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65-618: The China-UK Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network ( SAIN ) is a Sustainable agriculture Network launched in 2008 to provide a framework for collaboration on agriculture and climate change between the UK and China . The agreement supports the already existing China-UK Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD) signed by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Agreed upon by

130-467: A gardener and be considered a hobbyist . Alternatively, one might be driven into such practices by poverty or, ironically—against the background of large-scale agribusiness—might become an organic farmer growing for discerning/faddish consumers in the local food market. Farmers are often members of local, regional, or national farmers' unions or agricultural producers' organizations and can exert significant political influence. The Grange movement in

195-446: A billion tonnes of southern Africa's soil are being lost to erosion annually, which if continued will result in halving of crop yields within thirty to fifty years. Improper soil management is threatening the ability to grow sufficient food. Intensive agriculture reduces the carbon level in soil, impairing soil structure, crop growth and ecosystem functioning, and accelerating climate change . Modification of agricultural practices

260-443: A challenge for farmers who care about competition and profitability. There must also be an incentive for farmers to change their methods of agriculture. The use of public policy, advertisements, and laws that make sustainable agriculture mandatory or desirable can be utilized to overcome these social barriers. Environmental barriers prevent the ability to protect and conserve the natural ecosystem. Examples of these barriers include

325-459: A drastic increase in the efficiency of material and energy use. To make that transition, long- and short-term goals will need to be balanced enhancing equity and quality of life. The barriers to sustainable agriculture can be broken down and understood through three different dimensions. These three dimensions are seen as the core pillars to sustainability : social, environmental, and economic pillars. The social pillar addresses issues related to

390-408: A growing population within the changing environmental conditions. Besides sustainable farming practices, dietary shifts to sustainable diets are an intertwined way to substantially reduce environmental impacts. Numerous sustainability standards and certification systems exist, including organic certification , Rainforest Alliance , Fair Trade , UTZ Certified , GlobalGAP , Bird Friendly, and

455-584: A large role in whether sustainable practices will be adopted. The human and material capital required to shift to sustainable methods of agriculture requires training of the workforce and making investments in new technology and products, which comes at a high cost. In addition to this, farmers practicing conventional agriculture can mass produce their crops, and therefore maximize their profitability. This would be difficult to do in sustainable agriculture which encourages low production capacity. The author James Howard Kunstler claims almost all modern technology

520-534: A limited supply. This allows the irrigation of crops without decreasing natural fresh water sources. While desalination can be a tool to provide water to areas that need it to sustain agriculture, it requires money and resources. Regions of China have been considering large scale desalination in order to increase access to water, but the current cost of the desalination process makes it impractical. Women working in sustainable agriculture come from numerous backgrounds, ranging from academia to labour. From 1978-2007, in

585-460: A meager subsistence agriculture —a simple organic-farming system employing crop rotation , seed saving , slash and burn , or other techniques to maximize efficiency while meeting the needs of the household or community. One subsisting in this way may become labelled as a peasant , often associated disparagingly with a " peasant mentality ". In developed nations , however, a person using such techniques on small patches of land might be called

650-454: A quarter of the Earth's ice-free land area is subject to human-induced degradation (medium confidence). Soil erosion from agricultural fields is estimated to be currently 10 to 20 times (no tillage) to more than 100 times (conventional tillage) higher than the soil formation rate (medium confidence)." Almost half of the land on earth is covered with dry land, which is susceptible to degradation. Over

715-507: A resource. In land-use planning and management, considering the impacts of land-use changes on factors such as soil erosion can support long-term agricultural sustainability, as shown by a study of Wadi Ziqlab, a dry area in the Middle East where farmers graze livestock and grow olives, vegetables, and grains. Looking back over the 20th century shows that for people in poverty, following environmentally sound land practices has not always been

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780-559: A result of fossil fuel resources being depleted. It may therefore decrease global food security unless action is taken to 'decouple' fossil fuel energy from food production, with a move towards 'energy-smart' agricultural systems including renewable energy . The use of solar powered irrigation in Pakistan is said to be a closed system for agricultural water irrigation. The environmental cost of transportation could be avoided if people use local products. In some areas sufficient rainfall

845-635: A significant portion live off the food they grow themselves , and it will be profitable because the yield of their main produce will remain stable. Not all regions are suitable for agriculture. The technological advancement of the past few decades has allowed agriculture to develop in some of these regions. For example, Nepal has built greenhouses to deal with its high altitude and mountainous regions. Greenhouses allow for greater crop production and also use less water since they are closed systems. Desalination techniques can turn salt water into fresh water which allows greater access to water for areas with

