1. Sustainability The Agriculture System

2. NON-SUSTAINABLESUSTAINABLE transition PROCESS Meet Future Needs Degradation Erosion of Values The Trend

3. A Process Making the transition to sustainable agriculture is a process. Reaching toward the goal of sustainable agriculture is the responsibility of all participants in the system, including farmers, workers, biosystem engineers, researchers, policymakers, retailers, and consumers.

4. Resource Degradation Natural resource degradation from non- sustainable farming and forestry practices. Water is the principal resource that has helped agriculture and society to prosper, and it has been a major limiting factor when mismanaged. –drought-tolerant crop species, using reduced- volume irrigation systems, managing crops to reduce water loss, or don’t plant anything!

5. Energy Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on non- renewable energy sources, especially petroleum. The continued use of these non-renewable energy sources cannot be sustained indefinitely. In sustainable agricultural systems, there is reduced reliance on non-renewable energy sources and a substitution of renewable sources to the extent that is economically feasible e.g. biofuel

6. Water Quality The most important issues related to water quality involve salinization and contamination of ground and surface waters by pesticides, nitrates and selenium. Erosion and sedimentation. Waste water treatment. Desertification

7. Air Quality Many agricultural activities affect air quality. These include smoke from agricultural burning; dust from tillage, traffic and harvest; pesticide drift from spraying; and nitrous oxide emissions from the use of nitrogen fertilizer. Options to improve air quality include incorporating crop residue into the soil, using appropriate levels of tillage, and planting wind breaks, cover crops or strips of native perennial grasses to reduce dust.

8. Soil Quality Soil erosion continues to be a serious threat to our continued ability to produce adequate food. –Property development –Hillside clearing Numerous practices have been developed to keep soil in place, which include reducing or eliminating tillage, managing irrigation to reduce runoff, and keeping the soil covered with plants or mulch. Enhancement of soil quality.

9. Analysis of Sustainability Level of analysis Typical characteristics of sustainability (cumulative) Typical determinants of sustainability Field/production unit Productive crops & animals; Conservation of soil & water; low levels of crop pests & animal diseases Soil & water management; biological control of pests; use of organic manure; fertilizers; crop varieties & animal breeds Farm Awareness by farmers; economic & social needs satisfied; viable production systems Access to knowledge, external inputs and markets Country Public awareness; sound development of agro-ecological potential; conservation of resources Policies for agricultural development; population pressure; agricultural education, research & extension Region/continent/world Quality of the natural environment; human welfare & equity mechanisms; international agricultural research & development Control of pollution; terms of trade; distribution

10. Ideal Proposition A sustainable system or process must be based on resources that will not be exhausted over a reasonable period (sometimes expressed as the 'long term') A sustainable system or process must not generate unacceptable pollution externally or internally

11. Sustainable Farming Essentially one has to treat one’s farmland as a living system embedded in a broader ecosystem and understanding how to manage all farm practices on the basis of this holistic perception of sustainability

12. Sustainable Farming Its characteristics include: The farmer understands the land as a living system in which she/he acts to support a dynamic balance among the plants, animals, insects, soil, and water. Labor and knowledge are the intensive inputs. Animal and plant production is integrated and synergistic. Farm plant and animal residues and by-products are recycled, on the farm whenever possible. Farming maintains biodiversity and soil health through polyculture, crop rotation, cover crops, and appropriate application of compost and organic fertilizer.

13. Sustainable Farming Diversified cropping, windbreaks, hedgerows, and vegetation at field margins contribute to improved and varied wildlife habitat, including encouragement of beneficial predator insects. Pests and weeds are controlled through the whole pattern of farming, with little or no application of chemical pesticides or herbicides. Similarly, animal health is maintained through avoiding large concentrations and with minimal use of antibiotics. Energy consumption is much lower at all stages of the production cycle and uses renewable sources wherever possible. Farm equipment is relatively lightweight with low energy demand and impact on soils.

14. Essential Attributes for Future Agricultural Systems Should be highly productive, of safe, high quality products (within identified constraints) Should be physically sustainable, i.e. use physical resources at rates or in ways which allow adequate long term development Should be biologically sustainable (i.e. the biological organisms and processes on which they depend must be sustainable in the long term) - this could encompass the avoidance of internal pollution such as the build up of heavy metals

15. Essential Attributes for Future Agricultural Systems Should satisfy agreed standards for human and animal welfare Should not give rise to unacceptable pollution, by products or effects, including visual ones Must be profitable (since they would not be practiced if they were not) - this also assumes that the products are wanted (otherwise there will be no demand and the business will collapse)

16. Farming Life Enjoy farming life. Farming is hard work, but the most successful farmers know when to call it a day and circumvent burn-out. Remember why you're farming and why, in particular, you're aiming for a sustainable operation. For most people, it's because they like knowing they're leaving land in better shape than they found it.

17. Source: Pretty, J. N. The Living Land (1998)

18. Pause & Ponder The arrows in the flow chart above, outline the flows of money through the rural sector, can you suggest any free resources the farmer receives, and of what use are they?

19. Integrated Crop Management (ICM) ICM is a 'whole farm approach' which is site specific and includes: The use of crop rotations Appropriate cultivation techniques Careful choice of seed varieties Minimum reliance on artificial inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and fossil fuels Maintenance of the landscape The enhancement of wildlife habitats

20. Objectives of ICM The reduction or replacement of external farm inputs, such as inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and fuel, by means of farm produced substitutes and better management of inputs. Total replacement is not possible without significant loss of yields, but partial substitution of inputs can be achieved by the use of natural resources, the avoidance of waste and efficient management of external inputs – leaning towards organic farming This would then lead to reduced production cost and less environmental degradation.

