Ecological agriculture is a form of organic farming that follows natural ecological processes rather than relying on synthetic inputs. It aims to maintain healthy soil, ecosystems and people through practices like using natural fertilizers and manure, increasing biodiversity, and employing organic pest control methods. Ecological farming has benefits like higher crop yields, improved food quality, and mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is linked to organic farming through principles like sustaining health, emulating ecological systems, and taking a precautionary, responsible approach to environmental and human well-being.

1. ECOLOGICAL
AGRICULTURE
PRESENTED BY
WAITON SHEREKETE
BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

2. AIMS OF PRESENTATION
• THE AIM OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO FIND OUT AND
DESCRIBE WHETHER IF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE FITS
INTO ORGANIC FARMING AND HOW IT FITS .
• BY THE END OF THE PRESENTATION WE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO LINK ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE WITH ORGANIC
FARMING.
• MORE IMPORTANTLY WE SHOULD PIN POINT THE LINK
BETWEEN ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE WITH ANY
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING.

3. BACKGROUND HISTORY
THE ECOLOGICAL ORGANIC AGRICULTURE (EA) IS A RESPONSE
TO THE AFRICAN UNION HEADS OF STATES AND GOVERNMENT
DECISION EX.CL/DEC.621 (XVII) ON ORGANIC FARMING
. IT IS A LANDMARK IN AFRICA THAT IS MOTIVATED BY
CHALLENGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THIS RENEWED INTEREST AND
COMMITMENT BY THE AFRICAN LEADERS TO SUPPORT
AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL AND EA IN PARTICULAR.
THE INITIATIVE HAS HAD CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS IN ITS PILOT
STAGE WHICH WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2012/2013 IN SIX
COUNTRIES (ZAMBIA, NIGERIA, KENYA, ETHIOPIA, UGANDA AND
TANZANIA).
THIS IS THE SECOND ACTION PLAN OF THE EOA INITIATIVE
FOLLOWING A REVIEW OF THE FIRST ONE IN FEBRUARY2015.
THIS FIVE YEAR ACTION PLAN DRAWS DOWN FROM THE EOA
STRATEGIC PLAN 2015-2025 AND BREAKS DOWN ACTIONS FOR
FOCUS DURING THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF
THE STRATEGIC PLAN.

4. CONT…….
• GOAL: TO MAINSTREAM ECOLOGICAL ORGANIC
AGRICULTURE INTO NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION
• SYSTEMS BY 2025 IN ORDER TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
FOR AFRICAN CITIZENS.
• VISION: RESILIENT AND VIBRANT ECOLOGICAL ORGANIC
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS FOR ENHANCED FOOD AND
• NUTRITION SECURITY, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN
AFRICA.
• MISSION: TO SCALE UP ECOLOGICALLY AND ORGANICALLY
SOUND STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES AMONG
• DIVERSIFIED STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT, SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS,
• MARKET PARTICIPATION, PUBLIC POLICIES AND PROGRAMS,
OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION, EFFICIENT
• COORDINATION, NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIPS IN

5. What is ecological agriculture?
It is farming in harmony with
nature, using cultivation
techniques and breeding
programmes that follows the
laws of nature such as nutrient
cycling ,biodiversity but not
using any soluble chemical
fertilisers, pesticides or
herbicides, or artificial genetic

6. • IS A PRODUCTION SYSTEM THAT SUSTAINS THE
HEALTH OF SOILS, ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE. IT
RELIES ON ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES, BIODIVERSITY
AND CYCLES ADAPTED TO LOCAL CONDITIONS,
RATHER THAN THE USE OF INPUTS WITH ADVERSE
EFFECTS.
• CROPS GROWN WITHOUT USING SYNTHETIC
PESTICIDES, SYNTHETIC INORGANIC FERTILIZERS, OR
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SEEDS, ANIMALS GROWN
WITHOUT USING ANTIBIOTICS OR SYNTHETIC
HORMONES
Ecological
agriculture

7. THE PRACTICE OF ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE INVOLVES BUILDING THE
STRENGTHS OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS INTO AGROECOSYSTEMS, PURPOSELY
DISTURBED TO PRODUCE FOOD AND FIBER.
THE OVERALL STRATEGIES INCLUDE USING PRACTICES THAT :
•GROW HEALTHY PLANTS WITH GOOD DEFENSE CAPABILITIES
•STRESSING PESTS
•ENHANCING POPULATIONS OF BENEFICIAL ORGANISMS.

8. ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE VS
INDUSTRIALIZED AGRICULTURE
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9. ECOLOGICAL FARMING ENABLES COMMUNITIES TO PRODUCE
ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED THEMSELVES. THIS FORM OF
AGRICULTURE FOSTERS A FUTURE OF HEALTHY FARMING, AND
HEALTHY FOOD, TO ALL PEOPLE. ECOLOGICAL FARMING HELPS
THE WORLD’S POPULATION TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO
CLIMATE CHANGE.

