REPORT of the INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM on AGROECOLOGY in China
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REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AGROECOLOGY in China Kunming, Yunnan, China, 29-31 August 2016 REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AGROECOLOGY in China Kunming, Yunnan, China, 29-31 August 2016 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2017 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. 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Cover picture: © CAAS Illustrations: Guida Joseph Report of the International Symposium on Agroecology in China CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1 AGROECOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF CHINA ............................................................................................... 1 CONTENTS OF THE SYMPOSIUM .............................................................................................................. 2 OPENING SESSION ................................................................................................................................... 3 SUMMARY OF SPEECHES ....................................................................................................................... 3 KEYNOTE SPEECHES ................................................................................................................................. 7 1) AGROECOLOGY AND FOOD SYSTEMS ................................................................................................... 7 2) AGROECOLOGY USING BIODIVERSITY FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE IN CHINA ........................ 8 3) CHINA ENCOUNTERING MODERN AGRICULTURE: FARMING WITHOUT TRADITIONAL FARMERS? ....................10 4) INNOVATIONS AND MARKET CHALLENGES ..........................................................................................11 PARALLEL SESSIONS .............................................................................................................................. 13 1) BEYOND PRODUCTIVITY: MULTIPLE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING PERFORMANCE OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS .....13 2) BIODIVERSITY AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF AGROECOLOGY ......................................................................16 3) PROMISING POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF AGROECOLOGICAL TRANSITIONS ...................................................19 4) SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF AGROECOLOGY: THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY, NGOS, FARMER ORGANIZATIONS, IN AGROECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS .......................................................22 5) CLOSING (NUTRIENT, WATER) CYCLES IN AGROECOLOGY: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES .......................26 6) LANDSCAPE ARRANGEMENTS ...........................................................................................................29 7) INNOVATIVE MARKETS FOR AGROECOLOGY: WHERE NEXT FOR CHINA? .....................................................32 8) LOCAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS: SIGNIFICANCE AND NEEDS .....................................................................34 CLOSING SESSION ................................................................................................................................. 38 CASE STUDIES ...................................................................................................................................... 40 BOX 1. EXAMPLES OF BIODIVERSITY AND AGROECOLOGY USED IN THE RICE PRODUCTION REGION IN SOUTH CHINA .....................................................................................................................40 BOX 2. FAO’S REGIONAL RICE INITIATIVE: LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE INTENSIFICATION OF RICE PRODUCTION IN ASIA ...................................................................................................41 BOX 3. FARMING WITH LIVESTOCK MODEL FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMERS IN CENTRAL VIET NAM ........................43 BOX 4. MANAGEMENT OF DRINKING-WATER CATCHMENTS IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN FRANCE ................44 FIELD TRIPS ......................................................................................................................................... 46 1. POLICY FIELD TRIP .........................................................................................................................46 2. BIODIVERSITY FIELD TRIP ................................................................................................................48 3. RECYCLING FIELD TRIP ....................................................................................................................50 ANNEXES .............................................................................................................................................. 53 Annex 1. RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................53 Annex 2. AGENDA ..............................................................................................................................57 Annex 3. PARTICIPANTS .....................................................................................................................62 Annex 4. ADVISORY PANEL .................................................................................................................71 Annex 5. PHOTOS OF THE EVENT ..........................................................................................................72 Annex 6. OVERVIEW OF PRESS COVERAGE .............................................................................................74 iii Report of the International Symposium on Agroecology in China FAO/Debra Turner FAO/Debra © iv INTRODUCTION In September 2014 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the International Symposium on Agroecology for Food Security and Nutrition. This was followed in 2015 by three regional meetings in Brazil, Senegal and Thailand. These meetings brought together stakeholders from academia, policy and civil society to facilitate better understanding of the role of agroecology in contributing to food security and nutrition. The meetings confirmed that FAO’s approach to agroecology should be based on regional and local realities as well as economic, social and environmental conditions. In order to continue to develop this regional approach a further symposium on agroecology the International Symposium on Agroecology for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in China was organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), FAO, and Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS), with the support of the Government of France. Agroecology in the context of China China is a large agricultural country with a sizeable rural population1. The country has rich agricultural resources and a long history of farming traditions; therefore agroecology is not a new concept in China. Traditionally, farms in China have developed ecologically-based farming systems, for instance intercropping and rotation, organic fertilization and integrated rice–fish farming. Land degradation, soil erosion, grassland degradation, deforestation, water shortages and significant deterioration in water quality standards are imposing severe threats to natural resources and biodiversity, for which technical capacities in combating these changes need to be further improved1. Agroecology is seen as a key component of China’s concept of ‘ecological civilization’, a set of wide-raging reforms, detailed in the 2015 plan, have been proposed to reconcile environmental sustainability with economic development. In May 2015, The State Council of China released the National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Agriculture Development (2015–2030). This was followed by the State Council’s Guidelines for accelerating transformation of China’s agriculture development mechanisms, which were issued in August 2015. These policies were developed to protect China’s ecosystems and to promote ecological approaches to agriculture. Several key national projects have been initiated that use agroecological approaches, for example to protect grasslands, conserve soil