CHAPTER 6: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULtURE

DEFINITION

•       “SUSTAIN” : Latin word – (Sus: from bellow), (tenere: to hold)
•        ‘Farming systems that are capable of maintaining their productivity to society indefinitely without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health’

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

•         Does not deplete earth’s resources
•          Does not pollute the environment
•          Self-sustaining & profitable
•          Should be able to be observed and measured

1.  Economic Development

·         Farming that make profit

·         Characteristic involved:

o   Net financial worth of the family increase through profit

o   Family debt decrease

o   Less reliance on government subsidies

o   External purchase of feed and fertilizer decreases

2.  Environmental Conservation

·         Involves keeping the four ecosystem processes in good position:

a)      Energy flow

b)      Water cycles

c)      Mineral cycles

d)     Ecosystem dynamics

·         Nature function in cycles

·         Waste from one process become input for another

A)  Energy Flow

§  Non-cyclical path of solar energy (sunlight)

§  Sunlight à plant growth à animal consume plants à predators consume prey à animals & plants die à microbes decompose

One way energy flow

§  How to capture more solar energy?

o   Growing off-season cover crops

o   Growing perennial vegetation

o   Intercropping

B)  Water Cycle

·         Effective water cycle

Ø  Little soil erosion

Ø  Fast water entry into the soil

Ø  Capacity of the soil to store large amount of water

·         How to do so?

Ø  Manage good irrigation (reduce water runoff)

Ø  Keep soil covered with plants or mulch (speed water intake and reduce evaporation

Ø  Eliminate / reduce tillage

Ø  Adding compost or manure (increase organic matter à increase water – hold capacity)

C)  Mineral Cycle

·         A Well-Functioning Mineral Cycle:

~        The movement of nutrients from the soil à the crops and animals à back to the soil

~        Reducing the need for fertilizer and feed

Soil-Plant-Animal Mineral Cycle

D)  Ecosystem dynamic

·         How to know?

~        High diversity of plants and animals both above and below ground

·         Greater diversity produces greater stability within the system and minimizes pest problems

1.  Intercropping

·         Cultivate more than one crop at a time

·         Increase sunlight capture

·         Benefits:

Ø  Higher natural enemies population in mixture crops

Ø  Reducing the ability of the pest insects to recognize their hosts plants

Ø  Eg: intercrop onion and carrot (carrot flies (pest) confuse because of the onion smell

                                                                  coffea with pepper

2.  Crop Rotation

·         Provides complementary fertilization among the crops in sequence with each other

·         Break weed and pest life cycles

·         Eg: Forage crops in th rotation will reduce soil erosion and increase soil quality

 

                                                                         Forage Crop

                                                       Sample of Crop Rotation Plan

3.  Cover Crops, Compost & Fertilizer

a)      Cover Crop

o   Any annual, biennial or perennial plant grown as a monoculture or polyculture to manage soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pest diseases, and diversity & wildlife in agroecosystem

o   Maintain soil structure, prevents erosion

o   Prevents and moderates temperature extremes

o    Increase water penetration and storage

o   Enhances soil erosion

b)      Compost

o   Decomposition of diverse mixture of organic matter that (those with plant and animal origins) used in gardening and agriculture as a soil amendment and erosion control

o   Compost contains thousands of microorganisms and nutrients (organic & totally sustainable

                                                                         Compost

4.  Tillage

o   Preparation of the soil by digging it up

o   Brings subsoil to the surfaces and buries the crops residue layer so deep it is unable to decay properly

o   Exposing the soil to erosion

o   Impairing the water and mineral cycles

5.  Zero Burning

·         Old oil palm and rubber trunks are not burned, but sliced thin and left to decompose

·         Currently implemented in oil palm and rubber plantations

·         Nutrients are recycled

·         50% reduction in fertilizer cost

·         Trunks can be marketed for furniture industry

6.  Pest & Weed Management

·         Prevention of pest & weed problems is a fundamental component of management

·         How to manage weed?

~        Cover crops, mulch

~        Introduce cattle in plantation field to feed on weeds

·         How to manage insect pest?

~        Use biocontrol agents

~        Crop barriers

~        Intercropping

~        Crop rotations

·         INTERGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM)

~        A pest control strategy that uses an array of complementary methods

~        It is an ecological approach that can significantly reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides

3.  Socio-political Benefits

o   Social benefits are provided for the farm family and the community

o   Keep the money circulating in the community

o   Marketing strategies involving direct marketing through farmers markets or road side stalls have a positive impact on the local community

o   Choose to support local producers or their neighbours by paying a little more