Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Q. What is Sustainable agriculture?

A. The focal vision behind Sustainable Agriculture was started as an
alternative to the dominating current trends followed in the industrial
agriculture model. Industrial Agricultural methods are at a scale where,
intensive herbicide, pesticide and fungicide use is prevalent on a large
mono-crop landholding. Animals are held in confined factory like conditions
where synthetic antibiotics and growth hormones are used to increase
production and to combat disease and pest problems. The need for synthetic
inputs is often a result of the unnatural living conditions and mono-crop
production. The negative impacts of mono-crop, chemically intensive
agriculture are topsoil loss and soil erosion, aquifer depletion,
pollution, loss of genetic diversity and the overall brake-down of
ecological systems. There are deeper social issues connected with hunger
and poverty. Many farmers in “developing nations” are shifting to
industrial farming where they grow single commodity crops for export while
sacrificing local subsistence models. The foundation of sustainability
addresses concerns that go above and beyond the term “Organic”.
Sustainable Agriculture seeks practical applications that are more in line
with natural processes and tendencies. Sustainable ecologically sound
methods of farming enhance biodiversity, regenerate soil health, encourage
biological activity, and include whole systems management focused on
regeneration rather than exploitation. The aim is to use nature-based
solutions rather than synthetic and artificial applications. By nature,
sustainable agriculture is generally smaller in scale. From an economic
standpoint sustainable agriculture works to provide viable business
pathways for small-mid sized farmers. The goal is to create a
decentralized, self-sufficient, local/regional food system that empowers
farmers and strengthens community.
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