and Asca, this report has benefited from the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the advice of an advisory group made up of the following experts to whom we owe our thanks.
Read the full report by Clicking Download
