Biodiversity and agriculture

1. in different ecosystems

2. 
 in any agro-ecosystem
 in addition to the
natural conditions
 human factors
involved
Agricultural Biodiversity

3. 
Human Factors
 Underlying ecological conditions
 Farmer’s skills in on-farm management
 Farmer’s access to useful agricultural biodiversity off-farm
 Farmer’s access to substitutes for natural capital (agrochemicals)

4. Traditional & Industrial
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

5.  Many agricultural
systems contain a unique
and complex mixture of
both

6. 
Traditional agricultural system
 less integrated into the market network
 lack of financial capital
 lack of infrastructure
 lack of access to relevant agricultural research and extension

7. 
 farmers put less reliance on selling produce
 less reliance on external inputs (chemical fertilizers)
 rely heavily on the available natural capital
 quantity and quality of land
 water resources,
 agricultural biodiversity
Traditional system

8. 
 Emphasis on risk
minimization
 in order to improve
productivity and
maintain sustainability
 Resulting in production
of a mixed pattern with
genetic diversity
 Food crops, fodder etc.
Traditional system

9. 
Industrial Agricultural System
 heavily integrated into the market system
 use the financial capital that is generated to fund investments in
external inputs
 less dependency on natural capital
 Access to human capital, education and access to information
 focus on maximizing production

10. 
 result in a pattern of
monoculture’
 focusing on a few
profitable species and
varieties
 non-crop biodiversity
(insect pollinators, soil
micro-organisms)
remains high in these
systems
Industrial System

11. 
Generalization
Traditional
 found in ‘lower
potential’ agricultural
zones
 are reliant on high
agricultural
biodiversity
Industrial
 found in ‘higher
potential’ agricultural
zones
 low agricultural
biodiversity.

12. details are very important trying to identify the
contribution of agricultural biodiversity
to sustainable livelihoods across the spectra of
agro ecosystems.