How to establish balanced use of agricultural land and better ecological function?

Agricultural land occupies about 10% of total land area, pastures not included. Its ecological influence (nutrient cycles, carbon storage, energy, water, biodiversity) is considerably larger. The sector is growing both in extent and intensity. The world needs good ecological function of this sector.

The main task for agriculture is to produce food for mankind. The present main policy is that agricultural production like other “industries” shall be governed by market forces, in reality price competition on a global scale (within a very weak concept “Good Agricultural Practice).

However, there is a contradiction. Factors favouring market competitiveness are specialization and adaptability ( we could say shortsightedness). Factors favouring ecological function are diversity and longterm consideration, exactly the opposite. There are environmental programs, but they are not accepted world wide. They are criticized for distorting competitiveness in both directions.

With a few sacrifices in economy and production (if any in the long term) agriculture could develop much better ecological function even with present knowledge and technology (Background: www.greengard.se/Eco-efficiency.htm . But for the farm manager such measures compromise shortterm competitiveness. He should not be expected to disobey the rules the society has given him.

The research task (economic/political/agronomic) is to create a background for a framework including “ecological values” as drivers for development. Let market economy work also on the ecological side. It should go beyond present attempts with carbon trading etc, and include for instance nutrient and water efficiency, diversity and landscape function.

Göte Bertilsson, Agr system consultant, Sweden

Increasing “use and throw” products producing lot of waste on the earth such as e-waste, M-waste, p-waste etc. How to control or stop or eradicate such non bio-degradable waste in the future?

Most of the products available in the market such as cell phones, laptops, computers, television picture tubes, electronic components etc.(E-waste); medical “one time used” kits and products, (M-waste); plastic bottles, containers, tetra packs, plastic carry bags (P-waste) are non bio-degradable and they cannot be recycled. Further more, there are certain other things such as ceramic pots, containers, tiles, waste building material, debris, hard cement, etc. which also are non-recycled. Therefore in the near future or so these non bio-degradable products may become very serious. Because as these are not bio-degradable they will remain in the soil. Therefore soil fertility may get affected and hence the soil quality. Only way to destroy is to burn them out. But this will produce toxic gases in the earths atmosphere resulting in air pollution, which may be further added up to the green house gases. Which ultimately leads to Global warming.

How can the perceived imperative in market-economies for continuous open-ended economic growth, be reconciled with the need from a natural science perspective for the collective human impact on the biophysical Earth system to be stabilized or decreased in order to sustain human well-being indefinitely?

The conflict between economic and natural science perspectives addressed by this question is the ultimate driver behind the biophysical Earth System issues that are of concern and have led to the emergence of the idea of Earth System Science. Over the coming decade we can confidently expect socio-economic aspects to become much more strongly expressed in Earth System models. The reason that we expect ESS to attract community support is that we think it will help formulation of relevant actions & policies to address the ES issues. Unless the conflict between the socio-economic drivers of national and international policy can be reconciled with biophysical (environmental) drivers of policy, solutions to earth system probems at the whole-system level are doomed to failure. It will take a long time for the two world views to become reconciled into a single workable approach. So the sooner ESS starts addressing the issue the better.