By Philipp Mueller, MPA Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School, and 2016 Next Generation Delegate
When I started working in agriculture finance, I quickly realized that globally, two camps dominated the agricultural debate: technology enthusiasts and the environmentalists. Their positions on and approaches to agriculture seemed irreconcilable to me: On one side of the spectrum, a focus on productivity in large-scale, commercial farming. On the other, a focus on sustainability in small-scale farming. What I experienced when visiting agricultural operations around the world prompted me to rethink the relationship between scale and sustainability. In Peru, I saw large-scale vegetable operations that increasingly incorporated biological barriers and traps at strategic positions of the field. I saw grain producers in Serbia that meticulously measured fertilizer, pesticide, and water usage in order to avoid any expensive over-usage. And I saw Ecuadorian banana plantations that optimized the residual organic material to improve soil quality. In short: I observed big commercial farmers using the latest technology and knowledge to increase resource-efficiency and hence, sustainability.
The operations I saw were the forefront of a trend in agriculture often termed resource-efficient farming, or sustainable intensification, that could bridge the dichotomy of sustainability and productivity. This convergence is mostly driven by cost considerations as farmers seek to lower input costs and take into account the long-term monetary cost of soil degradation. David Spielman from the International Food Policy Research Institute has accurately described this rethinking in agriculture as “awakening around the need for sustainable yields.” Technological innovations prove that sustainability and productivity can go hand-in-hand. However, in order to realize the full potential of resource-efficient farming, we need to overcome significant limitations. One such limitation is weak public policy either caused by too much or too little government intervention.
In these instances, reforming regulation is key for resource-efficient farming to flourish more broadly. However, such reforms are often challenging and lengthy processes. In the meantime, governments and financial institutions, particularly development finance institutions, can provide incentives for farmers to switch to eco-friendly technologies. Blended finance—the combination of private and public money—should be employed where commercial investors are hesitant to finance untested sustainable technologies. In addition, more agricultural research is needed to advance eco-smart technologies and to make them more widely accessible, particularly to small-scale farmers. Bringing resource-efficient technology to small-scale farmers will enable yield increases that boost farmers’ incomes and benefit food security in rural areas while mitigating environmental impacts.
If we manage to tackle these limitations adequately and in a timely manner, the potential of resource-efficient farming is huge. After witnessing the shift towards sustainable technology, today I am convinced that environmentalists and technology enthusiasts can overcome the false dichotomy of sustainability and scale which for too long has dominated the global agricultural debate. The two camps should seize this opportunity and work more closely together in order to jointly unlock the potential of sustainable yields.
Read previous posts in the Next Generation Delegation 2016 Commentary Series:
- How Can Cover Crops Help to Achieve Global Food Security?
- Rising Food Needs Put Pressure on Sustainable Agriculture
- Technological Transformation: A Way to Increase Food Availability around the World
- Institutional Support of Weather Index Insurance for Smallholder Integration
- Beyond the African Smallholder Productivity Gap
- Prudent Food Utilization Guarantees Sustainable Food Security in Light of Growing Urbanization
- Perspectives at the Global Food Security Symposium 2016
- Food Safety: An Opportunity Often Overlooked when Planning How to Feed Our Burgeoning Population
- Investing in Younger Generations Is Key to Solving World Hunger by 2050
- Made in _______: Distant Food Demand Lead to Local Water Issues
- Reevaluating the Agricultural Development Agenda
- Promoting Food Security While Avoiding the Nutrition Transition