The defining of Sustainable Agriculture is a very difficult task. According to the Sustainable Table, a website dedicated to educating consumers on sustainable food choices, the difficulty is there because sustainable agriculture is a philosophy and not a set of rules that could easily be interpreted [2]. Earlier in their site they offered a definition provide by the U.S. government:
Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1683
“…an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole” [2].
This definition is long, but it does emphasize one very important factor of sustainable agriculture; it is unique to its environment. That means that where the farm is located is the most important factor. No sustainable agriculture practice is going to be useful in every farm location across the globe. In the title of this blog, I mentioned three practices of sustainable agriculture and I am going to define these terms and compare and contrast them so that the complexities and unique values of the practices will be better understood.
HYDROPONICS
Hydroponics is growing plants in a medium other than soil. It requires more water per plant, but in places where there is no soil this is a plausible solution to the lack of food production. Commercial use of this has only caught on recently [3].
There are many different options for hydroponics [3]:
· Water Culture, Aquaculture, or Nutriculture: a system in which the plant roots are immersed in water containing dissolved nutrients
· Aeroponics: in which the plant roots hang in the air and are misted regularly with a nutrient solution
· Continuous Flow Systems: in which the nutrient solution flows constantly over the plant roots. This system is the one most commonly used for commercial production.
The diversity of this type of agriculture is astounding, but as the details emerge the complexities make this unviable in most farms around the world. The overall utilization of this practice is to provide agriculture to parts of the world where farmable soil is rare.
PERMACULTURE
A wonderful definition of permaculture is given on a website dedicated to the Holmgren Design Services, who are pioneers of the field [4]. They define it as “'Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy for provision of local needs” [4]. The nature of this agricultural practice is to do what nature is doing and do those things better. To make the most of what nature provides. It is very complex and requires vast amounts of research, but in the end there is no limit to the possibilities.
They also provide a video about permaculture at this link:
POLYCULTURE
Most farms worldwide are monoculture farms. That means they grow only one type of crop. They maximize the farmland to provide more yields of that one crop and specialize in the crop. This method has led to farmland being deprived of nutrients and rampant in disease, since the same crop year after year needs the same type of nutrients and is vulnerable to the same types of diseases. So an alternative method has been established, polyculture farming. Polyculture farming is a method that requires different crops to grow on the same farmland. The different crops use different nutrients and allow the other nutrients to replenish. Polyculture agriculture is a more realistic imitation of the natural environment. Not only does it benefit the soil nutrients, but is also can decrease plant disease [5]. Decreasing plant disease translates into decreasing fungicides as well, which is a win-win for the environment.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Now that the terms are defined we can compare them easily. Sustainable Development is general defined as, meeting the present’s needs without hindering future generations to meet their needs [1]. So, it could be reasoned, that sustainable agriculture is developing ways to meet our agricultural needs without hindering future generations to meet their agricultural needs. These practices of sustainable agriculture are steps in the right direction, but they are only beneficial in particular circumstances. Hydroponics needs more water and man power to produce results. That means that it would not work very well in a part of the world where soil is abundant. Hydroponics is a very specialized way of producing crops and therefore would be a unique solution for unique regions. When compared to permaculture, hydroponics seems as though it would not align with it well since it is not technically “natural”. Permaculture is complex in the beginning and requires lots of research to begin the process, but in the end would require very little relative man power. Polyculture and permaculture are very similar. They are localized and are determined to mimic the environment where they are being used. Polyculture though, does not take the time to fully integrate into the surrounding ecosystem, like permaculture does, and may have negative effects on the environment that sneak under the radar. Permaculture seems to be the best solution for most regions, but that does not mean “every” region. There are many population centers that cannot produce enough food and permaculture would not help them because of their great lack of agricultural resources available locally. These are the considerations that are needed when determining what sustainable agriculture means to a particular region. The practices are diverse, but so is our world. As long as we take the time and make the effort a solution will present itself.
___
[1] Brundtland Commission. (1987) United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development
No comments:
Post a Comment