New farming systems will not emerge from simply implementing a set of
practices (rotations, composting, cover cropping, etc.) but rather from
the application of already well defined agroecological principles. By breaking the monoculture nature of farming
systems, agroecological diversification aims at mimicking ecological
processes leading to optimal nutrient cycling and organic matter
turnover, soil biological activation, closed energy flows, water and
soil conservation and balanced pest-natural enemy populations. All these
processes are key to maintaining the agroecosystem’s health, productivity
and its self-sustaining capacity. By enhancing functional biodiversity, a
major goal of the conversion process is achieved: strengthening the
weak ecological functions in the agroecosystem, allowing farmers to
gradually eliminate inputs altogether.
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