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  • From: Hannah Popish <hpopish@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] ATTRA Summary: Sustainable Agriculture Concepts and Farm Applications, November 1992
  • Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2016 21:55:19 -0500

Please take me off this list, thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 7, 2016, at 9:46 PM, Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> ATTRA Summary: Sustainable Agriculture Concepts and Farm Applications,
> November 1992
> http://www.ibiblio.org/london/orgfarm/issues-and-news/issues/sustainable-agriculture-defined/2/sustag.def.attra
>
> APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR RURAL AREAS, P.O. Box 3657,
> Fayetteville, AR 72702; 1-800-346-9140
>
>
> ATTRA Summary:
>
> Sustainable Agriculture Concepts and Farm Applications
>
>
> The term "sustainable agriculture" was introduced in the
> early 1980's and has since gained wide recognition. It is used to
> convey the concept of a system of agriculture that is
> ecologically, economically, and socially viable, in the short as
> well as long term. Rather than standing for a specific set of
> farming practices, a sustainable agriculture represents the
> end-goal of developing a food production system that:
>
> - yields plentiful, affordable, high-quality food and other
> agricultural products
>
> - does not deplete or damage natural resources (such as soil,
> water, wildlife, fossil fuels, or the germ-plasm base)
>
> - promotes the health of the environment
>
> - provides a good livelihood for farmers
>
> - supports a broad base and diversity of farms and the health
> of rural communities
>
> - depends on energy from the sun and on natural biological
> process for fertility and pest management
>
> - can last indefinitely
>
> Many different views exist about what a sustainable
> agriculture is as well as about how to achieve it. Of the many
> definitions proposed for sustainable agriculture, most address the
> kinds of qualities mentioned above. However, a variety of terms
> have emerged in addition to "sustainable" to refer to the concept,
> or to aspects, of sustainability in agriculture. The most popular
> of these have been: "alternative," "low-input," "regenerative,"
> and "organic." Examples of other terms for approaches toward or
> concepts of sustainability are: "natural," "biodynamic," "eco- or
> ecological," "biologically-sound," and "permaculture."
>
> These terms, and others in use, represent different specific
> philosophies and techniques in sustainable agriculture to
> different audiences. In addition, some may be found used
> interchangeably to mean the concept of "a sustainable agriculture"
> as the type of overall end-goal described above.
>
>
> Typical Farm Applications
>
> On the farm, concepts of what sustainable agriculture is can
> serve as guiding principles for making choices about how to design
> farming systems as well as about what farming practices to use.
> Because understandings of what is sustainable may vary, or will
> change, so will the types of farming systems created from an
> application of sustainable principles. However, there are
> features which tend to be typical of farming systems designed with
> sustainability as a goal.
>
> For example, crop fertility is generally handled in these
> systems by developing management alternatives to applications of
> synthetic petroleum-based fertilizers. Practices which protect
> and improve soils; conserve, cycle, and improve the availability
> of crop nutrients; and reduce nutrient leaching are emphasized,
> instead. Examples are:
>
> - crop rotations
> - cover cropping
> - inclusion of nitrogen-fixing legumes
> - green manuring
> - composting of crop residues
> - intercropping and agroforestry
> - forms of conservation tillage
>
> Systems involving livestock feature practices which conserve
> and effectively allocate nutrients from animal manures, such as:
> intensive rotational grazing, and systems for manure collection
> and storage, stabilization by composting or anaerobic digestion,
> and well-planned application.
>
> Methods of pest management in more-sustainably managed
> farming systems generally aim to reduce or eliminate applications
> of synthetically derived pesticides and to support beneficial
> organisms and other natural checks on farm pests. In cropping
> systems, cultural, physical, and biological methods may be
> emphasized, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques like
> pest monitoring may play an important role. Practices may
> include:
>
> - timing of field operations
> - crop rotations
> - choosing pest-resistant varieties
> - site sanitation
> - mulching
> - mechanical management
> - physical barriers
> - biologically derived pesticides
>
> Weeds in pastures may be managed with intensive or
> mixed-species grazing. More-sustainable livestock systems may
> also feature methods of housing, feeding, and pest management that
> avoid disease- and pest-promoting conditions.
>
> Overall, management methods for these farms promote greater
> diversity in biological systems on or related to the farm, such as
> those involving soil microorganisms and earthworms, or wildlife.
> They also aim to: emphasize reliance on on-farm resources rather
> than on external inputs -- including energy; conserve and protect
> soil and water; keep operating costs low; and increase economic
> diversity to enhance and stabilize farm income.
>
> The features touched on here show how working toward
> sustainability on the farm is more involved than adopting
> individual production techniques. It entails developing an
> integrated, holistic system of crops and management practices. To
> become sustainable, farming systems need to be designed and
> operated in cooperation with natural systems. They also need to
> be tailored to the characteristics and resources specific to each
> farm.
>
>
> Why a Sustainable Agriculture?
