Human interaction with the environment to exploit its resources is sometimes irreparably invasive. Collective efforts are being made in the agriculture sector to mitigate its impact and map out ecosystem-friendly activity.
These advances are an avenue to improve the sustainability and resilience of agricultural systems. Supporting integrated farming practices and natural irrigation systems. These techniques are indispensable in countries with high biodiversity and environmental fragility values to effectively respond to global challenges such as: food production, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, or ecosystem degradation.
One of the regions making the most progress in the implementation of eco-friendly agricultural landscapes is Colombia, supported by institutions such as the Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, where environmental engineer Andrea García works; she took the time to speak with us.
Economic and Environmental Benefit
An agricultural landscape is defined as the geographical context resulting from the interaction between nature and humans over time for the production of agricultural, livestock, forestry and fishing goods and services. “In them, economic, environmental, and cultural values are linked, requiring specific management approaches to preserve their identity and adaptability,” the researcher pointed out. These spaces are unavoidable in the guarantee of citizen well-being, since their production comes from the ability to provide food and employment, among other fundamental services.
“However, when the sustainable use of the goods and services provided by natural systems loses its balance, it diminishes essential benefits such as habitat provision, pest control, pollination, and water supply,” she warned.
In this context, Humboldt supports the TSS (Transición Socioecológica hacia la Sostenibilidad [Social-Ecological Transition to Sustainability]) approaches, which arise from the need to define biodiversity based on the recognition that the relationship of humans with the environment presents profound interdependencies. This territory management could bring flexibility to natural systems in the face of climate change uncertainty and favor the care of ecosystems and species.
In Search of Environmental Heterogeneity
In order for social and environmental needs to continue to be met, heterogeneity in landscapes needs to be fostered. This is to enable the compatibility of agricultural and livestock goods and services with biodiversity conservation and its benefits. This coexistence is essential to ensure the constant provision of essential ecosystem services, which is vital to maintaining and improving: food security, human well-being and the diversity of the planet’s ways of life.
To evaluate the heterogeneity of the landscape in Colombia, a study was recently conducted on Agricultural Production Units (APUs) on their size and destination of operations. It found that “less than 25% of the country’s agricultural landscapes are heterogeneous,” meaning they develop productive activities in line with the presence of natural areas. Regions that have greater null heterogeneity—where only agricultural and livestock activities exist—correspond to Andina and Caribe, in contrast to Pacífico and Amazonía.
An Unstoppable Trend
As Andrea García pointed out, one of the milestones of the consolidation of initiatives in favor of sustainable agricultural landscapes is the publication of the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework,” an international agreement that seeks to address the main threats to biodiversity and promote its conservation worldwide. This agreement aims at goals as relevant as: reducing excessive nutrient discharge into the environment, directing financial flows to developing countries, or eliminating harmful incentives for biodiversity.
“In line with this framework, it is essential to mobilize resources and strengthen the capacities of stakeholders to conserve and restore ecosystem benefits.” This involves integrating visions of the relationship between biological diversity and economic sectors, as well as promoting transitions toward sustainability, equity and landscape competitiveness,” she adds.
Regarding the main challenges that exist, access to information that facilitates the understanding of dependencies and relationships between biodiversity, cultural diversity and productivity stands out. “In this sense, the Humboldt Institute has fostered and participated in knowledge-building spaces to develop tools and conceptual and methodological advances.” The goal is to evaluate sustainability and resilience in productive landscapes.
In addition, she has worked on sustainable livestock models with studies of a diverse nature, such as those that involve the conservation of beetles, which are very beneficial for the land, but endangered by the medication of cattle. Along these lines, she has collaborated in other scenarios with institutional, sectoral, academic and community actors in the articulation of visions of: sustainability, the understanding of socio-ecological challenges of productive landscapes and the construction of transformation narratives.
To address these challenges, it is critical to continue to strengthen sectoral collaboration in landscape management and its biodiversity. It requires “a comprehensive approach that promotes sustainability, equity, and competitiveness, recognizing the importance of conserving biological diversity for human well-being and the future of agriculture,” she concluded.
Contributors to this article:
Andrea García, researcher of the Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute on topics of landscape sustainability and resilience of socio-ecological systems.
Environmental Engineer, specialist in Water Resources and Master’s in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development. In addition, she controls different techniques for modeling ecosystem services, environmental impacts and transformation scenarios, and has worked on the formulation, coordination and socialization of environmental studies.
