UGC NET Agroecology: Principles & Practice: practice questions

1 · Agroecology as science, practice and movement · medium

Francis and colleagues (2003) proposed a broad definition of agroecology. What scope did it give the field?

1. Only the ecology of individual crop plants in experimental field plots
2. Only the biology of insect pests and their natural enemies on working family farms
3. Only the chemistry of soil nutrients and fertiliser reactions in soils
4. The ecology of entire food systems, including processing, distribution and consumption

2 · Agroecology as science, practice and movement · easy

The 2015 Nyéléni Declaration of the International Forum for Agroecology mainly presents agroecology as:

1. A technical package of improved seeds and fertiliser promoted by commercial input companies
2. A carbon offset method approved for trading under international climate agreements
3. A food safety standard for residues of pesticides in exported fruit and vegetables
4. A political project tied to food sovereignty and farmers' control of land, seeds and markets

3 · Agroecology as science, practice and movement · hard

A government programme subsidises a commercial biofertiliser and calls itself 'agroecological', while doing nothing on diversification, farmer learning or markets. Which critique is most consistent with the agroecology literature?

1. It is full redesign at level 3, because replacing a synthetic input with a biological one changes the whole farm system
2. It is outside agroecology entirely, because agroecological systems may never use any purchased product of any kind
3. It is level 2 input substitution, and labelling it agroecology is the co-optation debated in the literature
4. It is a level 5 food-system change, because a national subsidy necessarily alters the global food system and its governance

4 · The FAO ten elements of agroecology · easy

The FAO ten elements of agroecology were endorsed by the FAO Council in:

1. 2009
2. 2019
3. 2015
4. 2023

5 · The FAO ten elements of agroecology · medium

Which of the following is one of the FAO ten elements of agroecology?

1. Precision input application
2. Genetic modification
3. Sustainable intensification
4. Circular and solidarity economy

6 · The FAO ten elements of agroecology · hard

A critic says the FAO element 'efficiency' is also claimed by conventional intensification, so the framework cannot distinguish agroecology. Which reply best matches FAO's intent?

1. The critic is right, because each element is scored alone and efficiency carries most of the weight in TAPE
2. The elements are read together; efficiency without diversity, recycling and equity is not FAO agroecology
3. Efficiency is not one of the ten elements, so the critique rests on a misreading of the list
4. FAO defines efficiency as using more purchased inputs per hectare, which conventional farms do not do

7 · Levels of agroecological transition · hard

A national programme funds farmer-to-farmer learning, diversified rotations and public procurement of food from family farms for school meals. Which transition levels does it address?

1. Level 1 only, because public procurement improves input efficiency
2. Levels 3 and 4, redesign at farm level and reconnection of growers and eaters
3. Level 2 only, because school meals substitute one food for another
4. Level 5 only, because any public programme changes the global food system

8 · Traditional farming systems and indigenous knowledge · medium

Why does shifting cultivation (such as jhum in north-east India) often become unsustainable as population density rises?

1. Shifting cultivation needs synthetic fertiliser, which becomes too expensive as population rises
2. Longer fallows encourage pests that destroy crops in densely populated areas
3. Population growth makes the climate wetter, so burning becomes impossible
4. Fallows are shortened, so soil fertility and vegetation do not recover between cycles

9 · Agroecology debates: yields, scaling and policy · medium

In the 'land sparing versus land sharing' debate, land sparing argues for:

1. Low-yield wildlife-friendly farming spread over a larger area
2. Abandoning all farmland so that forests can regrow everywhere
3. High-yield farming on less land, with more land set aside for nature
4. Sharing land equally between all farmers regardless of yield

10 · Agroecology debates: yields, scaling and policy · hard

Which of the following was a target set by the European Union's Farm to Fork strategy?

1. 50 percent of agricultural land under organic farming by 2025
2. No synthetic fertiliser on any EU farm from 2030
3. All EU farmland converted to agroforestry by 2040
4. 25 percent of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030