21. Waste Management The three "R"s is applicable in waste management more than ever: reduce, reuse, recycle. It'll not only be more sustainable, but it's cheaper, too. Examine every bit of garbage and waste that any operation produces and ask "What else can I do with this?" If you can't do anything to do with it, try to think of ways someone else in the community can use it. Be creative.

22. Biological Sustainability No individual life form can be sustainable indefinitely, since all must die at some point in time. Preservation of individual life is only possible for limited periods (limited sustainability). Individual species, ecosystems and habitats can be sustained as they involve reproductive and other essential processes - without which they would cease to exist.

23. Non-living Resources Some resources are limited, other resources if not used now, will not remain. The most obvious example being sunlight. If the solar radiation received today is not trapped and utilized, it will not be available tomorrow. Nor will the rate that it is used today effect the amount that can be used tomorrow. The sun however is not an infinite resource and is slowly (albeit very slowly) running down. Non-living resources may largely remain intact, though they may change greatly in form (consider soil erosion, radiation loss and weathering of rock). Non-living resources may largely remain intact, though they may change greatly in form (consider soil erosion, radiation loss and weathering of rock).

24. Non-living Resources Resources such as fossil fuels are totally changed when used and cannot be recreated on any reasonable time scale. But they serve no purpose if left unused. The use of fossil fuels is entirely necessary to discover and exploit other resources for energy production. They make possible the construction of dams for hydropower and windmills for wind power. In other words, we are using the limited resource to find the means not to use, or at least limit its rate of use in the future. Gas and petrol are both derived from unsustainable resources.

25. Sustaining Resources Resources such as water and energy can be used up, but never destroyed. Matter can never be destroyed or indestructible. They may be changed in form, be recyclable or difficult to recapture. There is a difference between using a resource and using it up. For example, the countryside. Viewing the hills in a recreational park in Perlis is not using up the resource, but walking in the hills may (eventually) destroy them (eco-tourism)

26. Pause & Ponder If a resource is limited, is there any benefit of leaving it totally unused? Ex. Wooden house and furnitures. Are they from a sustainable wood supply? Consider options available.

27. Living Resources Living resources do not remain static. A dairy cow which is not milked may not provide any milk in the future and may eventually die and be unavailable for any purpose.

28. Living Resources All living things must eventually die: thus, a tree not used as a resource will eventually die and decay - liberating the same amount of CO 2 as if it had been burnt. Gaharu

29. Sustainable Harvesting The use of living resources may have to be considered over a relatively short period or be related to populations (plant and animal) capable of reproduction. This has given rise to the concept of sustainable harvesting, taking only such proportion of the population as can be continued over time, depending on reproductive rates in animals and seed numbers in plants

30. Economic Sustainability Economics is about the efficient use of resources, usually expressed in monetary terms. The concept of economic sustainability is subject, on all levels, to different inputs and outputs. The economic sustainability of a farm is subject to the viability of, and markets for, an enterprise or product. The economic sustainability of a nation is subject to the whole economy on local, national and international level. The economic sustainability of a nation is subject to the whole economy on local, national and international level.

31. Closed Loop Sustainability Raise both livestock and crops, and set up a mutually beneficial relationship between them. The simplest way to do this is to use manure from your livestock to fertilize crops, and use some of your crops to feed the livestock. If you are unable to raise both, find a neighbor who's specializing in a suitable enterprise and set up an exchange.

32. Research Areas New agricultural and engineering technologies that enhance and maintain productivity levels High-value agriculture including mechanization in areas of medium to high agricultural potential Rural economies towards modern agriculture Risk, vulnerability and adaptation Markets for products – market intelligence, niche markets Managing the complex agriculture-based systems and resource base sustainably. Water and its management Natural resource management.

33. Pause & Ponder List 2 industries that can be considered to practice sustainable harvesting Think of a lifestyle or culture that is economically not sustainable because it is socially unacceptable and morally wrong.

34. Tutorial Session 2/2009 1. The arrows in the flow chart given, outline the flows of money through the rural sector, can you suggest any free resources the farmer receives, and of what use are they? 2. If a resource is limited, is there any benefit of leaving it totally unused? 3. The production of wooden houses and furnitures. Are they from a sustainable wood supply? Consider options available. 4. List 2 industries that can be considered to practice sustainable harvesting 5. Think of a lifestyle or culture that is economically not sustainable because it is socially unacceptable and morally wrong.

35. Eco Preservation Plant trees around the farm that act as windbreaks and also provide habitat for local birds (which can prey on insects that prey on crops). Tolerate natural predators that keep pests at bay (e.g. snakes, rats that feed on pests of crops, ladybugs that feed on aphids, spiders that feed on insects which spread diseases to crops).

36. Value Addition Adding value to products is a smart way to differentiate one farm's produce from that of another farm's produce. When you take your farm produce and make it part of delicious burger made from healthy meat that was pasture-raised in your own fields and top it with a slice of tasty, red tomato that grew in your own soil, you stand to appeal to a wider consumer and rake in more profits. In other words, don't just grow a wider variety of stuff--do a wider variety of things with the stuff you grow, and consider selling it from an on-farm store or restaurant (as well as the Internet).