Agriculture using ecologically friendly methods, such as replacing chemical fertilizers with greener alternatives, could double crop yields in 10 years, a report from the UN says.

The report reviewed scientific findings on agroecology produced over the past five years or so. It found that projects using the techniques have produced an average crop yield increase of over 100% in African nations including Malawi.

“To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available,” says Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, and author of the report. “Today’s scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live – especially in unfavorable environments.”

Among the more promising agroecology techniques are the ‘fertilizer trees’ Faidherbia albida, which reintroduce nitrogen to the soil, and have been shown to at least double yields.

The report calls for ecologically friendly agricultural practices to be scaled up adding that the techniques are “insufficiently backed” in public policies and therefore “hardly go beyond the experimental stage”.

But some are not convinced that agroecology can provide all the answers to the food woes of developing countries. (See Nature’s story here.)

Picture Credit: Marco Schmidt