⏳ Estimated Reading Time: 8 - 10 minutes

Describe sustainable agricultural and food production practices.

Sustainable Agriculture

Two individuals, one in a white USDA shirt and the other in a blue checkered shirt, inspect a plant in a green field. — **Farmers and ranchers have long taken care of the land that they use for agricultural activities.**

When it comes to agriculture, sustainability refers to producing all of the food and products necessary to meet the needs of today’s world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet the needs of tomorrow’s world.

Farmers and ranchers know that their livelihood depends on sustaining the productive properties of their land so that they will be able to continue to use it for agriculture. Combine this mindset with a growing environmental consciousness among consumers of agricultural products and the stage was set for developing sustainable practices all the way from farm and ranch to the dinner table and beyond.

Agricultural sustainability is highly dependent on

soil conservation 🪱
water conservation 💧
weather ⛈️

Sustainable agriculture is more expensive than traditional industrialized agriculture. This translates into higher prices at the store for consumers. If you shop, you may have noticed that free-range meat or organic produce is more expensive. When you choose to purchase sustainable produce, you are choosing to support sustainable agriculture, and, in turn, a healthier environment.

Soil Conservation

Today, a plethora of soil conservation measures are used to reduce loss of soil. Explore the interactive below to learn more about the ways we can conserve soil while still growing crops. Just tap on the white dots at the bottom to uncover all the fascinating details!

In addition to the methods above, we can grow food crops on land that is now used for feedstock, biofuels, or cash crops.

A field of green corn plants at sunset — **Protecting the soil is the most important thing landowners can do to ensure sustainable agricultural practices.**

Farmers and ranchers worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS (formally the Soil Conservation Service) to learn and employ these new methods which have all served to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, among many other things.

Landowners know that productive soil is one of their most valuable resources and use the methods above to conserve it. Which method is used and where it is used depends on many factors and not all methods are typically used at the same time. NRCS professionals work with landowners to identify the best method(s) for their land and help implement them.

The United States also has a program called the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In this program, farmers are reimbursed for “retiring” erosion-prone land and planting it with trees or grasses.

The future of agriculture depends on healthy and productive soil. Soil conservation helps preserve the amount of quality of soil and will continue to be an important focus in these areas long into the future.

Essential Knowledge

The goal of soil conservation is to prevent soil erosion. Different methods of soil conservation include contour plowing, windbreaks, perennial crops, terracing, no-till agriculture, and strip cropping.

Improving Soil Fertility

There are two main methods for improving soil fertility: crop rotation and soil supplementation.

Crop Rotation

an image describing crop rotation.

Year 1: Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, peanuts)

Year 2: Root (onions, garlic, turnips, carrots, beets, potatoes, radishes)

Year 3: Fruit (tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, chili peppers, eggplant, pumpkins, squash)

Year 4: Leaf (lettuce, brassicas, curly parsley, herbs, spinach, silverbeat) — **Crop rotation is one way to preserve soil nutrients while still growing crops.**

Growing the same crop in the same site, year after year can reduce soil fertility and can encourage a buildup of pests, diseases, and weeds specific to that crop. To combat this, farmers sometimes allow their crops to lay fallow, or not plant anything in those lands for a season. This exposes the soil to wind and water erosion.

Crop rotation solves all of these problems. When farmers practice crop rotation, they grow a cash crop every third year, with different crops in between. These plants all use different nutrients, so the soil is not depleted and doesn’t expose the soil to erosion.

The following are benefits of crop rotation:

✅ reduces soil erosion, especially on sloping land

✅ reduces fertilizer needs as the off-season crops replace some of the nitrogen removed by other crops grown in the field

✅ reduces pesticide costs as the cycle of weeds, insects, and diseases is broken by rotating different plant species

✅ biological activity in the soil is improved, which improves soil health

✅ legumes and grasses used as a rotation crop can help decrease runoff of excess nutrients or chemicals

Crop rotation has proven to be a sustainable practice as an effort to conserve the quality of soil.

Supplementing the Soil

Soil supplements are materials that are added to the soil, enhancing soil fertility by increasing the availability of nutrients, organic matter, water, and air for plant growth. There are 4 main ways we can supplement the soil:

Soil supplements should be used wisely and appropriately, as too much or too little of them can have negative effects on the soil and the environment.

Essential Knowledge

Strategies to improve soil fertility include crop rotation and the addition of green manure and limestone.

Organic Agriculture

five chickens roaming on green grass — **Organic farms often use traditional methods, support crop diversity, and contribute to local economies.**

Organic agriculture is also a method of sustainable agriculture.

The desire by consumers to have food that is free of chemicals, growth hormones, antibiotics, and potential disease-causing organisms led to the rise of organic agriculture.

Organic farms are small, use traditional farming methods with diverse crops, and are tied to local economies. Organic farms do not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs), cannot be fertilized with sewage, and cannot be irradiated. Conventional pesticides are also not allowed.

The NRCS provides copious resources to assist organic producers.

Reducing Overgrazing

a group of cows grazes peacefully on a lush green field. The field is enclosed by a simple fence — **Free-range agriculture allows animals to forage for their own food.**

Free-range and cage-free agriculture is also sustainable. Animals produced using these practices are grown more humanely and are allowed to roam freely over large areas of land.

These animals are allowed to forage for their own food or fed natural feed. They are distributed more widely over the land, so their waste isn’t as concentrated, and they do not need antibiotics to maintain their health.

Essential Knowledge

Rotational grazing is the regular rotation of livestock between different pastures in order to avoid overgrazing in a particular area.

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