Sustainable Farming

Why We Need More Sustainability in Agriculture

First there was subsistence farming. Then there was a technological revolution: developments in machinery and chemicals allowed us to clear and cultivate land faster, feed plants and animals quicker (and grow them faster); and kill pests or diseases quickly. These newfound abilities seemed like a godsend to mankind; and throughout the 20th century we used them to their fullest, generally with little regard to any unforseen repercussions.

Gradually, time has revealed a variety of problems caused by this modern agricultural development; including; chemical residues affecting plant and animal life on land and in the sea, soil degradation in the form of soil structural decline, erosion, salinity, soil acidification, loss of fertility, nutrient loading of waterways, dams and lakes and more.

As we move into the 21st century and concern about our environment grows, there is an obvious move towards more sustainable farming.

Sustainable farming is in essence concerned with anything that affects the sustainability of a farm. You cannot keep farming a property indefinitely if there is a degradation of resources (environmental resources, financial resources, equipment, machinery, materials, or any other resources). In the short to medium term, the problem of sustainability is overwhelmingly a financial one; but in the long term, environmental sustainability will have perhaps more impact upon the whole industry than anything else.

WHY BE SUSTAINABLE?

If we can't sustain agricultural production, we will eventually see a decline in production; hence a decline in food and other supplies. There is no escaping the fact that people need agricultural products to survive: for food, clothing, etc. Science may be able to introduce substitutes (eg. synthetic fibres) but even the raw materials to make these will generally be limited. As the world’s population increases (or at best remaining stable in some places) demand for agricultural produce increases accordingly. Poorly maintained farms produce less in terms of quantity and quality. Profitability decreases means that surplus money is no longer available for repair and improvements. Farm land can become contaminated with chemical residues, weeds or vermin. The amount of vegetation produced (ie. the biomass) may reduce, resulting in less production of carbon dioxide, and a greater susceptibility to environmental degradation.

We have created a world that relies heavily on technology to produce the food needed to sustain its human population. There is a worldwide dilemma. To abandon modern farming methods could result in worldwide famine, but to continue current practices will almost certainly result in long-term degradation of farmland and, eventually, the inability to sustain even current human population levels, without even considering future increases in the human population. 

WHO SHOULD BE CONCERNED?
Everyone needs to be concerned about a decline in farm production potential; even urban dwellers. The farmer, his family, and workers are always affected first. An unsustainable farm is simply not worth persisting with and any farm which heads this way must eventually be abandoned or redeveloped to become sustainable. This book is about foreseeing and understanding such problems, and addressing them before it is too late.

[19/04/2024 16:21:38]

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