"Convention" and "Sustainable" agriculture
Carlos A. Postlethwaite - March 2023
The term ‘conventional agriculture’ commonly appears in public discourse and in scientific publications to mean the opposite of farming practices that embrace sustainability. So finds a recent article in the agriculture journal, Global Food Security. In it, the authors warn that denoting “conventional agriculture as a uniform normative enterprise… will do nothing to further the cause of more sustainable agriculture, greater food security or improved soil health.” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211912422000086).
As common sense and a whole host of deep thinkers would have it, the division of any social network into opposing factions ends up working against the common good (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2379966). And it is indubitably in the interest of the common good to affordably produce enough food for the world’s population, take care of the environment and restore soil health. Hence, supporting the unity and well-being of farmers, who are both food-producers and caretakers of the land, should be a top priority.
Blazing the path for the future of agriculture is no easy task. Agriculture is an extremely complex undertaking. In striving to improve, farmers have chosen to transition in small or large degree to parameters ranging from organic, sustainable, climate-smart, conservation, agroecological, permaculture, regenerative, biodynamic, no-till, hydroponic, robotics, vertical farming, and other innovative practices (https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2020-017-En.pdf).
Care for the land and changes in policy demand a reduction in the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, as well as an increase in organic matter, soil, plant and animal biodiversity (https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/9/1383). Farmers must now think about reducing soil erosion, introducing crop rotation, cover cropping, mitigating climate effects, integrating live pest management, reducing greenhouse gases, promoting carbon sequestration, conserving water, reducing input costs, increasing nutritional density all while maintaining viable yields, optimising crop cycles, lowering costs, choose equipment, consider genetically modified crops (https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/5/1514), produce predictable outcomes, minimise risk of crop failure, manage weather events, pests and disease, develop technologies and innovate (https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/23/6619).
Soil Nurture is devoted to contributing towards every grower’s success. Whether reinforcing your current path or transitioning, our all-natural, biologically rich products help your farm continue its path to ensuring the common good, on the road to just agricultural practices.
If you would like to find out more on how you can start working differently on your land, get in contact with us following the contact us link.
