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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Biological Approaches to Farming
  • Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:20:48 -0600


Biological Approaches to Farming
Reducing Fertilizer Use & Pollution
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/April_Amaranthus.pdf

The thin skin of soil that envelops
the earth’s crust is a basic and critical
resource supporting life on the
planet. Yet, in a sense, we treat soil — that
remarkable collection of microbes, minerals
and processes — as if we were still
in the Stone Age. Research (and just plain
common sense) indicates that excessive
use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
have had far-reaching ramifications for
our environment and our own survival.
The time has come to change course in
the treatment and management of our
irreplaceable soil and water resources.
For all our infatuation with the latest in
computers, phones and modern gizmos,
basic human survival depends a lot more
on clean water and our ability to sustain
soil productivity.

Water quality is deteriorating at an
alarming rate worldwide, and farming
is identified as a significant source of
surface and groundwater pollution. As
a result, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus
(P) runoff mitigation has become a major
goal of the agriculture industry. The
preponderance of modern agriculture
production relies on intensive synthetic
fertilizer use, frequent tillage and heavy
irrigation practices, all of which are
highly conductive to nutrient leaching.
The industry has proposed a number
of Best Management Practices (BMP)
in an attempt to maximize production
while minimizing surface and groundwater
contamination from agricultural
runoff and leaching. These proposed
practices vary with particular farming
conditions, but most encompass
proper vegetative cover and improved
efficiencies in irrigation and fertilizer
programs. While these practices may
help, other valuable tools are available
right beneath our feet.









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