The agricultural industry is vital for human life, but various challenges lead to its damaging impact on nature. One of the most prominent issues is the use of pesticides, which are both needed and harmful. Climate change has made crop pests and diseases more aggressive and resistant to pesticides since the temperature increase allows these populations to grow.
Unfortunately, while they may be efficient in protecting the crops, pesticides affect human health due to prolonged exposure and contribute to the decline in species populations. But this is only one challenge farmers must navigate, so handling agriculture and making it profitable is more challenging than ever.
Since the world population is expected to grow to at least two billion individuals in the next 30 years, agriculture must evolve to sustain the increasing demand for food while keeping in check with environmental issues. The solution might be diversified farming, so here’s what it’s about.
What are Diversified Farming Systems?
Diversified farming involves all the tools and methods necessary to produce foods with sustainability. It also focuses on local production, agro-ecological knowledge and systems that promote ecological diversity.
For example, leveraging polycultures along with integrating fish or livestock is more optimal for nutrient use. Hedgerows act as a shield against pests and protect beneficial insects to support pollination. Woodlots and forests, which can control floods and improve water quality in nearby streams, provide another layer of protection.
Of course, different crops require particular environments to thrive. For example, cocoa beans, the main component of cocoa ingredients, require moist climates on land with no tenure problems and adequate temporary or permanent shade trees.
How can Diversified Farming Methods Help Agriculture?
Our large-scale agricultural industry has a massive impact on the environment by eroding the soil and polluting waterways, contributing to global warming. This might advance hunger and poverty, especially since the human population will grow, so we need diversified farming.
Diversified Farming Systems (DFS) support natural ecological processes that focus on soil formation, nitrogen fixation and efficient water use. The technology will allow farmers to adapt to the changing climate by promoting biodiversity.
Building soil fertility and helping pollinate crops will strengthen regions that produce specific crops. A cocoa wholesale business will be able to get its raw materials from protected forests, while rice brands will be less affected by extreme weather events due to improved technology.
Diversified farming should allow farmers to plant crop varieties in a single place while incorporating trees and livestock. At the same time, rotating crops and planting hedgerows converse the natural areas. This entire mix supports the habitat and allows pollination while navigating pests.
Diversification Strategies
Farmers should receive sustaining incentives to adopt diversified farming, as it requires time and resources to be efficient to nature and the end user. There are five main strategies to adopt:
- Having livestock in the fields, such as mammals, birds and bees. Livestock helps the soil through manure, but microbial life is also helpful. Birds ensure natural fertilization as well, while bees pollinate;
- Diversifying crops to reduce the reliance on nutrients. This is the opposite of monocropping because it implies rotating the crops for soil organic matter, hybrid offspring and food webs. There are also cover crops that manage soil erosion but have no other purpose;
- Conserving the soil through compost application. Technology allows for compost to be adequately applied to the soil. Farmers can use topdressing for a thin layer of compost over the soil or incorporate it deep into the soil;
- Introducing non-crop plantings for ecological intensification. Flower strips and hedgerows are common solutions for pest control and enhanced pollination. Such “live fences” include shrubs and trees that separate areas;
- Conserving water through contour farming. This practice involves tilling on elevated land to save rainwater and reduce soil erosion at the surface. Furrows and crop rows are great for promoting proper infiltration and permeability;
How much Does Current Agriculture Affect the Environment?
Negative impacts on agriculture are usually based on farmer production or on the impact of farming systems. For example, the first one tackles the use of pesticides and fertilizers, while the latter focuses on the nitrogen level in the soil.
Based on agricultural practices, these factors affect the environment:
- Animal agriculture. Meat production, especially cows and sheep, contributes to methane emissions and, therefore, greenhouse gas emissions;
- Poor distribution uniformity of water can affect irrigation salinity, while under-irrigation can damage the soil;
- Pesticides can affect plants, animals and humans since they’re based on toxic chemicals, as they spread farther than their target;
When considering environmental issues, deforestation, pollutants, and soil degradation are all consequences of large-scale farming. However, different regions struggle with unique problems. Australia faces soil salinization, while the Gulf of Mexico is prone to hypoxic zones.
Will Sustainable Farming help the Environment and Humanity?
Governments must realize the growing issue of farming that damages the environment and support sustainable measures to help the industry adapt to future needs and problems. Sustainable farming considers human food and fiber needs while not compromising natural environmental resources.
Moreover, strategies like nutrient cycling, coil regeneration and nitrogen fixation will become imperative in supporting it. Sustainable agriculture should focus on renewable inputs, especially when it comes to energy, the drive for on-farm mechanization and food processing.
Of course, social and economic factors also contribute to farming’s effects. Ethics and land management are topics yet to be assessed since the problem is much more complex than it seems. Agriculture uses numerous actors in its development, and each section requires intensive and constant change.
What do you Think About Diversified Farming Systems?
Agriculture and farming are necessary for sustaining human life, but due to consumerism and the massive need for food, it has become one of the causes of climate change. That’s why governments should help farmers adopt diversified farming systems to counteract the industry’s effect on the environment and respond to the growing demand for food for the following decades.