910-437: A viable option due to many complex and challenging life circumstances. Currently, increased land degradation in developing countries may be connected with rural poverty among smallholder farmers when forced into unsustainable agricultural practices out of necessity. Converting big parts of the land surface to agriculture has severe environmental and health consequences. For example, it leads to rise in zoonotic disease (like

975-445: Is a non-renewable resource and it is being depleted by mining for agricultural use: peak phosphorus will occur within the next few hundred years, or perhaps earlier. Potassium is a macronutrient very important for plant development and is commonly sought in fertilizers. This nutrient is essential for agriculture because it improves water retention, nutrient value, yield, taste, color, texture and disease resistance of crops. It

1040-423: Is a person engaged in agriculture , raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops , orchards , vineyards , poultry , or other livestock . A farmer might own the farmland or might work as a laborer on land owned by others. In most developed economies , a "farmer" is usually a farm owner ( landowner ), while employees of

1105-420: Is a recognized method of carbon sequestration as soil can act as an effective carbon sink . Soil management techniques include no-till farming , keyline design and windbreaks to reduce wind erosion, reincorporation of organic matter into the soil, reducing soil salinization , and preventing water run-off. As the global population increases and demand for food increases, there is pressure on land as

1170-598: Is also a rapidly growing barrier, one that farmers have little control over, which can be seen through place-based barriers. These place-based barriers include factors such as weather conditions, topography , and soil quality which can cause losses in production, resulting in the reluctance to switch from conventional practices. Many environmental benefits are also not visible or immediately evident. Significant changes such as lower rates of soil and nutrient loss, improved soil structure , and higher levels of beneficial microorganisms take time. In conventional agriculture ,

1235-416: Is an American colloquial term for a practical farmer, or one who farms his own land. In developed nations, a farmer (as a profession) is usually defined as someone with an ownership interest in crops or livestock, and who provides land or management in their production. Those who provide only labor are most often called farmhands . Alternatively, growers who manage farmland for an absentee landowner, sharing

1300-417: Is applied to those engaged primarily in milk production, whether from cattle, goats, sheep, or other milk producing animals. A poultry farmer is one who concentrates on raising chickens , turkeys , ducks or geese , for either meat , egg or feather production, or commonly, all three. A person who raises a variety of vegetables for market may be called a truck farmer or market gardener . Dirt farmer

1365-414: Is available for crop growth, but many other areas require irrigation . For irrigation systems to be sustainable, they require proper management (to avoid salinization ) and must not use more water from their source than is naturally replenishable. Otherwise, the water source effectively becomes a non-renewable resource . Improvements in water well drilling technology and submersible pumps , combined with

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1430-496: Is bad and that there cannot be sustainability unless agriculture is done in ancient traditional ways. Efforts toward more sustainable agriculture are supported in the sustainability community, however, these are often viewed only as incremental steps and not as an end. One promising method of encouraging sustainable agriculture is through local farming and community gardens . Incorporating local produce and agricultural education into schools, communities, and institutions can promote

1495-518: Is found in the soil in both inorganic and organic forms and makes up approximately 0.05% of soil biomass. Phosphorus fertilizers are the main input of inorganic phosphorus in agricultural soils and approximately 70%–80% of phosphorus in cultivated soils is inorganic. Long-term use of phosphate-containing chemical fertilizers causes eutrophication and deplete soil microbial life, so people have looked to other sources. Phosphorus fertilizers are manufactured from rock phosphate . However, rock phosphate

1560-431: Is not sustainable agriculture. An example of a case in which a global view may be warranted is the application of fertilizer or manure , which can improve the productivity of a farm but can pollute nearby rivers and coastal waters ( eutrophication ). The other extreme can also be undesirable, as the problem of low crop yields due to exhaustion of nutrients in the soil has been related to rainforest destruction. In Asia,

1625-526: Is often used in the cultivation of grains, fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, millets, sugar, corn, soybeans, palm oil and coffee. Potassium chloride (KCl) represents the most widely source of K used in agriculture, accounting for 90% of all potassium produced for agricultural use.   The use of KCl leads to high concentrations of chloride (Clˉ) in soil harming its health due to the increase in soil salinity, imbalance in nutrient availability and this ion's biocidal effect for soil organisms. In consequences

1690-409: Is readily defined as forever, that is, agricultural environments that are designed to promote endless regeneration". It balances the need for resource conservation with the needs of farmers pursuing their livelihood . It is considered to be reconciliation ecology , accommodating biodiversity within human landscapes. Oftentimes, the execution of sustainable practices within farming comes through