10. • ECOLOGICAL FARMING KEEPS FOOD
PRODUCTION IN THE HANDS OF
FARMERS AND AWAY FROM
CORPORATE CONTROL.
• ECOLOGICAL FARMING HELPS COPE
WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.
The benefits of ecological
farming:

11. BUILDING HEALTHIER SOIL
• Prominent among these practices is the addition of manure or compost.
• Manure is an organic matter used as organic fertilizer in
agriculture, it contribute to the soil by adding organic matter and
nutrient such as nitrogen that is trapped by bacteria in the soil.
• They are readily available and are important agricultural byproduct
• They increase the water holding capacity of the soil
• Stimulate activities of microorganisms that made plant food
element in the soil readily to crops
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12. MANURE COMMONLY USED ON
ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE
• Farm yard manure
• Green manure
• Vermi-compost
• Crop residue
• Bio fertilizer
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13. INCREASING BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY OF SYSTEM
• Biodiversity of an agro ecosystem can help maintain its long-term
productivity and contribute significantly to food security since they
have a better chance of copping with change in climate than
monocultures
• Diversity can be increased through increasing the variety of crops
grown at one time on the parcel of land, and by adding trees and/or
animals into the system.
• Increasing crop diversity itself growing different varieties of the same
crop that have different attributes
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14. HOW ECOLOGICAL FARMING CAN
MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE
• Reduce green house gases, especially nitrous oxide, as no nitrogen
fertilizer are used
• Organic agriculture enhances biodiversity, protects fragile soils,
improves the nutritional quality of food, ensures high standards of
animal welfare
• Emissions and fossil fuel energy use, cuts nutrient and pesticide
pollution and stops potentially harmful pesticide residues entering our
food chain.
• Organic agriculture builds resilient farming systems capable of
combating climate change and securing local food supplies and is
highly effective in sequestrating carbon.
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15. 12/10/2016 15

16. •2.6 BILLION SMALL-SCALE FARMERS
ALREADY PRODUCE THE MAJORITY OF
THE WORLD'S FOOD.
•ECOLOGICAL FARMING IS PROVEN TO
BE MORE PROFITABLE FOR FARMERS
IN STUDIES FROM EUROPE, AFRICA,
ASIA AND AMERICA.

17. ANALYSES HAVE ALSO SHOWN THAT ECOLOGICAL FARMING
MAKES SENSE ECONOMICALLY. FIRST, THIS MODERN FARMING
METHOD LEADS TO INCREASED CROP YIELDS. GLOBALLY,
ECOLOGICAL FARMING CAN PRODUCE AN AVERAGE OF
APPROXIMATELY 30% MORE FOOD PER HECTARE THAN
CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURE.

18. ORGANIC FARMING IS THE MAIN
TYPE OF ECOLOGICAL FARMING,
WITH A SET OF STANDARDS
WHICH ARE RECOGNISED WORLD-
WIDE. IN MANY COUNTRIES IT IS
CALLED ‘BIOLOGICAL’ FARMING.

19. ORGANIC PEST CONTROL IS ANOTHER
FEATURE OF ECOLOGICAL FARMING.
INSTEAD OF USING CHEMICAL
PESTICIDES, ECOLOGICAL FARMERS USE
NON-POLLUTING, LONG-TERM PEST
PROTECTION. ONE METHOD IS TO
INTRODUCE BENEFICIAL INSECTS TO
THE FIELD.

20. ANOTHER METHOD IS TO PLANT
CROP FIELDS STRATEGICALLY AND TO
USE “LOW-INPUT” TECHNOLOGIES THAT
ARE AVAILABLE LOCALLY. AS A RESULT,
CROPS ARE LESS VULNERABLE TO PEST
INVASION.

21. USING NATURAL FERTILIZERS ALSO
SAVES ON FARMERS’ COSTS; IT ELIMINATES
THE NEED FOR ARTIFICIAL INPUTS. WITH
NATURAL FERTILIZERS, SOIL IS RICHER IN
ORGANIC MATTER, BETTER ABLE TO
RETAIN WATER, AND BETTER PROTECTED
AGAINST EROSION.

22. FINALLY, EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT
ECOLOGICALLY FARMED PRODUCTS TASTE
BETTER AND PROMOTE BETTER HEALTH. A
RECENT STUDY IN CALIFORNIA SHOWS THAT
ORGANICALLY-GROWN STRAWBERRIES TASTE
SWEETER THAN THEIR CONVENTIONAL,
CHEMICALLY-GROWN COUNTERPARTS.

23. PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING THAT
LINKS ORGANIC FARMING WITH
ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE
• THE PRINCIPLE OF HEALTH – ORGANIC FARMING SHOULD
SUSTAIN AND ENHANCE THE HEALTH OF SOIL, PLANT, ANIMAL,
HUMAN AND PLANET AS ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
• THE PRINCIPLE OF ECOLOGY – ORGANIC FARMING SHOULD BE
BASED ON LIVING ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AND CYCLES, WORK
WITH THEM, EMULATE THEM AND HELP SUSTAIN THEM.
• THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIRNESS – ORGANIC FARMING SHOULD
BUILD ON RELATIONSHIPS THAT ENSURE FAIRNESS WITH REGARD
TO THE COMMON ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE OPPORTUNITIES.
• THE PRINCIPLE OF CARE – ORGANIC FARMING SHOULD BE
MANAGED IN A PRECAUTIONARY AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER TO
PROTECT THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CURRENT AND
FUTURE GENERATIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
NB: ECOLOGICAL FARMING IS PART OF ORGANIC
FARMING.

24. THANK YOU