The processes of industrialization and urbanization have a significant impact on the environment. Unfortunately, some animal and plant species turn extinct, and many become endangered. Governments have recently started to develop and implement regulations aimed at the preservation of natural resources. The case of Fish Friendly Farming explains how the principles of this environmental initiative allow protecting the farming lands successfully.
The Fish Friendly Farming (FFF) initiative was launched by Laurel Marcus to restore endangered fish species with the help of effective land management in Northern California. At the end of the twentieth century, “some of the creeks and rivers were already polluted by heavy sedimentation which smothers fish eggs” (Gundling 119). This happened because of the uncontrolled waste disposal and soil erosion on the farming lands. Thus, Marcus attempted to protect the environment and assist landowners by adopting the land management practices with a long-term beneficial effect.
As farmers wanted to keep their lands fertile and uncontaminated, they became interested in FFF and its potential advantages. Marcus aimed to develop this initiative in collaboration with both farmers and regulators, making a list of recommendations practical rather than bureaucratic. Based on these practices, the sustainability of agricultural lands was enhancing, which was favorable both for the landowners and investors. As modern equipment can identify the most productive tracts of farmlands, agricultural operations will show more transparency and facilitate the investment process further (Sykuta 65).
Thus, FFF guidelines helped farmers to prevent soil erosion and reduce pollution. When it concerned road repair and creek corridor restoration, farmers were provided with assistance and enough time to implement the project holistically. Furthermore, FFF makes the work of regulators much easier because it helped farmers to implement projects that correspond to the certification requirements.
Launching the program was challenging for FFF, but Marcus utilized her experience to realize this idea into practice. First of all, it was necessary to determine some common standards that would assure improvement of the conditions of endangered fish, trout, and salmon in particular. Another issue concerned the innovative nature of the reports about water pollution and fish quality provided by farmers as previously they were dealing with pesticides only.
As Marcus wanted to expand the implementation of this initiative to other areas, some other challenges were addressed. While Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino had similar geographic conditions and landscapes, Farm Conservation Plan Workbook was applicable for them. In other areas, the examination process and collaboration with local farmers was necessary to create another book with best practices applicable to those lands.
Collaboration and positive reinforcement culture in different parts of California marked FFF’s success. Moreover, word of mouth among farmers and peer pressure increased the involvement in this program. FFF viewed farmers as people with a vast amount of knowledge about the land and agricultural practices and those who were interested in supporting their lands fertile and farming productively.
Such an approach was contrasting to those of regulators’ who usually avoided involvement but simply wrote tickets. With Laurel’s expertise in the fisheries and biology areas and farmers experience in land management, both parties got mutual assistance and support to assure successful environmental improvement (Gundling 126). Furthermore, FFF established relationships with regulatory agencies to draw a holistic overview of the practices needed to maintain natural preservation and sustainability.
The case of FFF and its collaboration with farmers and regulatory agencies depicts an effective approach towards land management. The fundamental principle of this initiative assumes that trout and salmon are perfect indicators of ecosystem health. Along with pesticide control, water and fish examination allows farmers to build sustainable practices in their production environments based on the explicit guidelines and practices developed by FFF.
Works Cited
Gundling, Ernest. “Fish Friendly Farming: Water, Wine, and Fish – Sustainable Agriculture for a Thirsty World.” California Management Review, vol. 57, no. 1, 2014, pp. 117-132.
Sykuta, Michael E. “Big Data in Agriculture: Property Rights, Privacy and Competition in Ag Data Services.” International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, vol. 19, no. 1, 2016, pp. 57-74.