3FOOD

Third Industrial Revolution Consulting Group
Significance and Value of non-traded Ecosystem Services on Farmland
While there are negative externalities – emissions and pollution – from the combustion of fossil
fuels, there are also positive externalities including the ecosystem services (ES) accruing from
organic farming. The economic benefits of two of these ES – biological control of pests and
nitrogen mineralization – were assessed at farm scale and extrapolated to global benefits. Field
experiments were conducted in New Zealand of the ES provided by non-traded non-crop
species in ten organic and ten conventional arable fields. The researchers found, “The total
economic value (including market and non-market components) was significantly greater in
organic systems, ranging from US$ 1750–4536 per hectare per year, with US$ 1585–2560 per
ha/yr in the conventional systems. The non-market component of the economic value in
organic fields was also significantly higher than those in conventional fields.” 164
The most remarkable finding was the global extrapolation, “We found that the extrapolated net
value of these two services provided by non-traded species could exceed the combined current
global costs of pesticide and fertilizer inputs, even if utilized on only 10% of the global arable
area. This approach strengthens the case for…more diversified, ES–rich, integrated agricultural
systems that enhance functional agricultural biodiversity, avoid expensive inputs, minimize
external costs and are less energy intensive.” 165
The authors include half a dozen caveats regarding the “what-if” global extrapolation. At the
same time, one clear conclusion is to implement comparable experiments on Luxembourg fields
to determine local values and benefits associated with a shift to organic farming methods.
Ecological Intensification of Forests and Woods
Promote forest permaculture in public domains as an option of forest tender contracts that
involve protecting biodiversity and climate mitigation and adaptation measures. The key
concept of this priority is Forest Gardens, 166 where portions of the wooded areas are designed
and managed to mimic natural forests, with up to seven successive plant canopies that result in
a polyculture canapy layer. The natural forest processes are used to grow food, from chestnuts
163 Jeavons, John (2012) How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops)
Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine, 8 th edition,
http://www.johnjeavons.info/video.html
164 Sandhu et al. (2015), Significance and value of non-traded ecosystem services on farmland. PeerJournal 3:e762;
DOI 10.7717/peerj.762.
165 Ibid., Sandhu et al. (2015).
166 Forest Gardens references: http://www.greenfriends-france.org, http://www.foretscomestibles.com (Créer des
jardins forêts.pdf), http://www.ecomestible.com, http://www.permaculturedesign.us,
http://permafroid.blogspot.com, http://www.terra.lu.
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