1755-463: Is the ability to feed ever-growing populations across the world. The growing popularity of sustainable agriculture is connected to the wide-reaching fear that the planet's carrying capacity (or planetary boundaries ), in terms of the ability to feed humanity, has been reached or even exceeded. There are several key principles associated with sustainability in agriculture: It "considers long-term as well as short-term economics because sustainability

1820-491: The Coronavirus disease 2019 ) due to the degradation of natural buffers between humans and animals, reducing biodiversity and creating larger groups of genetically similar animals. Land is a finite resource on Earth. Although expansion of agricultural land can decrease biodiversity and contribute to deforestation , the picture is complex; for instance, a study examining the introduction of sheep by Norse settlers (Vikings) to

1885-450: The Economics of Land Degradation Initiative which seek to establish an economic cost-benefit analysis on the practice of sustainable land management and sustainable agriculture. Triple bottom line frameworks include social and environmental alongside a financial bottom line. A sustainable future can be feasible if growth in material consumption and population is slowed down and if there is

1950-622: The Great Depression and World War II , so that in one point of time 40% of the vegetables of the USA was produced in this way. The practice became more popular again in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic . This method permits to grow food in a relatively sustainable way and at the same time can make it easier for poor people to obtain food. Costs, such as environmental problems, not covered in traditional accounting systems (which take into account only

2015-599: The Neolithic , being one of the defining characteristics of that era. By the Bronze Age , the Sumerians had an agriculture specialized labor force by 5000–4000 BCE, and heavily depended on irrigation to grow crops. They relied on three-person teams when harvesting in the spring. The Ancient Egypt farmers farmed and relied and irrigated their water from the Nile . Animal husbandry ,

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2080-520: The United States , the number of women farm operators has tripled. In 2007, women operated 14 percent of farms, compared to five percent in 1978. Much of the growth is due to women farming outside of the "male dominated field of conventional agriculture". The practice of growing food in the backyard of houses, schools, etc., by families or by communities became widespread in the US at the time of World War I ,

2145-447: The flooding of the Nile , the long-term use of biochar , and use of crop and livestock landraces that are adapted to less than ideal conditions such as pests, drought, or lack of nutrients. Crops that require high levels of soil nutrients can be cultivated in a more sustainable manner with appropriate fertilizer management practices. Phosphate is a primary component in fertilizer . It is

2210-415: The loss of biodiversity and increased soil erosion. In modern agriculture, energy is used in on-farm mechanisation, food processing, storage, and transportation processes. It has therefore been found that energy prices are closely linked to food prices . Oil is also used as an input in agricultural chemicals . The International Energy Agency projects higher prices of non-renewable energy resources as

2275-865: The 1930s, one farmer could produce only enough food to feed three other consumers. A modern farmer produces enough food to feed well over a hundred people. However, some authors consider this estimate to be flawed, as it does not take into account that farming requires energy and many other resources which have to be provided by additional workers, so that the ratio of people fed to farmers is actually smaller than 100 to 1. More distinct terms are commonly used to denote farmers who raise specific domesticated animals. For example, those who raise grazing livestock, such as cattle , sheep , goats and horses , are known as ranchers (U.S.), graziers (Australia & UK) or simply stockmen . Sheep, goat and cattle farmers might also be referred to, respectively, as shepherds , goatherds and cowherds . The term dairy farmer

2340-846: The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the development of SAIN was included in the SDD work program on Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries. After being originally proposed at the UK-China Partners in Science Conference in North West China, a business plan was created after consultation with Chinese stake-holders, bilateral agencies, and international organizations. in December 2008,

2405-573: The Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C). The term "sustainable agriculture" was defined in 1977 by the USDA as an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term: Yet the idea of having a sustainable relationship with the land has been prevalent in indigenous communities for centuries before the term was formally added to

2470-604: The Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic concluded that, over time, the fine partitioning of land plots contributed more to soil erosion and degradation than grazing itself. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that in coming decades, cropland will continue to be lost to industrial and urban development , along with reclamation of wetlands, and conversion of forest to cultivation, resulting in

2535-497: The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Department of Environment, food and Rural Affairs accepted and adopted the new policy. The UK-China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network has four primary goals: 1. Support UK-China SDD by policy approaches, institutional mechanisms, and moving policy and science to the ground level. 2. Encourage and grow research on environmentally sustainable agriculture and its relevance to local, national, and

2600-751: The United States was effective in advancing farmers' agendas, especially against railroad and agribusiness interests early in the 20th century. The FNSEA is very politically active in France, especially pertaining to genetically modified food . Agricultural producers, both small and large, are represented globally by the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), representing over 600 million farmers through 120 national farmers' unions in 79 countries. There are many organizations that are targeted at teaching young people how to farm and advancing

