Presenting to you..

SUSTAINABLE AGRICLUTURE

DEFINATION

BENEFITS

DISADVANTAGES

TECHNIQUES

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE?

In simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations' ability to do the same.

Sustainable agriculture is the act of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term"

BENEFITS OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREThe primary benefits of sustainable agriculture are:

Environmental Preservation

Sustainable farms produce crops and raise animals without relying on toxic chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified seeds, or practices that degrade soil, water, or other natural resources. By growing a variety of plants and using techniques such as crop rotation, conservation tillage, and pasture-based livestock husbandry , sustainable farms protect biodiversity and foster the development and maintenance of healthy ecosystems.

Protection of Public Health

Food production should never come at the expense of human health.  Since sustainable crop farms avoid hazardous pesticides, they're able to grow fruits and vegetables that are safer for consumers, workers, and surrounding communities.  Likewise, sustainable livestock farmers and ranchers raise animals without dangerous practices like use of nontherapeutic antibiotics or arsenic-based growth promoters.  Through careful, responsible management of livestock waste, sustainable farmers also protect humans from exposure to pathogens, toxins, and other hazardous pollutants. 

Sustaining Vibrant Communities

A critical component of sustainable agriculture is its ability to remain economically viable, providing farmers, farm workers, food processors, and others employed in the food system with a livable wage and safe, fair working conditions.  Sustainable farms also bolster local and regional economies, creating good jobs and building strong communities.

Upholding Animal Welfare

Sustainable farmers and ranchers treat animals with care and respect, implementing livestock husbandry practices that protect animals' health and wellbeing.  By raising livestock on pasture, these farmers enable their animals to move freely, engage in instinctive behaviors, consume a natural diet, and avoid the stress and illness associated with confinement.

DISADVANTAGES OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREDisadvantages of sustainable farming include higher prices and less product.  A study conducted over two decades in Switzerland showed that crop yield was 20% lower on farms that practiced sustainable agriculture in relation to farms that utilized industrialized methods. The lower productions rates of sustainable agriculture raise concerns that this method will not be able to produce enough food to feed the growing population. Modern farming methods may be much cheaper and create more product, but hurt the environment in the long run. Hence, the moral advantages of sustainable farming outweigh the disadvantages. 

TECHNIQUES OF SUSTAINABLE FARMING

Sustainable agriculture provides high yields without undermining the natural systems and resources that productivity depends onOne important result is that farmers are able to minimize their use of pesticides and fertilizers, thereby saving money and protecting future productivity, as well as the environment.

Some of the most common sustainable agriculture techniques employed by farmers today to achieve the key goals of weed control, pest control, disease control, erosion control and high soil quality are:

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a broad-based approach that integrates sustainable practices for economic control of pests. IPM is defined as "the careful consideration of all available pest control techniques and subsequent integration of appropriate measures that discourage the development of pest populations and keep pesticides to levels that reduce or minimize risks to human health and the environment. IPM emphasizes the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms .IPM allows for safer pest control-managing insects, plant pathogens and weeds.

Integrated Pest Management

Crop rotation is the sustainable practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons.Crop rotation gives various nutrients to the soil. It provides the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals and other crops. Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can also improve soil structure and fertility. Crop rotation is one component of polyculture.

Crop Rotation

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products . Biotechnology can provide appropriate new tools for use in solution of specific problems in sustainable agriculture . Biotechnology can give little assistance to sustainable agriculture in the short term and it could be highly useful in the long term as an integral part of the art and science of plant breeding and other components of sustainable agriculture systems . The most important is GMOs.

Biotechnology

Organic fertilizers are fertilizers derived from animal matter or vegetable matter. The use of organic fertilizer in sustainable gardens and farms is quickly gaining in popularity - the number of acres of organic agriculture increased from 59 million in 2004 to nearly 81 million in 2009 - especially as their mitigating effects on the environment are demonstrated through more and more studies.

Use of organic fertilizers

Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous year's crop residue (such as corn stalks or wheat stubble) on fields before and after planting the next crop.Conservation tillage management can reduce soil erosion, enhance soil productivity, decrease dependency on fossil fuels and minimize water, nutrient, and pesticide runoff. It is an important technique of sustainable farming.

Conservation Tillage

Here is a video of Sustainable Vs

Industrial Agriculture