Integrated farming, also known as sustainable or reasoned farming, is an agricultural approach that aims to balance economic profitability, environmental protection, and the well-being of farmers. It involves agricultural practices designed to minimize the negative impact of farming activities on ecosystems while maintaining sufficient yields to ensure the economic viability of farms. The goal is to strike a balance between intensive production and respect for natural resources, without strictly adhering to the rules of organic farming.
Integrated farming promotes the use of production methods that limit the systematic use of chemical inputs (pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers) and encourages practices adapted to local conditions. It focuses on more precise and thoughtful management of crops and livestock to reduce environmental impact while maintaining competitive production levels.
Principles of Integrated Farming
- Reducing the use of chemical inputs: Integrated farming does not ban the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, but encourages their moderate and reasoned use. Farmers apply these products only when necessary, based on the specific needs of crops and local climate conditions.
- Preserving natural resources: Integrated farming seeks to protect natural resources like water, soil, and biodiversity. This includes responsible water management to avoid waste, preventing soil erosion, and preserving local flora and fauna.
- Managing phytosanitary risks: Rather than systematically preventing risks from pests and diseases with chemicals, integrated farming promotes alternative methods such as crop rotation, using resistant crop varieties, biological pest control, or regular crop monitoring to intervene only when needed.
- Animal welfare: In livestock farming, integrated farming promotes practices that ensure animal welfare. This includes providing appropriate living conditions, balanced diets, and preventive health management, with minimal use of antibiotics.
- Optimizing agricultural practices: Integrated farming relies on analyzing farm data (soil, climate, crop needs) to adapt agricultural practices. This "precision" approach allows for the adjustment of inputs to the real needs of plants and soils, avoiding excesses and waste.
- Crop diversification: To prevent soil depletion and reduce the use of chemical products, integrated farming encourages crop diversification, which also promotes biodiversity and improves the quality of agricultural land.
Objectives of Integrated Farming
Integrated farming seeks to achieve several key objectives:
- Sustainable production: Ensure long-term sustainable agricultural production by limiting soil depletion and natural resource overuse. It ensures stable agricultural yields without compromising future generations.
- Reducing environmental impact: Minimize the negative effects of agriculture on the environment by reducing pollution in soil, water, and air, and preserving biodiversity and surrounding ecosystems.
- Economic efficiency: Provide farmers with a method that remains economically viable by maintaining yields while reducing costs associated with excessive use of chemical products.
- Product quality: Produce higher-quality food that is more environmentally friendly, meeting growing consumer demand for healthier and traceable products.
Comparison with Other Farming Methods
- Conventional farming: Unlike conventional farming, which extensively uses chemical inputs to maximize yields, integrated farming advocates for more moderate use of these products. It seeks to balance production needs with environmental protection, while conventional farming often prioritizes productivity with less regard for ecological impacts.
- Organic farming: Integrated farming differs from organic farming, which strictly prohibits the use of synthetic chemicals and emphasizes completely natural practices. While integrated farming takes a more environmentally friendly approach, it does not adhere to the strict criteria of organic farming. For example, chemical products may be used in a reasoned way, whereas they are entirely banned in organic farming.
- Precision farming: Integrated farming shares similarities with precision farming as it uses technology to optimize resource use and adjust agricultural practices according to real crop needs. Both approaches aim to improve efficiency and reduce inputs, but precision farming is more focused on the intensive use of data and advanced technologies.
Certification and Label
In France, integrated farming has been recognized by certifications like the "Agriculture Raisonnée" label (previously governed by the Charter of Reasoned Agriculture), which guaranteed the implementation of environmentally friendly practices on farms. Today, this label has been replaced by the Environmental Certification of Agricultural Holdings, which is divided into several levels, with the highest being High Environmental Value (HVE).
Criticism of Integrated Farming
Integrated farming has faced criticism, particularly from some advocates of organic farming. The main criticisms are that while it reduces the use of chemical inputs, it does not eliminate them entirely, which some argue does not provide sufficient environmental protection in the long term. Additionally, some claim that the term "reasoned" is sometimes used ambiguously or loosely, allowing more conventional practices to be labeled as "reasonable."
Conclusion
Integrated farming is an approach that seeks to make agriculture more sustainable by balancing farmers' economic needs with environmental protection. It reduces the use of chemical products and preserves natural resources while maintaining satisfactory yields. Although not as strict as organic farming, it offers an intermediate path for farmers wanting to move towards more environmentally respectful practices.