2665-422: The adoption of technology and environmentally-focused appropriate technology . Practices that can cause long-term damage to soil include excessive tilling of the soil (leading to erosion ) and irrigation without adequate drainage (leading to salinization ). The most important factors for a farming site are climate , soil, nutrients and water resources . Of the four, water and soil conservation are

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2730-666: The average annual flow of rivers from rainfall, flows from outside a country, the percentage of water coming from outside a country, and gross water withdrawal. It is estimated that agricultural practices consume 69% of the world's fresh water. Sustainable agriculture attempts to solve multiple problems with one broad solution. The goal of sustainable agricultural practices is to decrease environmental degradation due to farming while increasing crop–and thus food–output. There are many varying strategies attempting to use sustainable farming practices in order to increase rural economic development within small-scale farming communities. Two of

2795-486: The barriers preventing sustainable agricultural practices. Social barriers to sustainable agriculture include cultural shifts, the need for collaboration, incentives, and new legislation. The move from conventional to sustainable agriculture will require significant behavioural changes from both farmers and consumers. Cooperation and collaboration between farmers is necessary to successfully transition to sustainable practices with minimal complications. This can be seen as

2860-600: The benefits are easily visible with no weeds, pests, etc..., but the long term costs to the soil and surrounding ecosystems are hidden and "externalized". Conventional agricultural practices since the evolution of technology have caused significant damage to the environment through biodiversity loss , disrupted ecosystems, poor water quality, among other harms. The economic obstacles to implementing sustainable agricultural practices include low financial return/profitability, lack of financial incentives, and negligible capital investments. Financial incentives and circumstances play

2925-622: The conditions in which societies are born into, growing in, and learning from. It deals with shifting away from traditional practices of agricultural and moving into new sustainable practices that will create better societies and conditions. The environmental pillar addresses climate change and focuses on agricultural practices that protect the environment for future generations. The economic pillar discovers ways in which sustainable agriculture can be practiced while fostering economic growth and stability, with minimal disruptions to livelihoods. All three pillars must be addressed to determine and overcome

2990-418: The consumption of freshly grown produce which will drive consumer demand. Some foresee a true sustainable steady state economy that may be very different from today's: greatly reduced energy usage, minimal ecological footprint , fewer consumer packaged goods , local purchasing with short food supply chains , little processed foods , more home and community gardens , etc. Farmer A farmer

3055-828: The development of drip irrigation and low-pressure pivots, have made it possible to regularly achieve high crop yields in areas where reliance on rainfall alone had previously made successful agriculture unpredictable. However, this progress has come at a price. In many areas, such as the Ogallala Aquifer , the water is being used faster than it can be replenished. According to the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute, several steps must be taken to develop drought-resistant farming systems even in "normal" years with average rainfall. These measures include both policy and management actions: Indicators for sustainable water resource development include

3120-484: The development of plants and soil organisms is affected, putting at risk soil biodiversity and agricultural productivity. A sustainable option for replacing KCl are chloride-free fertilizers, its use should take into account plants' nutrition needs, and the promotion of soil health. Land degradation is becoming a severe global problem. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change : "About

3185-432: The direct costs of production incurred by the farmer) are known as externalities . Netting studied sustainability and intensive agriculture in smallholder systems through history. There are several studies incorporating externalities such as ecosystem services, biodiversity, land degradation, and sustainable land management in economic analysis. These include The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study and

3250-648: The early 2000s stating that when people in their communities are not factored into the agricultural process that serious harm is done. The social scientist Charles Kellogg has stated that, "In a final effort, exploited people pass their suffering to the land." Sustainable agriculture mean the ability to permanently and continuously "feed its constituent populations". There are a lot of opportunities that can increase farmers' profits, improve communities, and continue sustainable practices. For example, in Uganda , Genetically Modified Organisms were originally illegal. However, with

3315-457: The environment. Possible sources of nitrates that would, in principle, be available indefinitely, include: The last option was proposed in the 1970s, but is only gradually becoming feasible. Sustainable options for replacing other nutrient inputs such as phosphorus and potassium are more limited. Other options include long-term crop rotations , returning to natural cycles that annually flood cultivated lands (returning lost nutrients) such as

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3380-490: The farm are known as farm workers (or farmhands). However, in other older definitions a farmer was a person who promotes or improves the growth of plants, land, or crops or raises animals (as livestock or fish) by labor and attention. Over half a billion farmers are smallholders , most of whom are in developing countries and who economically support almost two billion people. Globally, women constitute more than 40% of agricultural employees. Farming dates back as far as

