HOW TO PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Sustainable agriculture as the name implies, is a form of farming which at the long and short run, sustains and protects the environment, public health, human communities and human welfare.
This means that with this kind of farming, necessary and healthy food are produced, which does not in any way deprive anyone else either at present or in future from producing healthy products.
The soil, environment and economy are preserved in the process, which aids continuity in agriculture.
This is a type of agriculture where the relationship between the organisms and their environments are considered which is called ecology.
This can be referred to as the ecosystem approach to agriculture.
How is this achieved?
In environmental preservation, it avoids the use of toxic chemical pesticides, toxic fertilizers, or indulging in practices that degrade the soil, water or other natural resources.
In the bid to avoid this, some better means are adopted such as: crop rotation, conservation tillage and pasture-based livestock husbandry.
All these maintains and protects the farming environment.
In protection of public health, health of the public is considered in the bid to produce.
This form of agriculture puts away hazardous planting system which prevents pesticides and other harmful insects.
Then plants, fruits and all other things are produced without harming the public.
Livestock farmers are not left out in this as they tend their animals.
In finding good means in managing livestock waste, sustainable farmers are able to protect people from harmful exposure to pathogens, toxins, and the likes.
Also, sustainable helps the communities by enhancing their economies.
It provides employment for farmers, food processors and others needed in the food processing business. This in turn builds a strong community.
The other form of farming, Industrial agriculture, which is adopted by some countries is not of benefit like sustainable farming.
There are no facilities put in place to manage the influx of harmful pollutants such as animal wastes, pesticides and so on.
These things unattended to causes some degradation in the soil, natural environment and threatening public health, alongside some pollution on natural gifts such as air, water etc..
As agriculture is a gradual and continuous process, so also is the journey to attaining sustainable agriculture.
A farmer understands the need to be patient and expectant whenever he sows into the soil. This implies in this process, as it needs a lot of consistence which produces gradual results.
HOW SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE CAN BE EFFECTED?
Sustainable agriculture, according to Wikipedia is the act of farming, using principles of ecology, the study of relationship between organisms and their environment.
This is a style of farming in which careful soil tillage and some other careful farming techniques are applied in order to preserve the effectiveness of the soil for future use.
Here are some best ways to achieve a successful sustainable agriculture.
Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is a very paramount way to keep up sustainable agriculture. What crop rotation does is that it avoids planting the same crops in the same soil for years in a row.
Crop rotation keeps the soil healthy and nutritious in that the crops are picked in a pattern so that the crops planted this season replenishes the nutrients and salts from the soil that were absorbed by the previous cycle.
Pest Management: This is a way to identify, observe and control pests from early stages and do the necessary. Not all pests should be destroyed because not all pests are harmful, so identifying them would help to know what step to take.
This preserves the soil and the environment and makes it eligible to use later in future.
One way to follow is doing some targeted spray, which does not only help you to spray pest on the selected areas but will also protect wildlife from getting affected.
Also, Bio Intensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM), can be imbibed. IPM is an approach that relies on biological as opposed to chemical methods
Avoid Soil Erosion: Being able to avoid soil erosion is a healthy way to keep a good crop.
This can be achieved through the old techniques used such as tilling the land, ploughing and so on. To improve the soil quality, manure, fertilizers, planting of cover crops etc. can be adopted.
Crop Diversity: This means that farmers can grow varieties of the same crops which will yield little but substantial differences among the plants. This helps the soil and also reduces financial burden on the farmers.
There are some more ways such as:
Managed Grazing
Removal of Weed Manually
Planting Cover Crops
Eliminating Tillage
Integration of livestock and crops
Delving into the Afforestation process
Eventually, following these guidelines or brilliant tips would give us a bright agricultural future indeed.
Our future farming and producing passion is hence preserved.
Originally published at myfarmbase.com.ng on August 14, 2018.
