Can agroecology help in meeting our 2050 protein requirements?
Résumé
Given the demand of proteins predicted for 2050, a transition of our current agricultural model is required. An agroecological model proposes to meet these needs while producing with ecological foresight, but also considering social and economic issues. Livestock rearing in order to meet protein needs is where agroecological principles and the more industry accepted term of Sustainable Intensification (SI) overlap in certain areas. Multiple definitions of SI have been proposed, however many have a focus on an increase of productivity on already cultivated land while reducing environmental degradation and sparing habitats from agricultural expansion. Demonstrated within this review, animal products can contribute to a global diet within a limitation of 11 – 23 g/protein/day through agroecological practices. Animal protein can be included if livestock are fed only on pasture, waste or by-products; no scenario exists in which livestock could continue to be fed on human-edible crops. Agroecological practices are already being used by smallholders globally, however, barriers exist to scaling up and out these practices, which require a shift in the policy framework to value and transfer the knowledge of these agroecological implementors and increase their access to public goods. As currently both large-scale agri-industry and smallholders provide for the global population, a strategy that includes both could be favoured. Coupling the upscaling of agroecological practices used by smallholders and transitioning intensive agriculture towards an agroecological model using SI as a bridge to implement agroecological practices could help ensure global protein requirements at met in 2050.