Challier-Laveissière trap for capturing tsetse flies. © CIRAD/Dominique Cuisance
 
 
   

 
Sesbania rostrata. © IRD-ISRA/C. Weiss

Human gardeners have always known how to increase their harvests by enriching the soil, notably by adding nitrogen in a form that plants can assimilate. But the race for productivity has led to massive fertilization which has depleted soils and disrupted the natural processes that ensure their renewal. In some emerging countries, land-clearing methods have produced fragile soils unable to withstand the intensive farming techniques employed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.

The population of the planet is increasing, and it is no longer possible to depend upon traditional agricultural methods, especially in emerging countries. Even so, it would be dangerous to impose a model that puts productivity first, at any cost. We need to find a way to use technology to meet our needs without destroying the soil. The techniques do exist : they are often based on traditional farming methods that have been displaced by the application of fertilizers. The new approach to global gardening is aimed at developing an agricultural economy that respects the environment and ensures sustainable growth.