Forget Wall Street. Forget Silicon Valley. The path to success is paved with dirt and seeded with corn. What if you could make the healthiest food in the world while solving some of our planet’s most pressing environmental problems like funny farm names stardew valley? Well, you can! Here are ten ways farmers can do it:
1. Destroy soil-degrading pathogens:
To make the food we eat, we first have to grow it. But what is planted depends on the soil on which it’s down. And for most farmers, maintaining a healthy soil means scraping off troublesome plant pathogens and weeds that can cause crop damage or disease. This can be done through rototilling (the old-fashioned method of turning the ground with a shovel), planting cover crops like nitrogen-fixing legumes, and planting multiple types of seeds rather than just one to maximize their success.
2. Reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides:
In order to survive in the modern world, we must rely on technology to help us. Which is why many farmers need to be able to rely on technology – such as genetic engineering – to develop plants that withstand harsh weather, disease and pests without being toxic or prone to cross-pollination. Plus, sometimes chemicals may be needed for harvest as well. Even though it sounds scary, this can also be done responsibly through crop rotations and mimicking nature by investigating your local environment for possible alternatives.
3. Manage climate change:
Climate change is known to cause flooding and drought in some crops while leading others away from available sunlight. Learning to thrive in either scenario requires a farmer to be informed about their local environment and climate. They can do this by consulting with environmental scientists or simply observing the weather patterns and natural cycles at work. For example, here in Austin, Texas we have had a mild winter recently while our neighbors in rural Mississippi have experienced severe flooding. As climate change continues, these extremes are predicted to become more common. To avoid these disasters you must be proactive. This means learning how your farm works and experimenting on your own property with new practices that can make you less vulnerable during times of extreme weather or sustainability scares like droughts, floods, and rising temperatures.
4. Use a no-till or reduced-tillage system:
No-till farming is a system that relies on planting seeds directly in the ground, which often leads to erosion and loss of topsoil. The technique instead relies on planting seeds, choosing instead to build up some soil until the plants can no longer grow. Then, when the crop is ready for harvest, not only can it be done with less equipment but it can also require less labor as well. Since taking out the ridges and furrows in soil creates new growth points for weeds and microorganisms to inhabit, this method prevents soil from being compacted by heavy machinery and reduces exposure of those pathogens that grow in decaying organic matter.
5. Minimize spills and waste:
The modern industrial food system has become a source of environmental pollution, not just by shipping chemicals into your neighborhood but by also contaminating soil. With that in mind, reducing what goes into the ground, being more environmentally conscious regarding how food is handled (think reusable containers) and keeping waste to a minimum are all good ideas for the health of the environment and our own health as well.
6. Increase efficiency through sustainable farming practices:
For all of its benefits, farming still requires more resources than it produces – especially if you’re growing nuts that require significant cultivation and massive amounts of water. This means that farmers must be more efficient with their crops to bring about maximum output with less use of land and water. This can be accomplished by optimizing the use of animal, human and mechanical resources through practicing sustainable agriculture. By promoting systems like crop rotation and composting, farmers can cut their use of water and increase the amount of food that each acre of land produces.
7. Increase local resilience:
With climate change increasingly leaving farmers at a disadvantage, they must become more adept at detecting trends in their environment and utilizing those responses to achieve sustainability and regional resilience. For example, this means developing adaptive or “smart” agriculture to produce food that is more resilient to extreme weather across a broader range of crops.
8. Create a healthy, sustainable (and profitable) niche market:
Where farmers succeed is in creating a niche market and being able to create demand for the food they produce. In regions where there are more people that have access to high-quality, organic food, farmers can empower local communities by providing them with access to inexpensive yet nutritious food. These practices help foster a healthy environment while also supporting the health of local economies. Some have already begun producing their own honey or collecting their own eggs while others may use healthy eating as means of rewarding themselves instead of bartending or waiting tables in order to make ends meet.
9. Use your own labor:
Using your own labor saves you money. By doing most of the work yourself, you can reduce the need for outside labor or equipment. You also have more control over what is happening on your farm and how it is being done. For many beginning farmers, this kind of self-sufficiency is their only option to stay in business because few others are willing to work for free – especially at a risky start-up.
10. Use volunteer labor:
Some farmers may be fortunate enough to have friends, family or neighbors that are willing to lend a hand and help out on the farm without having an official wage or title in return. In exchange for your time, you can offer them a small token of appreciation like credit on your farm’s website or even a free meal. This can be especially helpful in the beginning of your farming career as you develop new skills, learn from mentors and create an infrastructure for long-term sustainability.
Conclusion:
While there are many other ways to be a sustainable farmer that aren’t listed above, the ten presented here are among the most basic. Each of these practices has the potential to enhance your farm’s versatility and help it thrive in any given region.
