Small-scale farming 'can improve biodiversity'

Sustainable, small-scale farming should be promoted in order to aid biodiversity, it has been suggested.

Researcher Ivette Perfecto and partner John Vandermeer of the University of Michigan told environmentalresearchweb of their belief that this type of agriculture could help with preservation and potentially form part of a solution to the global food crisis.

Ms Perfecto suggested that conservation policies need to be expanded, with controls put in place to govern the general farming.

"We call for far more support for small-scale family farmers the world over, not just for the world's need for more food, but also for the protection of the world's invaluable biodiversity," she added.

According to Oxfam International, small-scale agriculture could potentially benefit in the coming years from growing consumer demand, high commodity prices and the potential shift towards low-carbon farming.

However, its success is said to be largely dependent on whether it is able to improve production capabilities.

Written by Joseph Hutton