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Agriculture. For the last 10,000 years humans have been practicing agriculture, or simply put, farming. Farming has allowed us to feed many people and have food year round Today’s farming is very different than it was in the past. Traditional Agriculture.
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Agriculture For the last 10,000 years humans have been practicing agriculture, or simply put, farming. Farming has allowed us to feed many people and have food year round Today’s farming is very different than it was in the past
Traditional Agriculture Traditional, or conventional, agriculture is how most of our food is made. It is large scale, industrial and designed to make the most amount of food with the smallest amount of space Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
What you think it looks like.. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
What it really looks like… Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
What you think it looks like… Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
What it really looks like… Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Monocultures A monoculture is an area of land that only grows a large amount of one crop. This makes it very easy for pests to destroy the crops. As a result, pesticides are used. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Pesticides Pesticides damage soil and can run off into the surrounding area Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Pesticides If a small amount of the pests survives and are resistant to the pesticide, then they will repopulate and a stronger, more toxic pesticide must be used. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Fertilizers Since the soil gets degraded quickly, fertilizers must be added to the soil. Fertilizer runoff causes “eutrophication” which means “too much of a good thing” because the added nutrients cause algae to flourish and choke out aquatic ecosystems Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Where are we? What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of our current agricultural system? Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Successes • abundant food supply in the developed world • fresh fruits and vegetables available year-round • cheap food • luxury foods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and spices easily available around the world • effective food preservation technologies (refrigeration, freezing, canning, packaging) • convenience foods • mechanization produces high labor efficiency • improvements in soil conservation • availability of agricultural inputs for quick solutions to production problems Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Problems • continuing soil loss • food safety concerns (mad cow disease, food poisoning outbreaks, antibiotic resistance, toxins and pesticides) • water pollution, air pollution (& odors), habitat loss, water depletion • continuing hunger – and rise of obesity • failing farms, economic uncertainty and stress • declining communities • farm accidents, chronic diseases linked to agricultural chemicals • reliance on fossil fuels, global warming • farmland loss to development, ugly countryside • difficulty of starting in farming Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
What is Sustainable Agriculture? “…a journey, not a destination” Iowa Farmer Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture • “…an integrated system of plant and animal production practices…that will • satisfy human food and fiber needs • enhance environmental quality • make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources • sustain economic viability • enhance quality of life.” 1990 Farm Bill Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Thethree-legged stool of sustainability Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Economically sustainable • Provides a secure living for farm families • Provides a secure living to other workers in the food system • Provides access to good food for all Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Environmentally Sound Preserves the quality of soil, water, and air Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Environmentally Sound Cooperates with and is modeled on natural systems Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Socially sustainable • Good for families • Supports communities • Fair to all involved Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
How to farm sustainably Farmers plant many different crops near each other so that a pest can’t destroy an entire crop Waste products are composted and used to replace nutrients in the soil. Crops are rotated to preserve the nutrients in the soil. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
How to farm sustainably Animals are treated fairly and given the freedom to move. Animals are not given unnecessary antibiotics. Animals are fed properly Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Conclusion • Agriculture has accomplished much • There are still many problems to solve, both old and new • Sustainable agriculture is about trying to solve these problems – without creating new ones. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
How much is 2 billion bushels? Iowa’s annual corn harvest is usually around 2 billion bushels. If you loaded semi trucks with 2 billion bushels and lined them up bumper to bumper, how far would they stretch? According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, a large semi holds around 910 bushels, and 879 large semis lined up bumper to bumper would stretch around 11.5 miles Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Answer: The line of trucks would stretch 29,206 miles, or more than the circumference of the earth (which is a little under 25,000 miles). Luckily, most grain is transported much more efficiently in railroad cars and on barges. Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
