Reality Cheques - Agri-culture: Reconnecting People, Land and Nature - page 75

tonnes of Beaveria sprays for beetle control, 200 tonnes of Verticillium
for whitefly control, and 2800 tonnes of Trichoderma , a natural enemy of
pests. Many biological control methods are proving more efficient than
pesticides. Cut banana stems that are baited with honey to attract ants are
placed in sweet potato fields, and have led to the control of sweet potato
weevil. There are 170 vermi-compost centres, the annual production of
which has grown from 3000 to 93,000 tonnes. Crop rotations, green
manuring, intercropping and soil conservation have all been incorporated
within polyculture farming.
At the forefront of the transition towards sustainable agriculture has
been the Grupo de Agricultura Organica (GAO), formerly known as the
Asociación Cubanes Agricultural Organica, which was formed in 1993.
GAO brings together farmers, field managers, field experts, researchers
and government officials to help spread the idea that organic-based
alternatives can produce sufficient food for Cubans. Despite great
progress, there remain many difficulties, including proving the success of
the alternative system to sceptical farmers, scientists and policy-makers;
developing new technologies sufficiently quickly to meet emergent
problems; coordinating the many actors who work together; the need for
continued decentralization of decision-making to farmer level; and
appropriate land reform in order to encourage investment in natural asset-
building. 48
The Swiss National Policy
for Sustainable Agriculture
The Swiss Federal Agricultural Law was revised in 1992 in order to aim
subsidies at ecological practices. It was then radically amended in 1996
following a national referendum in which 78 per cent of the public voted
in favour of change. 49 The main priority was maintaining the important
positive side effects of upland livestock farming - in particular, open
meadows for skiing pistes in winter, but also the maintenance of rural
mountain communities who are at the root of Swiss culture. Policy now
differentiates between three different levels of public support. Tier one
provides support for specific biotypes, such as extensive grasslands and
meadows, high-stem fruit trees and hedges. Tier two supports integrated
production with reduced inputs, meeting higher ecological standards than
conventional farming. Tier three provides the most support for organic
farming. As the directors of the federal agricultural and environmental
offices, Hans Berger and Philippe Roch, have said: 'In ecological terms, Swiss