Sustainable Agriculture

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Sustainable Agriculture

• Chapter 11
• APES January 2007

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GOALS

• Define sustainable agriculture
• Examine the obstacles
• Explore options to enhance the sustainability of
  agriculture over time

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From Hunter and gatherer.
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To an agrarian lifestyle
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To today.
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How can we make it sustainable?
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What is Sustainable Agriculture?

• The goal is to sustainably produce enough food
  and fiber and repair the damage caused by the
  process.

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Where can we find the solutions to these problems?

• The Past and the Future.
• Old methods that have been long forgotten and new
  technologies we have yet to try out.

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Step 1 Conserve the SOIL!

• Carefully manage these factors
• Land management
• Ground cover
• Tillage system
• Climate
• Soil type

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Managing the Topography

• Contour farming
• Strip farming
• Terracing
• Perennial species

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Contour Farming
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Contour Farming
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Strip farming
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Strip farming and contour farming
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What do these do?

• Contour farming works across the hill rather than
  down, slowing down the erosive process.
• Strip-farming allows the farmer to harvest one
  crop while leaving the other crop behind to hold
  the soil in place.

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Terracing
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Terracing

• This method
• Involves shaping
• The land to create
• Shelves to hold
• Soil and water
• And nutrients.

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Perennial species orchards
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Perennial species grapes
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Perennial species Alfalfa
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Perennial Crops HAY
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Provide ground cover

• LEAVE crop residue
• PROVIDE a cover crop

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CROP RESIDUE
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Pros and Cons of Crop Residue

• This can save 99 of the erosion from happening
• But it can cause disease and pest issues
  requiring more spraying the following year.

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Cover Crops
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Cover Crops
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Cover crops facts

• Rye, wheat, alfalfa can be planted immediately
  and plowed under at planting time. The problem
  you have to pay to seed it and that costs .
• This can provide a source of fertilizer for the
  next crop or allows for a double harvest. It can
  also improve the soil.

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Mulch
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Reduce the Tillage Impacts
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Moldboard Plow

• Controls weeds
• Controls pests
• Brings nutrients up
• Reduces competition
• Provides good seedbed
• Improved drainage
• Improved aeration

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LESS IS MORE

• Less Plowing and cultivation
• Better water management
• Preserves soil
• Saves energy
• Increases crop yields

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Reduced Tillage Systems

• Minimum till
• Conserv-till
• No-till

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Minimum till
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Conserv-till
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No-till
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Low Input Sustainable Agriculture

• Soil Facts LISA
• Articlegt great history!
• US GOVT

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GO ORGANIC?

• USDA organic site
• Wikipedia
• Cnn site