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Integrated agriculture : beyond myths... a challenge |
Cahiers Agricultures. Volume 2, Number 2, 141-5, Mars-Avril 1993, Option
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 Résumé
 Summary
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Author(s) : Philippe Girardin, Laboratoire d’agronomie, INRA, BP 507, 68021 Colmar Cedex, France. |
Summary : Integrated agriculture may be viewed as farming-systems that are economically, environmentally and socially sound. This concept however, probably because not enough practical application exists as yet, conveys several myths. Integrated agriculture is not a return to a golden age of ecology. It incorporates many contributions of conventional intensive agriculture as well as certain classical methods of traditional agriculture. Outwardly, integrated agriculture is profitable because it doesn’t take many hidden costs into account. New indicators are needed in order to evaluate all the consequences (agronomical, ecological, economical and social) of the various farming systems. Integrated agriculture is not a collection of recipes or ready-made techniques. It is flexible and well-adapted to local conditions. Extensification and use of low-imput levels may become a part of sustainable agriculture, but they are not the only alternative. Attention should be focused toward research in the field of agrosystems considered as complex biological systems. |
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