What is Sustainable Agriculture

People often ask me, what is sustainable agriculture ?.

I summarize some basic principles for sustainable agriculture:

Every farm is different due to geographical location, weather conditions, soil, birds & animals, etc. Selection of species and product varieties should chosen so that it is well suited to the site and conditions on farm.

Diversification of Crops (including livestock) is another issue that one should consider. Diversification reduces the risk of crop failure, animal disease, usage of post harvest waste, inputs provided by livestock, etc. Most of the small farmers fail in long term due to lack of diversification. It is just like saying, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Management of the soil to enhance and protect soil quality is the most import issue. Extensive usage of chemical fertilizer over long period of time degrades the quality of soil that can provide stable harvest. Farmer may get higher yield for few years but then yield starts decreasing. As yield decreases, farmers put more fertilizer and that leads to soil erosion and ultimately the crop failure. After some period of time, land becomes useless. In deep rural areas, where people learn from nature, usage of chemical fertilizer is very minimal.

Efficient and humane use of inputs is important for yield. Farm animals waste,crop waste, vermilion etc serves as natural input for the farm. These inputs are natural and maintains the nature's Eco-system.

Consideration of farmer’s goals and lifestyle choices are important and should be considered seriously. Each farmer is different. Farmers have varied requirements based on family, location and situation. Farmers use the methodology based on their financial requirements.

Healthy soil requires less: input, water, nutrients , pesticide to maintain yields. Less usage puts reduced stress on the Eco-system and water resources.

There are many other issues that one needs to consider when adapting to sustainable agriculture techniques.