>
> A sustainable agriculture is the future standard, or
> convention, our agriculture is moving toward in order to remain
> productive and meet changing food needs. Within society, support
> for developing a sustainable agriculture is founded on some common
> understandings. For one, there is wide recognition now that our
> need to ensure a secure food system requires us to have an
> approach to agriculture that emphasizes a protected environment
> and resource base. In addition, there is a growing consensus that
> our agriculture also needs to be the product of a stable, diverse,
> broad-based, and self-supporting farm economy.
>
> Our current conventional form of agriculture -- in place
> since WWII -- is credited with the production of large quantities
> of low-priced food. But conventional agriculture's heavy use of
> fossil fuels, synthetic chemicals, capital-intensive technologies,
> and large-scale monocultures has generated extensive and
> problematic environmental, economic, and social costs. Society as
> a whole now has a better understanding of these costs which, among
> other impacts, are endangering future agricultural productivity.
>
> Making a change to more-sustainable systems can be worthwhile
> for farmers. As concluded in the National Research Council's 1989
> study, "Alternative Agriculture": "Farmers successfully adopting
> these systems generally derive significant sustained economic and
> environmental benefits." Adopting a more sustainable approach to
> farming may for some be a practical response to restrictions on
> resource-depleting and environmentally harmful agricultural
> practices and technologies. For others, developing a food system
> that works cooperatively with nature is the primary goal.
>
>
> Making the Farm More Sustainable
>
> Farmers often find that making major changes toward
> sustainability on the farm can require a transition period of up
> to several years. The nature and length of the transition period
> for an individual farm depends on the type and size of farm to
> start with as well as on the kinds of changes implemented. During
> the transition, farmers may experience fluctuations in crop yields
> and farm income as new methods get established and farm systems
> adjust to any changes made. Purchases of special inputs, such as
> non-conventional fertilizers, may also be required during the
> transition.
>
> To one degree or another, steps farmers take to make a farm
> more sustainable involve all aspects of the farm system. Farm
> labor and management needs are affected, as are farm biological
> systems; uses for equipment, buildings, and tools; and the roles
> played by water, minerals, and soil.
>
> To make the transition, farmers commonly find they need new
> kinds of management skills along with increased knowledge about
> the key elements and interactions in their farm system. Taking
> steps to diversify production or to rely less on synthetic
> chemicals for fertility and pest management, for example, may
> require farmers to: 1) become familiar with new crops; 2)
> understand and monitor pests more thoroughly; 3) use new types of
> equipment and practices for planting and harvesting and for
> fertility and pest management; 4) allocate and schedule labor
> inputs differently; 5) know more about and work more precisely
> with farm soil, water, plant, insect, and animal systems and
> system interactions; and 6) develop new marketing strategies.
>
> Changing farming methods may also require farmers to plan for
> financial and time demands of acquiring new skills, equipment, or
> materials for implementing desired changes in the farm. Extra
> finances may also be needed to pay for advice, or to weather
> temporary income changes during a transition.
>
>
> Changes commonly made:
>
> While each farm is unique, certain types of changes are often
> instituted by farmers working to apply sustainable agricultural
> principles to their farms. A basic step farmers commonly take is
> to make changes which increase the levels of biological and
> economic diversity of the farm. These may include adding new
> crops or crop varieties, integrating livestock with crop
> enterprises, or developing additional ways to market farm
> products.
>
> Meeting needs for nitrogen and other crop nutrients and for
> alternative forms of pest management may be a farmer's most
> immediate challenge when changing from conventional methods. To
> start developing on-farm fertility, farmers often initiate general
> soil-maintenance practices such as: crop rotations, cover
> cropping, and conservation tillage. Specific practices farmers
> may adopt to improve soils and supply crop nutrients, especially
> nitrogen, are: 1) including nitrogen-fixing legumes in rotation
> with non-legume crops; and 2) soil-incorporating legume and other
> crops as "green manures." Practices often instituted which are
> well-suited to small or intensively managed enterprises may
> include the application of composted crop residues or of other
> organic amendments, and techniques like "foliar feeding."
>
> Changes in pest management farmers make generally give a
> greater role to non-chemical tactics for preventing a start-up of
> pest problems or for suppressing problem pest populations.
> Preventive tactics for crops may include choosing pest-free plant
> starts, or supporting habitat for natural pest enemies.
> Non-chemical suppression tactics may range from crop rotations or
> tillage to planned releases of beneficial insects. Alternative
> chemical tactics may range from reduced- or spot-spray methods to
> a reliance on botanical and other biologically derived pesticides.
> Farmers may implement pest monitoring and other IPM techniques for
> identifying combinations of tactics that carefully target pests
> and that best meet farmer-goals for an effective, ecologically
> sound pest management program.
>
> Other changes made may include switching to more efficient
> forms of irrigation or to crop varieties better adapted to local
> climatic and soil conditions. In livestock systems, farmers may
> opt to: grow their own feed; institute non-chemical pest
> management (such as rotating pastures to manage parasites); phase
> out controversial growth additives; or produce a leaner meat
> product.
