Agriculture carries enormous environmental costs. Several factors act as driving forces, including economics, consumer demand and public health issues. Another player is the increased agricultural production. In 1920, American farmers produced 30 bushels of corn per acre. In 2010, the yield was nearly 165 bushels per acre.
On the one hand, these figures show that the United States has become more efficient and better able to meet consumer demand. However, the environment and human health have suffered in the process.
Pesticide and Fertilizer Use
Nearly five billion tons of pesticides are applied to farmlands, gardens and lawns each year in the United States. The problem is that only 0.1 percent reaches the targeted pest, with the bulk polluting soil and surface water. The statistics for fertilizer use are similar. The Fertilizer Institute estimates that each bushel of corn requires 1.5 to 2 pounds of fertilizer.
Sustainable farming can provide an alternative to chemical use in several ways. Crop rotation, for example, can boost the nutrient quality of the soil by switching crops to legumes from grains. Use of integrated pest management can help break the cycle of pests by also using crop rotation as well as intercropping or growing two or more crops in proximity.
Soil Erosion Control
Soil erosion is one of the biggest threats facing the world as it attempts to feed its people. It occurs from tilling, overgrazing and other poor land management practices. Erosion can lead to water pollution as the sediment load increases in surface water. It can negatively impact aquatic life and lead to more serious environmental issues.
To ignore this problem is to disregard the fact that it takes anywhere from 20 to 1,000 years to replace one centimeter of soil. Loss of topsoil worsens the nutrient value of crops and thus, its continued viability.
To control soil erosion, best farming practices dictate that farmers practice rotational grazing. By moving livestock to different grazing areas, pressure on the land is alleviated. Flora can recover to anchor the soil in place. It can also lessen the need for antibiotic use in livestock that otherwise exist in feedlots.
Grain-fed livestock increases the environmental and human health costs of agriculture. A 2000 study by the USDA found that grain-fed cattle were more likely to promote the growth of acid-resistant E. coli. This poses a serious health issue. As figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out, about 75 percent of foodborne deaths are caused by pathogens transmitted to humans principally from meat.
Go Local Produce
An effective way that agriculture can become more sustainable is by decreasing the distance between consumers and the product. Supporting local agriculture reduces fossil fuel emissions. Agriculture accounts for nearly 20 percent of total emissions. A move toward local agriculture can make a significant dent in these figures.
The consumer benefits from fresher produce with less time devoted in transportation. The environment profits from less fossil fuel emissions. The farmer gains with fewer dollars tied up in shipping. On a grander scale, local economies stand to gain from the added income.
Sustainable agriculture offers a different approach to meeting consumer demands that helps ensure future generations will have a reliable source of products. It recognizes the environmental impact that farming has, while finding ways to mitigate these effects. With a solution that has so many positive points in its favor, sustainable agriculture is the right choice.
Sources:
AgResearch. (2010). A Greenhouse Gas Footprint Study for Exported New Zealand Lamb. Ledgard, S.F., Lieffering, M., McDevitt, J., Boyes, M. and Kemp, R. Retrieved from, http://www.agresearch.co.nz
Alliance for Healthy Homes. (2011). Pesticides. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from, http://www.afhh.org
Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R., & Walker. P. (2002). How Sustainable Agriculture Can Address the Environmental and Human Health Harms of Industrial Agriculture. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(5), 445-456. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.02110445
Russell, J., Diez-Gonzalez, F., & Jarvis, G. (2000). Potential Effect of Cattle Diets on the Transmission of Pathogenic Escherichia coli to Humans. Microbes and Infection, 2(1), 45-53. http://doi:10.1016/S1286-4579(00)00286-0
The Fertilizer Institute. (2011). Statistics FAQs. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from, http://www.tfi.org
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2011). 2010 Agricultural Statistics Annual – Grain and Feed. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from, http://www.nass.usda.gov
