Advantages of Sustainable Farming for Farmers & Consumers
As per the United Nations, Earth’s population will reach 9 billion by 2050, making it crucial for food production to increase by a minimum of 70% to feed this rapidly expanding population. But limited natural resources threaten this possibility, and that’s where sustainable agriculture comes into the picture.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture says that sustainable farming is all about maximizing food production and minimizing environmental impact.
Further, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition identifies its three legs: economic profitability, economic and social equity, and environmental health, which work in tandem to create a healthier society, both economically and environmentally. Here are the benefits of sustainable farming for consumers and farmers:
- Provides Clean Water and Sanitation
Smoke from agricultural burning; pesticide drift from spraying; nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizers, and dust from traffic, harvest, and tillage impact air quality. Providing clean sanitation and water requires better air quality and low pollution levels, which is possible through sustainable farming practices, like the absorption of agricultural residues into the soil.
Sustainable agriculture also encourages using renewable energy sources, like wind power, solar, tidal energy, and hydropower, whenever possible, along with pest control measures considered safe for the planet. Sustainable farming practices, like planting cover crops, strips of perennial grasses, and windbreaks, can be an added advantage for pollution control.
- Saves Energy
Agriculture mainly depends on non-renewable sources of energy, specifically petroleum. However, with more farmers embracing sustainable farming, the requirement for these energy sources and fossil fuels has been completely minimized.
Moreover, adopting sustainable farming practices can help farmers reduce chemical usage and save limited resources, keeping the land replenished and healthy to meet the rising population and demand for food.
- Prevents Soil Erosion
Traditional agriculture practices like tillage cause soil erosion, a major issue affecting and threatening the cultivation world. Sustainable farming helps prevent soil erosion by eliminating tillage, planting more mulch or plants, and managing irrigation systems to prevent runoff. Other practices like sustainable crop diversification and agroforestry improve a farm’s economic and biological stability.
- Conserves Water
Quite possibly, one of the greatest advantages of adopting the sustainable agriculture approach is water conservation. As per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the farming industry in the US uses 80% to 90% water. But sustainable farming methods, like dry farming and drip irrigation, help curb this water usage.
Other sustainable farming activities, like efficient irrigation systems; water recycling; greywater treatment; water use measurement, and rainwater harvesting, further help with water conservation.
- Encourages Biodiversity
Environment-friendly and sustainable agriculture methods, such as crop rotation, prevent pest breakouts and diseases while enriching soil simultaneously. This further allows farmers to grow different varieties of plants that improve biodiversity. Using pesticide-free farming procedures also improves the pollinator population that has dropped over the years, thus adding to the biodiversity.
- Facilitates Innovation
Sustainable farming plays a significant role in using more resources and energy-efficient infrastructure across the agriculture industry. Innovations in this field, like crop rotation, advanced zero-tillage, cover crops techniques, and digital technologies for crop disease prevention and weather prediction, have lessened the negative impact on the environment.
- Animal-Friendly
Animals are treated correctly and better cared for due to sustainable farming. Practices like grazing management and choosing appropriate animal nutrition, species, herd health, and reproduction contribute to long-term livestock development.
The practice accommodates the natural habits of all living animals, like pecking or grazing, helping them grow more naturally. Further, sustainable ranchers and farmers use different livestock husbandry methods to safeguard animal health.
- Improves Food Production and Reduces Waste
Providing food for 9 billion people across the world may be difficult. But with sustainable and smart farming practices, you can reduce food waste and provide for more people. Sustainable farming practices, like agroforestry and integrated pest management, create more stable, resilient, and efficient food systems that meet global demand.
Furthermore, this approach mitigates climate change effects on crop production and safeguards natural resources, thus improving the potential to provide food for the present and the future.
A primary U.N. goal is to end world hunger by 2030, and sustainable farming helps with this by ensuring ranchers and farmers use resources efficiently while minimizing waste. Combining sustainable farming efforts with global coordination for equitable food distribution can help the world achieve zero hunger.
- Reduces Costs
Sustainable farming practices can reduce costs by turning organic waste and manure into fertilizers instead of using harsh chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides. Since sustainable agriculture helps recover soil fertility, it may also lessen the need for pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Similarly, another sustainable farming practice, like hydroponics, allows farmers to maximize their agricultural space and stack systems to grow more plants throughout the year. Also, there’s no need for pesticides since greenhouses are enclosed to speed up plant growth. Hence, farmers can earn more while saving good amounts of money.
- Improves Health
Traditional farming practices, like pesticides, can affect human health, causing problems like diarrhea, nose irritation, blisters, nausea, and dizziness. While pesticide poisoning may cause cold and flu-like symptoms, carbamate, pyrethrin/pyrethroid, and organophosphate-containing pesticides may trigger asthma attacks. Long-term exposure to pesticides can further cause serious health issues, like
- birth defects,
- nervous system damage,
- brain damage,
- Infertility,
- Brain, prostate, ovaries, or testes cancer, and
- Lung, kidney, and liver diseases
Kids are more vulnerable to pesticide toxicity that can change their physiology and behavior. Sustainable farming practices without pesticides can make farms and crops safer, thus improving public health and safety.
Conclusion
So, that’s sustainable farming and its benefits! It’s about time farmers and even modern-day farming practitioners recalibrate their minds and redirect their steps toward sustainable farming to make a difference.