3445-511: The global economy. 3. Gather important actors, such as farmers and policy makers, and educate them on environmentally sustainable agriculture issues. 4. Increase global sustainability with south-south learning. The organization of SAIN consists of a Governing Board, two Secretariat Offices, and Working Groups. The North West Agriculture Forestry University in China and East Anglia University in England are

3510-428: The harvest (or its profits) are known as sharecroppers or sharefarmers . In the context of agribusiness , a farmer is defined broadly, and thus many individuals not necessarily engaged in full-time farming can nonetheless legally qualify under agricultural policy for various subsidies , incentives, and tax deductions . In the context of developing nations or other pre-industrial cultures, most farmers practice

3575-742: The knowledge and benefits of sustainable agriculture . Farmed products might be sold either to a market , in a farmers' market , or directly from a farm. In a subsistence economy, farm products might to some extent be either consumed by the farmer's family or pooled by the community. There are several occupational hazards for those in agriculture; farming is a particularly dangerous industry. Farmers can encounter and be stung or bitten by dangerous insects and other arthropods, including scorpions , fire ants , bees , wasps and hornets . Farmers also work around heavy machinery which can kill or injure them. Farmers can also establish muscle and joints pains from repeated work. The word 'farmer' originally meant

3640-495: The lexicon. A common consensus is that sustainable farming is the most realistic way to feed growing populations. In order to successfully feed the population of the planet, farming practices must consider future costs–to both the environment and the communities they fuel.   The risk of not being able to provide enough resources for everyone led to the adoption of technology within the sustainability field to increase farm productivity. The ideal end result of this advancement

3705-403: The locations of the two Secretariat Offices. Sustainable agriculture Developing sustainable food systems contributes to the sustainability of the human population. For example, one of the best ways to mitigate climate change is to create sustainable food systems based on sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture provides a potential solution to enable agricultural systems to feed

3770-505: The most amenable to human intervention. When farmers grow and harvest crops, they remove some nutrients from the soil. Without replenishment, the land suffers from nutrient depletion and becomes either unusable or suffers from reduced yields . Sustainable agriculture depends on replenishing the soil while minimizing the use or need of non-renewable resources, such as natural gas or mineral ores. A farm that can "produce perpetually", yet has negative effects on environmental quality elsewhere

3835-412: The most popular and opposing strategies within the modern discourse are allowing unrestricted markets to determine food production and deeming food a human right . Neither of these approaches have been proven to work without fail. A promising proposal to rural poverty reduction within agricultural communities is sustainable economic growth; the most important aspect of this policy is to regularly include

3900-541: The poorest farmers in the economy-wide development through the stabilization of small-scale agricultural economies. In 2007, the United Nations reported on " Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa", stating that using sustainable agriculture could be a tool in reaching global food security without expanding land usage and reducing environmental impacts . There has been evidence provided by developing nations from

3965-595: The practice of rearing animals specifically for farming purposes, has existed for thousands of years. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago. Goats and sheep were domesticated around 8000 BCE in Asia . Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000 BCE in the Middle East and China . The earliest evidence of horse domestication dates to around 4000 BCE. In the US of

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4030-475: The second most important nutrient for plants after nitrogen, and is often a limiting factor. It is important for sustainable agriculture as it can improve soil fertility and crop yields. Phosphorus is involved in all major metabolic processes including photosynthesis, energy transfer, signal transduction, macromolecular biosynthesis, and respiration. It is needed for root ramification and strength and seed formation, and can increase disease resistance. Phosphorus

4095-399: The specific amount of land needed for sustainable farming is about 12.5 acres which include land for animal fodder, cereal production as a cash crop, and other food crops. In some cases, a small unit of aquaculture is included (AARI-1996). Nitrates are used widely in farming as fertilizer. Unfortunately, a major environmental problem associated with agriculture is the leaching of nitrates into

4160-631: The stress of banana crisis in Uganda, where Banana Bacterial Wilt had the potential to wipe out 90% of yield, they decided to explore GMOs as a possible solution. The government issued the National Biotechnology and Biosafety bill, which will allow scientists that are part of the National Banana Research Program to start experimenting with genetically modified organisms. This effort has the potential to help local communities because

4225-420: The use of pesticides and the effects of climate change. Pesticides are widely used to combat pests that can devastate production and plays a significant role in keeping food prices and production costs low. To move toward sustainable agriculture, farmers are encouraged to utilize green pesticides, which cause less harm to both human health and habitats, but would entail a higher production cost. Climate change

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