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What Is The Basic Concept Of Sustainable Agriculture

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Biodiversity And Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture, a farming system that seeks to provide the resources needed by the current human population while maintaining the planet’s ability to sustain future generations.

After World War II, the nature of agriculture both intensified, with more crops being harvested per unit area, and expanded as farms covered a larger area. Subsequently, fewer and larger farms were able to meet the food needs of the growing human population, a dramatic change from the many small farms of the past. Despite its efficiency, modern industrial agriculture has several drawbacks, including ecosystem degradation and associated biodiversity loss, loss of crop diversity, numerous animal welfare concerns, and human health risks. Sustainable agriculture seeks to address these issues and promotes “planetary health,” the idea that the stability of the planet determines human well-being. Its core principles include promoting socio-economic equity, making a profit and maintaining ecosystem health. Because modern agriculture plays a significant role in the mass extinction of plant and animal species on Earth, sustainable agriculture actively works to protect and support biodiversity.

Sustainable agriculture often emphasizes planting a variety of crops, including heirloom crops, that are suited to a region’s particular climate. Rather than relying on a single crop in industrial monoculture, sustainable agriculture advocates the use of polyculture, where multiple crops are grown together. Although polyculture is often more labor intensive than industrial monoculture, polyculture can reduce the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers and generally improves soil quality. Similarly, crop rotation can help maintain soil fertility and reduce the need for agricultural chemicals for fertilization and pest control. The use of nitrogen-fixing cover crops, cover crops, and green manures can help restore soils and reduce erosion. Composting crop residues and other agricultural waste helps return nutrients to farmland.

Livestock agriculture is the main area that sustainable agriculture is trying to reform. Livestock production is responsible for a large proportion of the greenhouse gases that cause anthropogenic global warming. Sustainable management of manure and application of animal feed additives can reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Sustainable Agriculture In Ohio

Other methods of improving the sustainability of livestock are focused on maintaining the health of livestock. Intensive animal husbandry can trigger health crises. For example, diseases including Nipah virus and swine flu have emerged from overcrowded factory farms. Bird flu can be transmitted from wild birds to poultry farms and vice versa, and the disease has killed millions of chickens and other birds worldwide. Reducing animal density and increasing farm hygiene standards are sustainable agricultural measures that reduce the planetary health risks of livestock farming. In small-scale farms, animal and crop production are often combined to form interconnected systems that reduce waste.

Water conservation is a key focus of sustainable agriculture. Globally, about 70 percent of all available freshwater resources are used for agriculture. Methods to reduce water waste can include improving water conservation practices to prevent evaporative losses and seepage, and planting climate-appropriate drought-tolerant plants or crops. Many agricultural fields use simple flood or surface irrigation as the primary means of irrigation. However, floods often fill fields with more water than the soils require, and significant amounts of water are lost to evaporation or transport from the water source. Some sustainable farmers try to use reduced volume irrigation, which provides a slow flow of water to meet the water needs of specific crops. crops while reducing water wastage.

Sustainable agriculture also seeks to eliminate surface and groundwater pollution. Large-scale agriculture often produces pollutants such as agrochemical runoff and pathogen-laden animal waste that seep into water bodies and damage the environment, affecting both wildlife and humans. Soil erosion also degrades water quality, and the loss of fertile soil reduces crop yields and the total land available for agriculture. To reduce these effects, farmers can reduce the frequency and intensity of plowing or use no-till methods. Organic or synthetic fertilizers and pesticides should be applied only sparingly and under dry conditions to minimize runoff; judicious use of agricultural chemicals can minimize air pollution caused by drift. Some farmers use buffer plants near waterways to absorb polluting nutrients before they seep into water bodies.

Finally, sustainable agriculture requires a transition from non-renewable fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy modes, including solar, wind, nuclear and hydropower. Many sustainable farms rely on on-site wind turbines or solar panels to meet their electricity needs and may use electric vehicles for farm work. Innovations such as energy-efficient farm equipment and improved insulation of farm buildings can help reduce agricultural energy use. Fossil fuel consumption is linked to air pollution and acid rain, and also releases carbon dioxide, one of the main contributors to global warming. When people think of agriculture, they often think of productivity: preparing the land and soil and planting, fertilizing, watering, and harvesting different types of crops and plants.

Sustainable Agricultural Innovations

However, according to the US Census Bureau’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), farming is only one element of the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting sector. Agriculture includes animal husbandry; industrial forestry and fishing; and agricultural support services such as agricultural equipment repair and trucking operations.

Why is agriculture important? It helps sustain life by providing the food it needs to survive. It also contributes $7 trillion to the US economy. Despite the importance of agriculture, the Economic Policy Institute reports that farm workers are among the lowest paid workers in the United States.

However, agriculture also creates opportunities for economic equality and helps people flourish around the world. For example, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), since 2000, the rate of agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa has exceeded that of any region in the world (about 4.3% annually) and contributed to the region’s economic gains. ). Although there has been a global decline in agricultural jobs – from 1 billion in 2000 to 883 million in 2019 – agriculture remains the second-highest source of employment (26.7% of all jobs), according to employment figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. %). work).

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating natural resources to sustain human life and provide economic gain. It combines creativity, imagination and skills in planting plants and raising animals with modern production methods and new technologies.

Solution: Sustainable Development In Agriculture

Agriculture is also a business that supplies the global economy with commodities: staples used in trade such as grain, livestock, dairy products, fiber, and raw materials for fuel. For example, according to The Balance Small Business, fiber is the top product in U.S. agricultural production and an essential product for the apparel sector.

Agriculture affects society in many ways, including: supporting livelihoods through food, shelter and jobs; provision of raw materials for food and other products; and building strong economies through trade. Source: The Balance Small Business.

Key to why agriculture is important to business and society is its output—from producing raw materials to contributing to global supply chains and economic development.

Raw materials are the main building blocks of the global economy. Producers without access to raw materials cannot produce products. Non-agricultural raw materials include steel, minerals and coal. However, many raw materials are derived from agriculture – from wood for building materials to herbs for flavoring food. Corn, for example, is used for food production and serves as the basis for ethanol, a type of fuel. Another example is resins: plant products used in various industrial applications such as adhesives, coatings and paints used in construction.

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Importing and exporting goods such as agricultural products requires shipping methods such as ocean freight, rail, and trucking. Delays in the shipment of agricultural products from the port of Los Angeles could cause problems in China and, conversely, affect the global supply chain.

For example, according to the Iowa Soybean Association, sales of soybeans from Iowa rose sharply in 2021 due to a variety of factors, including delays in South American shipments. In this example, Iowa benefited from a competitive standpoint. However, delays in product transportation can also damage the regions where the shipment is expected, limit the availability of products on store shelves, and affect livelihoods.

Agriculture affects global trade because it is linked to other sectors of the economy, supports job creation and promotes economic growth. According to USAID, countries with strong agricultural sectors see employment growth in other sectors. Countries with increased agricultural productivity and strong agricultural infrastructure also have higher per capita incomes because producers in these countries innovate through technology and farm management practices to increase agricultural productivity and profitability.

The following sources provide information on the importance of agriculture

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