Steps Towards Sustainability

Soil conservation involves using many different ways to reduce soil erosion and restore soil fertility.

Conservation tillage farming uses special tillers and planting machines that will disturb the soil as little as possible while planting crops.  This method increases crop yields, raises soil carbon contents, and lowers the use of water, pesticides, and fuel.

Terracing is used to grow food on steep slopes.  The steeply sloped land is converted into series of broad, level terraces that run across the contours of the land.  Water is retained and soil erosion is reduced.

Contour farming is used when there is a steep slope and can be used to reduce soil erosion.  This technique involves planting rows across the slope rather than up and down.  Every row acts as a small dam to slow water runoff and keep the soil in place.

Strip cropping involves planting alternating strips of a row crop like corn or cotton and then have another crop that completely covers the soil like grass.  The cover crop traps the eroded soil from the row crop and reduces water runoff.

Alley cropping is when you have one or more crops planted in strips or alleys between trees and shrubs which proide shade.  This reduces the amount of water that is evaporated and helps retain soil moisture.  Trees also provide fruit, fuel wood, and trimmings can be used as mulch.

Organic fertilizer is made from plant and animal materials and can be used to restore soil fertility.

Commercial inorganic fertilizer is made from various minerals and can also be used to help restore lost plant nutrients.

Green manure is made of freshly cut or growing green vegetation that is plowed into the soil to increase organic matter and humus for the next crop.

Animal manure is animal waste.  It improves soil structure, adds organic nitrogen, and stimulates beneficial soil bacteria and fungi.

Compost is made when microorganismsin the soil break down organic matter like leaves and foodwastes in the presence of oxygen.

Crop rotation helps return nutrients to the soil by not planting the same crop every year.  One year you might plant tobacco which uses up nitrogen in the soil and the next year you would plant legumes which would put nitrogen back into the soil.

 

There are 3 main ways to reduce hunger and malnutrition and the harmful effects of agriculture.

 

Slow down population growth.

 

Sharply reduce poverty so that people can either buy enough or grown enough food to survive and have good health.

 

Develop more sustainable systems that are low input over the next few decades.  The increased use of organic farming is one component.  Currently certified organic farming is only used on 1% of the world's cropland.

 

Organic farming improves soil fertility, reduces soil erosion, retains more water in soil during droughts, uses less energy per unit of yield, has lower carbon dioxide emissions, recycles livestock waste which helps reduce water pollution, doesn't have pollution from pesticides, increases biodiversity, and benefits wildlife.