Sustainable agriculture refers to farming techniques that help in the conservation of the environment, safeguarding public health and human communities and animal welfare with an aim to promote environmental health, economic profitability and social and economic equality across the globe. This practice involves the study of how the various organisms interact with their environment. Another main aim of this sustainable farming is rural development through farming.
Here are some facts that you should keep in mind when talking of sustainable agriculture.
- The emission of Green House Gases should be reduced in spite of the various climatic changes that are taking place.ย One of the ways as suggested by Richard Waite, the associate of Food, Forests and Water Program is by increasing the agricultural practices on the current farm lands and protecting the remaining forest land of the world. By bringing about changes in the farming practices that release pollutants like fertilizers, we can greatly reduce the environmental damage caused due to agricultural practices.
- Altering the crops will be the most promising trend of future agriculture. This is made evident from the fact that Sorghum has replaced plants like corn and maize. Genetically modified plants will help farmers to make their fields overcome the fertility loss and become more productive.
- The genetically modified and developed plant varieties still need to undergo through research, which requires great funding globally.
- Cultivation of certain trees like the Faidherbia on the farms can increase the fertility of the soil and help increase the crop yield. These trees fix atmosphere nitrogen increasing the soilโs nutrient content.
- Small-scale farmers are extremely important when it comes to domestic food security. These farmers are a growing market for staple food. The world governments, banks and companies must join hands together in order to help the small farmers all over the world increase their productivity.
- City farms can be used for growing fruits and vegetables if the urban farmers obtain their inputs from local waste streams and thus reduce the need of transport, refrigeration and packaging. This is far better than livestock farming in cities.
- Excluding meat from your menu, especially beef will be of great advantage towards the reduction of food loss and wastage of food and the loss of the precious bio-fuel.
- Stocking density is a good thing for the resource management of any farmer.
- Access to good food is a right of every citizen and so is the responsibility of every human being to care for his environment. Growing your own vegetables will help you know the hardships involved in the food production globally.
Summary
Sustainable farming has become the need of the day, as it is very important to change the traditional farming practices in order to keep the environment safe.
