"Agroecology is the future", by Camilla Minarelli

<div style="text-align: justify;">Farmers of many developing
countries could double their harvestings in the next ten years introducing an agriculture free from
pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The statement comes from a new United nations report, titled
'Agroecology and the right to food'. 'The future of agriculture – Oliver Schutter, the author,
explains – is a system considering not only the production aspects, but also the ecological,
socio-economical and cultural dimension of the agri-ecosystem'. A number of studies demonstrate that
intensive agriculture does not appear to be the best option anymore. In Bangladesh and Vietnam the
use of pesticides has been reduced by 92% in the rice fields by using ducks to eliminate insects,
increasing at the same time harvestings. The future for Europe could be organic farming, some food
economics experts explain. The economist and environmentalist Lester Brown' s opinion is that 'With
organic farming, productivity is actually almost the same, and it plays a very important role when
organic matter is missing, regenerating the soils with natural fertilizers and other natural
techniques. Chemical agriculture has drawn down the cycle of nutrients in the soils. Every year US
export 90 million tons of cereals, housing 3-4 million tons of phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium.
Urbanization, along with international trade, destroyed the loop of the earth nutrition
elements…'. This is why organic farming can be a real solution in the western countries.
<br></div><br><br><br>“Terra”, 13 March 2011, page 6.<br><br>