Introduction: What Is Sustainable Agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture has dominated the sociological understanding of the rural world largely. Following the enthusiasm around the concept as a means of eradication of poverty and turning the economy to a “resource-efficient, low carbon Green Economy”. Global population, and consequently consumption has increased.
However, technological development has matched the demand for food in terms of food production, but the distribution of food is not evenly distributed. This has brought forth the question of the possibility of supplying adequate food to the ever-growing global population.
Further, the challenges posed by depleting non-renewable sources of energy, rising costs, and climate change have brought the issue related to sustainability of food production and the related social and economic impact of the food production into forefront. This paper outlines the meaning and technology related to sustainable agriculture and tries to gauge its impact as a possible solution to the impending food crisis.
Importance of Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is a process of farming using eco-friendly methods understanding and maintaining the relationship between the organisms and environment. In this process of agriculture and animal husbandry are combined to form a simultaneous process and practice. In other words, sustainable agriculture is an amalgamation of three main elements viz. ecological health, profitability, and propagating equality.
The concept of sustainability rests on the principle of not wasting any resources that may become useful to the future generations. Therefore, the main idea of sustainability rests on stewardship of individual and natural resources. Before understanding the technology involved in sustainable agriculture, it is important to know why we need it in the first place.
Population Growth
The rise in population growth and urbanization of people has led to a dietary change of the world population, which now rests more on animal protein. Therefore understanding the demographic changes in the world population has become an important parameter to judge the future demand for food.
As population growth rate is the key variable that affects the demand for food, therefore understanding the number of people increasing worldwide is important. According to the UNDP results, the annual population growth rate had declined from 2.2% in 1962 to 1.1% in 2010, however, this increase to indicate an increase of 75 million people.
However, this increase in population is not equitably distributed as some areas such as Africa, Latin America, and Asia face a growth rate of 2% while others such as the erstwhile Soviet bloc countries have a negative rate.
According to the UNDP predictions, population worldwide is expected to increase to 9 billion in 2050 from the present 7 billion. Therefore, the uncertain growth in population is expected to affect food demand and therefore food production.
Per Capita Food Consumption
Undernourishment is a prevalent problem in the developing world, wherein almost 20% of the developing world that is more than 5 billion people is undernourished.
Further, in emerging economies, food consumption is increasing with increased preference for animal protein such as meat, dairy products, and eggs. Therefore, the growth of consumption of animal protein has increased the necessity of grazing of livestock, therefore, increasing further pressure on the food supply.
It is believed that the increase in the demand for food due to the increase in global population and changes in dietary habits of the population. In the past, the demand for food and the rate of production has remained at par, but the unequal distribution of food has led to the major problem in food supply and starvation in various parts of the world.
Another problem that food production in the future faces is the constraint of non-renewable natural resources. The most critical resources, which are becoming scant for the future generations are –
- Land: Availability of land globally to cultivate food has grown marginally due to the increase in global population. The availability of land available per person to grow food has declined from 1.30 hectares in 1967 to 0.72 hectares in 2007. Therefore, a clear dearth in agricultural land is a deterrent to future agriculture.
- Water: The world comprises of 70% freshwater resources, available from rivers and groundwater. Deficiency of freshwater has been growing as usage of water has increased more than twice the rate of population growth. As water is required for irrigation purposes, water availability to is not equally distributed around the world. Therefore, reduced water supply would limit the per capita production of food.
- Energy: Globally, the scarcity of the non-renewable resources of energy is another concern. The global demand for energy is expected to double by 2050, consequently increasing energy prices. Therefore, food production for the future will have to devise a technology based on renewable sources of energy.
The question of sustainability in agriculture arose due to some pressing issues that have limited the utilization of erstwhile processes and technologies for food production. However, it should be noted that sustainable agriculture does not prescribe any set rule or technology for the production process, rather shows a way towards sustainability.
Sustainable Agriculture and Technology
Sustainable agriculture uses best management practices by adhering to target-oriented cultivation. The agriculture process looks at disease-oriented hybrid, pest control through use of biological insecticides and low usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Usually, insect-specific pest control is used, which is biological in nature.
Water given to the crops is through micro-sprinklers which help is directly watering the roots of the plants, and not flooding the field completely. The idea is to manage the agricultural land for both plants and animal husbandry.
For instance, in many southwestern parts of Florida’s citrus orchards, areas meant for water retention and forest areas become a natural habitat for birds and other animals. The process uses integrated pest management that helps in reducing the amount of pesticide used in cultivation.
Sustainable agriculture adopts green technology as a means of reducing wastage of non-renewable energy and increase production. In this respect, the sustainable agricultural technology is linked to the overall developmental objective of the nation and is directly related to solving socio-economic problems of the nation.
The UN report states, “The productivity increases in possible through environment-friendly and profitable technologies.” In order to understand the technology better, one must realize that the soil’s health is crucial for cultivation of crops.
Soil is not just another ingredient for cultivation like pesticides or fertilizers; rather, it is a complex and fragile medium that must be nurtured to ensure higher productivity. Therefore, the health of the soil can be maintained using eco-friendly methods:
Healthy soil, essential to agriculture, is a complex, living medium. The loose but coherent structure of good soil holds moisture and invites airflow. Ants (a) and earthworms (b) mix the soil naturally. Rhizobium bacteria (c) living in the root nodules of legumes (such as soybeans) create fixed nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient.
Other soil microorganisms, including fungi (d), actinomycetes (e), and bacteria (f), decompose organic matter, thereby releasing more nutrients. Microorganisms also produce substances that help soil particles adhere to one another. To remain healthy, soil must be fed organic materials such as various manures and crop residues.
This is nothing but a broader term to denote environment-friendly solutions to agricultural production. Therefore, the technology-related issue of sustainable agriculture is that it should use such technology that allows usage of renewable sources of energy and is not deterrent to the overall environment.
Green Politics
The politics around sustainable agriculture lies in the usage of the renewable sources of energy and disciplining of the current consumption rates. The politics related to the sustainable agriculture is also related to the politics of sustainable consumption.
Though there is a growing concern over depleting food for the future and other resources, there is hardly any measure imposed by the governments of developed and emerging economies to sustain the consumption pattern of the population.
The advocates of green politics believe that a radical change of the conventional agricultural process is required for bringing forth sustainable agriculture. Green politics lobbies for an integrated farming system that can be the only way to usher in sustainable agricultural program.
Conclusion of Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the way to maintain a parity between the increasing pressure of food demand and food production in the future. As population growth, change in income demographics, and food preferences change, there are changes in the demand of food of the future population.
Further, changes in climate and increasing concern regarding the depletion of non-renewable sources of energy has forced policymakers and scientists to device another way to sustain the available resources as well as continue meeting the increased demand of food.
Sustainable agriculture is the method through which these problems can be overlooked, bringing forth a new integrated form of agriculture that looks at food production in a holistic way.
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