Sustainable Agriculture: A Step Towards Organic Farming
As it pertains to agriculture,
sustainable describes farming systems that are "capable of maintaining
their productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems... must
be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and
environmentally sound."
Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways, which means meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services. There are many methods to increase the sustainability of agriculture. When developing agriculture within sustainable food systems, it is important to develop flexible business process and farming practices
Sustainable
agriculture is a type of agriculture that focuses on producing long-term
crops and livestock while having minimal effects on the environment. This type
of agriculture tries to find a good balance between the need for food
production and the preservation of the ecological system within the
environment.
Objectives of
Sustainable Agriculture
- Make best
use of the resources available
- Minimize
use of non-renewable resources
- Protect
the health and safety of farm workers, local communities and society
- Protect
and enhance the environment and natural resources
- Protect
the economic viability of farming operations
- Provide
sufficient financial reward to the farmer to enable continued production
and contribute to the well-being of the community
- Produce
sufficient high-quality and safe food
- Build on
available technology, knowledge and skills in ways that suit local
conditions and capacity.
IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE-
Nourishes
and restores the soil
Saves energy
Conserves
and protects water
Values
diversity
Provides
crops with resilience
Works in
harmony with nature
Supports
local communities
Stabilises
food supply
Sustainable farming methods and practices
Permaculture
Biodynamic farmin
Hydroponics and aquaponic
Urban agriculture
Agroforestry and food forests
Polycultures and crop rotation
Growth of heirloom and older varieties
Natural animal raising
Natural pest management
Mulching, groundcovers, and manual weed control
Future of
Sustainable Agriculture
In regards to the future of sustainable agriculture, many
believe by the time earth’s population reaches 9 billion we will be fully
depleted of many natural resources that will require alternative sustainable
solutions. This gives us 40 years to make a change towards sustainable
lifestyles in preserving our agriculture and food sources. Sustainable
agriculture is not the only step in the wave of preserving our planet, but it
is an important building block in taking preventative measures in order to
maintain the resources we have left.
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