Synthesis of the results

There is substantial evidence that carrying on business as usual with the prevalent agricultural management practices is not a sustainable option, particularly when considering the issues associated with climate change, biodiversity loss and depletion of natural resources. Several alternative production systems, including agroecology and organic farming, are proposed for their environmental and social benefits. It is, however, legitimate to question whether alternative farming practices can contribute to sustainable development as they are often perceived to be based on ideology. Studies conducted under temperate environments (mostly in Europe) have established the benefits of organic farming practices over conventional practices. However, several questions remain open regarding the performance of organic systems under tropical conditions. The SysCom program has addressed this gap by over a dozen years of successful participatory and production systems research dedicated to the development of sustainable agricultural systems in the tropics.

The synthesis report summarizes 12 years of data from the three countries and assesses the contribution of organic agriculture towards sustainable development. The policy dossier summarizes the findings of this report and other relevant literature to give insights into the potential working areas for policymakers.