Sustainable Types of Farming
The Best Ways to Improve Current Farms
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What is sustainable agriculture, and why should we talk about it? For decades, people have been using large farms that grow the same crops, damaging the ecosystem. They use humongous amounts of resources, such as land, water, fertilizer, and air. Not only this, but they pollute the air and water, damaging the ecosystems around them. However, by using more sustainable, better farming practices, we can reduce the amount of pollution and benefit the ecosystems.
Sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. This includes managing water wisely, decreasing pollution, maintaining healthy soil, and including biodiversity. By working with nature and being sustainable, we can avoid environmental impacts without sacrificing profits.
There are many different types of sustainable farming. For example, by using rotating crops, which includes yearly crop rotations. This has lots of benefits, including healthier soil and better natural pest control from the plants. Another sustainable way to farm is cover cropping. Cover cropping is when you cover areas that might’ve been left unplanted. Cover crops, such as clover, prevent soil erosion and replenishes soil nutrients, all while reducing the amount of weeds. Lastly, by integrating trees and farms together, we can decrease soil erosion, provide shade, and protect animal and water resources.
With new sustainable and innovative ways to farm, such as vertical farms, which decrease the amount of water used by over 95%, we should work to make the farms already there less and less polluting to the environment, while still being able to keep their job.
RELATED STORIES:
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/what-sustainable-agriculture
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/08/14/vertical-farming-future
TAKE ACTION:
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/beginners-guide-sustainable-farming
