Organic agriculture for food security in the tropics

In Switzerland, organic farming is recognised as an efficient, sustainable agricultural system. Sustainable agriculture and consistent yields, together with increasing fluctuations in climate are becoming ever more important in tropical areas also. A Swiss research project is now beginning a long-term study in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Ecological methods of agriculture will be researched based upon their capabilities for food security, alleviation of poverty and protection of the environment in the tropics.

(picture: Christine Zundel, FiBL, Schweiz)

Climate change and growing poverty in many developing countries place great demands on the farmers of the South. Swiss scientists are now investigating the possible contribution of organic agriculture to the solution of the urgent problems of world nutrition. ”Droughts and floods have always greatly influenced soil fertility and crop yields in tropical areas”, says Urs Niggli, director of the research institute for organic agriculture, FiBL. “In the future these extreme events are likely to become more frequent, further influencing the food situation in developing countries.” Scientific long-term studies that compare organic and conventional agricultural systems have not existed until now. This Swiss initiative constitutes pioneering work in the field of agricultural research.

„The way in which organic agriculture can contribute to food security and sustainable development in tropical countries is of global interest”, says the Swiss World Food Prize laureate and president of BioVision, Hans Rudolf Herren. “In the future, policy makers in development co-operation and local farmers should be able to draw upon the scientific results of research.” The findings from this long-term study will be published and passed on to governmental and non-governmental agricultural advisers as well as to the farmers directly.

The scientific accompaniment in this long-term system comparison is the responsibility of FiBL in Frick, which numbers among the world-leading research institutes in organic agriculture. The research is financed by a consortium of donors, consisting of the Swiss BioVision Foundation, Coop and DEZA, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The donors have great confidence in the cooperative approach and in long-term, applied research for the promotion of organic farming.

Various elements contribute to the interest in this study: It deals with the relationship between organic forms of agriculture and yield, quality, and storage life of field crops, but also with economy and energy efficiency, as well as soil fertility and biodiversity. Extreme weather conditions, which occur more and more frequently in the tropics due to climate change, will also be particularly taken into consideration.

The concept of organic agriculture relies upon the use of locally available resources and adapted technologies, such as pest control through the use of natural predators. This concept opens up new possibilities for the sustainable development of the South:

More consistent yields and access to attractive markets for farmers, for example through organically certified products.

In the meantime, the project has begun successfully. In Kenya and in India the test fields have been planted. “Kenya lent itself to being the main site, since we have there a well-connected and competent partner - the renowned insect research centre icipe” (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology) says project leader Christine Zundel, of FiBL. In India, FiBL has instigated the long-term study in cooperation with the bioRe Association, partner and supplier of organic cotton to Coop. BioRe India has long standing experience in organic and biodynamic agriculture, and also produces organically certified cotton with over 7000 farmers. The partnership between FiBL and bioRe is supplemented by Indian researchers and agricultural research institutes. “Thanks to the fact that DEZA decided to participate in the project, we are able to construct a third main site in Bolivia”, says Zundel. “That means this will be the largest system comparison ever conducted in the tropics.”