>
>
> Important time factors:
>
> Examples of time factors that can be important in making a
> transition from conventional methods include time needed to: 1)
> improve compacted soils and raise soil levels of organic matter,
> earthworms, and microorganisms; 2) improve farm levels of
> bio-diversity and of natural pest enemies; 3) establish new crops,
> technologies, and enterprises; 4) learn and become proficient at a
> new management skills; and 5) stabilize farm income and operating
> costs. Time factors such as these can be especially critical for
> farmers choosing to farm organically who are working to meet
> strict farming and waiting-period requirements involved in being
> certified to sell products as "organic."
>
>
> Barriers encountered:
>
> Lack of adequate knowledge and skills can be a serious
> barrier to changing from conventional farming practices. New
> production approaches may also require equipment, materials for
> fertility or pest management, crop seed or starts, or livestock
> that are not widely available, or that are expensive. Making
> investments up front and risking a period of income instability
> and of managerial trial-and-error can be important barriers for
> farmers who don't have financial reserves built up.
>
> Historically, institutional barriers have presented important
> limits to farmer-adoption of sustainable methods. These barriers
> have included: 1) inadequate support for developing and
> disseminating technical and practical information on alternative
> farming methods; 2) low investment in supplying alternative
> technologies, equipment, and materials; 3) farm credit biases; and
> 4) restrictive product grading and commodity program policies.
>
>
> Support for Sustainable Systems
>
> An array of new and long-established farmer and environmental
> organizations and spokespersons have had a key role in promoting
> the development of sustainable agricultural systems. Their
> contributions include significant outreach, research and
> demonstration, and political efforts. At the federal level,
> Congress has taken some important steps through '85 and '90 farm
> bill legislation to support sustainable agriculture, including the
> creation and funding of the national-scale USDA "LISA" (Low-Input
> Sustainable Agriculture) Program.
>
> The LISA Program, now administered as the "Sustainable
> Agriculture Research and Education" (SARE) Program, funds
> innovative research and extension projects aimed at meeting
> farmers' needs for practical information on sustainable
> agriculture. With fiscal funding up to $6.72 million in 1991 and
> also in 1992, the LISA (now SARE) Program has awarded hundreds of
> state- and regional-level project grants. Funded projects are
> often designed and management jointly by several kinds of
> individual or organizational participants, including: farmers;
> university or private researchers, educators, or extensionists;
> and public agency staff. To date, thousands of farmers have
> participated in SARE projects.
>
> The non-profit ATTRA ("Appropriate Technology Transfer for
> Rural Areas") national direct-access information service is
> another product of federal funding initiatives to support
> sustainable agriculture. ATTRA -- which produced this Summary --
> responds to individual questions from farmers and others about
> sustainable agricultural production and marketing.
>
> SARE projects, dozens of farmer organizations such as the
> Practical Farmers of Iowa, non-profit research organizations such
> as Rodale Institute, and direct-access information providers like
> ATTRA or the National Agriculture Library are making available
> important sustainable agriculture information-transfer and
> skill-learning opportunities to farmers. These opportunities
> include: farm tours, farmer field days, and on-farm
> demonstrations which promote farmer-to-farmer contact; workshops,
> symposiums, and conferences for information exchange and skills
> training; projects to conduct on-farm research; and publications
> and other media.
>
>
> Barriers easing:
>
> Coinciding with these efforts, some institutional barriers to
> farmer adoption of sustainable methods are easing. Representative
> of this change, for instance, are new commodity program provisions
> allowing farmers to grow certain cover and alternative crops and
> use crop rotations on program base acres. Congress is also now
> requiring a greater focus of USDA research on environmental, rural
> economic, and resource issues, and of Extension on sustainable
> agriculture outreach to farmers.
>
> Working from a different tack to encourage sustainable
> farming choices, the beginnings of legislated restrictions
> targeting certain conventional practices are being enacted at the
> state level. State-sponsored projects, like California's
> Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP),
> are also being created to meet in-state needs for sustainable
> agriculture research and information. At the same time, a number
> of universities across the country are sponsoring innovative
> research and degree programs in sustainable agriculture. In the
> commercial arena, as well, a variety of businesses now distribute
> products of, supply, and advise farmers who are working to apply
> sustainable methods.
>
> For More Information
>
> This publication summarizes information on sustainable
> agriculture researched and compiled by ATTRA technical staff.
> Further information on any of the sustainable agriculture
> concepts, applications, or terms mentioned in this Summary can be
> obtained by contacting ATTRA. ATTRA also has additional
> information on organizations working in sustainable agriculture.
> Call ATTRA toll-free at: 1-800-346-9140.
>
>
> ATTRA Summary:
> Sustainable Agriculture Concepts and Farm Applications
>
>
> Written by: Holly Winger
> Editorial and Project Director: Christine Rugen
> (PageMaker Version Design/Layout: Jim Tracy)
>
> December 1991; update: November 1992
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