While farmers’ discontent is growing in Switzerland, voices are being raised calling for more local and sustainable agriculture. Is agroecology the solution? Aissé Barry, program manager of SWISSAID in Guinea-Bissau, Bernard Lehmann, former director of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Anne Chenevard, Swiss farmer and president of the “Fair Milk” cooperative, discussed the challenges and solutions offered by this sustainable farming method in the North and South.
Anne Chenevard, a farmer from the canton of Vaud, is certain that the profession of farmer is demanding at all levels: repeated inspections on the farms, consumers who demand higher quality at a lower price and traders with excessive margins. Despite these demands, she believes that farmers receive too low an income and relatively little state support. “Without real economic sustainability, we cannot ask farmers to do more with less,” she says.
She believes the answer to these problems lies above all in greater trust between consumers, producers and politicians, high-quality training and a coherent long-term agricultural policy. And agroecology? “For this we need not only technical but also philosophical support. What is behind this concept? Where does it lead? We can’t force agroecological methods on farmers; they first need to understand the benefits of this practice.”
The farmer does not speak dismissively about agroecology, but with an awareness of the reality on the ground: the method requires new ways of working, a change of direction, which requires a willingness on the part of the farmers that they may not have.
Aissé Barry knows the reality on the ground. As SWISSAID’s program manager in Guinea-Bissau, she accompanies many farming communities that have turned to agroecology. With SWISSAID’s support, they are implementing various more sustainable methods, such as mixed cropping, the use of natural fertilizers, controlled irrigation and agroforestry. And this has a positive impact on their lives. “Agroecological methods enable farmers to improve the diversity and quality of food, achieve better yields, save money on chemicals and seeds and even reduce visits to the doctor,” she explains.
Beyond the individual benefits, the needs of a more ecological agriculture are obvious for the planet. “We are pushing the boundaries of environmental and social sustainability. Climate change is putting pressure on productivity. We need to rethink our relationship with nature and reshape our own relationships among humans,” explains Bernard Lehmann, former director of the Federal Office for Agriculture.
But even though he sees agroecology as a credible alternative to our current production methods, he does not ignore other aspects of the system. “There is no point in producing more or better if access to food is not improved and the population is not sensitized. In the South, economic conditions and the labor market situation must be improved so that people have enough to eat. In the North, we need to remind people of the fair price of food and encourage them to spend more money on it.”
As the discussion progresses, it becomes clear that the challenges facing people who farm the land remain the same in both the North and the South. And all over the world, the paths to more sustainable agriculture seem to lead in the same direction: Enhancing the value of local food, reducing imported products, protecting soils and crops, and educating and raising awareness among new generations.
Agroecology is based on these principles and in this sense is key to the sustainability of our planet. “Many farmers are already using agroecological methods such as soil protection against erosion, soil cover and green manure without realizing it,” says Anne Chenevard. Therefore, not all concepts that do not fall under the heading of agroecology should be rejected, but a new way of living together and a balance between humans and nature should be rethought.
