Why Have Attempts at Instituting Sustainable Farming Failed?
The agricultural industry today is anything but sustainable. Factory farming, chemical pesticides, monoculture crops, and the clearing of natural vegetation all harm the delicate balance of our environment in various ways. The three primary reasons are:
Farmers don't want to risk their crops by experimenting with new methods.
Farmers can't afford disruptions to their operations.
Farmers resent being told what to do by outsiders.
Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives. Yet, these unsustainable and destructive agricultural methods are still in use worldwide.
Why haven’t modern, sustainable practices taken over the industry? Read on as we explore the subject.
What Is Sustainable Agriculture?
Unlike the practices listed above, sustainable agriculture methods seek to balance the need to make a profit with the desire to protect the environment. This balance means far less reliance on chemicals to protect crops from pests and disease.
Sustainable agriculture requires careful use of natural resources like water, energy, and soil. And it means carefully considering how various farming practices might affect workers and the local community. Most importantly, it means finding ways to grow enough food to feed a growing urban population without compromising the environment.
Sustainable Agriculture Methods
Over the past several years, many sustainable agriculture methods have been developed, with varying degrees of success, yet ultimately none have been adopted broadly. Here are a few of the biggest trends in sustainable agriculture:
Agroforestry
Agroforestry turns our current system of vast fields of a single crop on its head. Instead of rows and rows of beans, corn, or lettuce, the crops are mingled with trees and shrubs, creating a system that more closely resembles natural growing. For animal-based agriculture, the livestock can graze among the trees and shrubs rather than in vast fields of grasses and little else. In some systems, crops are bordered by a wide band of trees and shrubs. This natural border helps filter farm runoff and keep water systems cleaner.
Crop Rotation
In recent generations, most farms have become highlyspecialized, planting the same crops year after year and depleting the soil of nutrients. Crop rotation, on the other hand, seeks to intentionally replenish the soil by switching fields to different crops each season. For instance, a field of corn will use a great deal of the nitrogen readily available in the soil. The next year, the farmer could plant beans in that field, since they notably return nitrogen to the soil. Some years, the same field may become grazing land, allowing livestock to add natural fertilizers to the soil. These rotations can be a simple cycle of only a few different uses or they may include dozens of different crops In addition to improving soil health, this practice also increases the biodiversity of the farm, attracting beneficial insects and pollinators.
Hydroponics
In a hydroponic system, crops are grown with their roots feeding from nutrients in water instead of soil. These systems can be as small as a single cup of water on a windowsill to large commercial growing systems that grow thousands of pounds of produce each year. These systems, when run properly, recycle water, ensuring far less waste than traditional agriculture. They also allow growers to bring more produce to market quicker, and can be set up to grow indoors year-round regardless of climate or season.
Integrated Pest Management
One of the most environmentally damaging aspects of most agricultural operations is pest management. Dangerous chemical pesticides are sprayed over entire fields, leading to crop contamination, polluted runoff, damage to beneficial organisms, and health dangers for farm workers. By contrast, integrated pest management seeks to use only natural, environmentally sensitive pest control methods. These may include pest-resistant crop varieties and pest-free rootstock, among other options.
Vertical farming
In a vertical farm, plants are grown stacked vertically in trays or towers, in indoor growing systems that may also involve hydroponics, controlled environment agriculture, and other alternative growing methods. In many of these systems, trays are stacked in shelving systems, like many-leveled bunk beds for plants. This lets farmers grow many times more crops in a single acre than they would typically achieve.
These methods have their pros and cons, but all are improvements over the strategies that have largely dominated the agricultural industry in recent years. So why don’t we see these options commonly adopted?
We Trust What We Know
It’s human nature to stick to the practices we know rather than risk everything to try new methods. The same is true for farmers. Many don’t want to invest in green technologies and change their tried and trusted practices in case these changes don’t work out. A single season can make or break a small farm, so failure isn’t an option for most farmers.
Who Owns the Land?
Surprisingly, one of the biggest hindrances to sustainable farming involves land ownership. Nearly 40% of our agricultural land is leased. Non-operator landlords own another 31%. This totals 80% of US farmland that is leased.
When farmers don’t own the land they work, they can’t afford disruptions to their operations that might cause them to lose revenue for a season or even a few seasons while they implement new methods. Instead, they have to continue to do things the way they always have or risk being unable to afford their lease payments.
The Outsider Effect
Nobody likes someone from the outside coming into their business and telling them how to run it. Yet this is exactly how many of these agricultural methods have been attempted — outsiders telling farmers what they should do and how. Those who develop AgTech and new farming methods are typically not the same people who will use those breakthroughs. It’s no wonder that the advice and input of outsiders has often been dismissed by seasoned farmers who’ve been growing crops for years, sometimes for generations.
A Winning Solution
Fortunately, there’s an option that can break through many of these problems. A turnkey greenhouse from Eden Green Technology is a fully sustainable farm, using 98% less water and 99% less land than traditional farming methods. It also uses 90% less light energy than most vertical farming solutions and can be built in any location, regardless of climate or soil conditions.
These farms are ideal solutions for urban farming, growing fresh, healthy food within minutes of the communities that will consume it.
Since an Eden Green Technology Farm can be built on as little as an acre and a half, farmers can start one without being beholden to landlords who control the majority of our farmland. And our greenhouses come with the expert help needed to ensure their success.
Our experts will be with you every step of the way, from planning to building to planting to harvest. With this level of guidance, you won’t just be venturing into the unknown and hoping for the best. And even those with no farming experience can get in on the movement toward a more sustainable food system.
If this sounds like the perfect business opportunity for you, contact Eden Green Technology today to discuss starting your own commercial greenhouse.
