Most people do not consider how farming methods affect our lives. However, there are several ways in which current farming methods may harm people and the environment. Chemicals used on crops are polluting our rivers and oceans. Food-related illnesses are threatening our health. It is time for us to change the way we farm.
It’s true that modern “industrial” farming has allowed us to produce much more food over the past fifty years. The World Bank estimates that industrial farming has caused a 70 to 90 percent increase in food production. Consumers in the United States have come to expect large amounts of inexpensive food.
However, industrial farming methods have many damaging effects. To increase production, farmers use machinery that requires a lot of energy. They rely on chemicals such as pesticides to keep bugs from eating the crops. They also use fertilizers to help the crops grow. These substances pollute the soil and cause it to break down. Harmful gases are released into the air from this soil, and the run-off pollutes rivers, lakes, and oceans.
The enormous amount of land that is used for industrial farming also hurts the environment. Wetlands and other wildlife areas are being lost, and new farmland is destroying our tropical forests.
Sustainable Agriculture
What are our choices? We cannot go back to farming on small areas of land. Small farmers have little control over farm prices. It has become too difficult for a small farm to be as successful as a large farm. Due to the growth of nearby cities, small farms and rural communities are being replaced by houses, office buildings, and shopping centers. Many people believe that if they buy only locally-grown food, they can successfully change the industrial farming methods of large farms. However, supporting small farms is not the
solution to our industrial farming problem. We must turn, instead, to sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture means using ways of farming that meet our needs now and will allow future generations to meettheir needs.
Sustainable farmers rely on animal manure and planting different crops to fertilize the soil. They have decided to use fewer agricultural chemicals. They make natural, non-damaging plans to manage weeds, insects, and diseases. Organic farmers focus on biodiversity. They plant many different kinds of crops. They change the grazing pastures for their livestock. Overall, sustainable farmers use practices that restore, maintain, and improve a general ecological balance.
The stage is set for farmers, researchers, and educators to support sustainable farming.
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