This post was written by MEA Environmental Club founder and president, Megan Phelps. Sustainable agriculture is a big topic--but a critically important one. That's why we've compiled a list of a few of our favorite books, movies, and articles that you can read to learn more about sustainable agriculture. Happy reading! Books Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver In this memoir, Kingsolver recounts her family's journey after moving to a farm and growing their own food for one year. 100 Mile Diet by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mckinnon After learning that the average ingredient in a North American diet travels 1,500 miles, Mckinnon and Smith decide to eat food within a 100 mile radius of their apartment for one year. Local by Douglas Gayeton This book explores different ways farmers and activists everywhere are revolutionizing the food system. The Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale Maria Rodale is a pioneer in the organic industry. This book sheds light on the key differences between conventional and organic agriculture. Movies Seed: The Untold Story This movie explores how seeds are essential to our food security. Know Your Food Short Film series Made by the Lexicon of Sustainability, this film series explores different aspects of sustainable agriculture. Food Inc This film delves into the issue of corporatization of our food supply. Articles Rodale Institute Research This series of articles provides concrete research about organic agriculture and methodology. 15 Ways to Celebrate Agriculture This article details 15 ways that farmers, policymakers, and consumers can improve our agriculture system. Sustainable Agriculture: What it is, and Why it Matters Written by former MEA student Patrick, this post is a great overview of agriculture and sustainable solutions. Have any other suggestions? Comment below!
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Written by Patrick Mulvany, MEA student In the US, our agricultural practices are often not very sustainable, and will cause problems in the long run. However, there are easy solutions for the majority of these problems. The Problem: Erosion Erosion occurs when land is cleared of native plants for farming. As any farmer can tell you, the topsoil is the soil which contains the nutrients needed to grow crops. Lose the topsoil, and you lose fertile farmland. When the native plants are cleared away, the topsoil is exposed to the elements. It is often then blown away by wind or washed away by rain. It takes approximately 500 years to replace one inch of topsoil, so fertile land is, for all human intents and purposes, a non-renewable resource. The Solutions: Compost and Windbreaks First, lining fields with trees to create a windbreak helps control erosion. Second, using compost in the fields helps prevent erosion as the compost absorbs a lot of the water which would otherwise drain off the fields and take soil along with it. The Problem: Dying Pollinators Pollinators face many problems. One of the biggest is pesticides. Pesticides are designed to kill organisms that feed on the crop plants we grow for food. Unfortunately, pesticides often don’t just kill their intended target, they often kill many pollinators and other organisms as well. Many pesticides don’t naturally break down in the environment and therefore can continue to kill non-target insects for a very long time. In addition, the vast tracts of land used for agriculture and other uses of land by humans has severely degraded many pollinators’ natural habitats. This limits space for pollinators to live, and therefore severely reduces population numbers. The Solution: Organic Agriculture
Buying organic foods can help this problem. Organic crops must be grown without use of pesticides. This helps prevent the collapse of pollinators, as no pesticides means fewer dead pollinators. It also means pesticides aren’t on your food. Other forms of less harmful pest control are usually used in organic farming, such as biological controls. This generally means farmers attempt to provide a habitat for and boost the population of natural predators of the pest species. In addition, pheromones and other chemical attractants can be used to trap pests, disrupt their reproduction cycles, and more. |
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