Sustainable agriculture encloses a series of practices that will allow a long-term cultivation of the land and stable food production without causing significant and irreversible damage to the ecosystem.
When we define sustainable agriculture as a system, we need to consider both sides of the coin: environmental sustainability and socioeconomic sustainability (profitability and equity).
Two important concepts reflect the parameter of sustainability in an agricultural system:
- resilience
- persistence
That means that a system, to be viable and sustainable, should be able to withstand external pressures and stresses, adapt to change, and maintain good performance and productivity over time.
Sustainable Agriculture is a philosophy and a set of practices that all together satisfy three different conditions:
- Respecting the Environment and Protecting Natural Resources
- Securing a Fair and Adequate Income for Farmers today
- Not compromising the ability of the Next Generations to live on Agriculture and have a Fair and Adequate Income in the future as well.
There are thousands of examples and different aspects of Sustainable Agriculture. As a general philosophy, embracing Sustainable Agriculture means that you can produce an adequate yield in a specific crop but at the same time not pollute the environment (soil, air, water), not deplete any natural resource and not disrupt the ecosystem and biodiversity with your actions. Building healthy soil for years to come, recycling, minimizing waste of all kinds, and rationalizing the use of water resources are also principles of Sustainable Farming.
Focus Areas of Sustainable Farming
The focus areas of sustainable farming are:
Natural Resources management
- Sustainable Water management
- Soil protection and regeneration
- Energy management and alternative sources
- Sustainable land use management
Crop and Animal production management
- Maintaining and boosting agro diversity
- Selecting resilient crop and animal species
- Reducing the dependence on agrochemicals
- Using inputs efficiently
- Ensuring animal health and good nutrition
Emission reduction - Carbon Footprint
Community development - farmers welfare
Example: Spraying with a broad-spectrum herbicide without knowing the consequences is not a method compatible with Sustainable Agriculture because we can kill instantly a lot of different species of plants and insects. At the same time, most of them might not be dangerous for our crop. On the other hand, Crop Rotation has been found to enhance soil, suppress weeds, and reduce weed population.
Thus, Crop Rotation is a method that seeks the same result as the previous method (spraying with a broad-spectrum herbicide) but is compatible with Sustainable Farming because it respects the environment and promotes biodiversity.
Opportunities of adopting sustainable agriculture
- As a more labor-intensive system, sustainable agriculture can create 30% more employment opportunities/places and more than 20% less energy use.
- At the same time, with the increased awareness and sensibility of the consumers, sustainably produced products are usually sold at higher prices.
- This, in combination with the gradually reduced use of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, etc.), can lead to the improvement of the farmers' income.
- While the adoption of a more sustainable system may come at first with some challenges, numerous data are supporting that can help increase yields, helping to ensure global food security.
- The increased biodiversity creates a system that can more easily regenerated and has improved resilience (handling climate change better). Women have an increased importance in helping the adoption of such systems and practices.
Different systems of sustainable farming
While the difference between conventional/industrial agriculture and sustainable agriculture is quite clear to most, there is extensive confusion regarding the definition of the different systems that fall under the "umbrella" of sustainable agriculture. Below, we will present the most important of these systems that are widely applied.
- Sustainable agriculture
- Sustainable intensified agriculture
- Biologically Integrated Farming Systems
- Climate-smart agriculture
- Conservation agriculture
- Regenerative agriculture
- Permaculture Farming (Permanent Agriculture)
- Circular agriculture
- Carbon farming
- Organic agriculture
- Controlled environment agriculture
Further reading
Training Livestock Farmers for Sustainability and Food Security
Sustainable Plant Nutrient Management
The Significance of Sustainable Farming Practices
