Sustainable Agriculture Cheat Sheet
Sustainable. It’s a term that gets thrown around so often these days it has all but been demoted to the ranks of “literally.” So for the sake of word reclamation here are some parameters for what is usually meant by “sustainable agriculture.” According to the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis the goal of sustainable agriculture is “to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Still too vague? Hopefully this cheat sheet for sustainable agriculture practices will help.
Crop rotation: Crops have distinctive nutrient requirements and effects on the soil. So if you plant the same crop in the same place year after year it will deplete specific soil nutrients. By strategically changing which crops you plant in a certain location you can manage soil fertility and reduce the risk of soil borne diseases.
Cover crops: Instead of leaving soils bare, or continuously planting cash crops, sustainable farmers plant cover crops like clover or hairy vetch. These crops help protect and improve soil health by replenishing soil nutrients, enhancing water availability, preventing erosion, and reducing weed growth.
Low or no till: Traditional plowing to prepare fields for planting and prevent weed growth can cause severe soil erosion since the soil is no longer tightly packed. By not tilling and instead leaving a permanent soil cover and drilling through the upper layers to plant seeds, farmers can reduce soil erosion and improve soil health.
Integrated pest management: Integrated Pest Management uses comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interactions with the environment in combination with available pest control methods to manage pest damage. The goal of IPM is to control pests by the most economical means with the least possible hazard to people and the environment.
Adopting agroforestry practices: In agroforestry systems, trees and shrubs are managed together with crops and animal production systems in an agricultural setting. Agroforestry can improve the economic and resource viability of agriculture by providing shade for plants, animals, and water resources, as well as encouraging biodiversity.
Integrating livestock and crops: Over the past half century most livestock has been consolidated to CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). But integrating crop and animal production so that animals live where their feed is grown and their manure can be used as fertilizer for the crops can create a more efficient and profitable farm.
