The world’s population increases daily, and the agricultural sector is tasked with meeting their ever-growing demand. As a result, little to no attention is paid to the environment or the soil, despite the immense pressure bestowed on it to be productive.
In recent years, several challenges have threatened the productivity of farmers, ranging from financial constraints to issues of climate change. The soil is not allowed a break to regain its lost nutrients, and traditional farming practices also do little to improve it. Amidst that, there is the application of inorganic fertilizers and other human activities such as deforestation, bush burning, and illegal mining activities, which destroy the soil and water bodies.
Sustainable Agriculture involves methods and practices that ensure that resources such as land and water are naturally or artificially replenished while sustaining them for future generations.What this means is that the agriculture sector employs sustainable ways that allow them to produce food at the same capacity without compromising the ability of current or future generations.
This does not only ensure the preservation of resources, but it also helps promote the agricultural business, and here is why:
Sustainable practices such as sifting cultivation and crop rotation give the soil time to replenish lost nutrients, which allows it to serve its purpose by increasing productivity, ensuring soil fertility, and conserving water, thereby allowing the sector to meet the demands of the growing population.
It also lessens the overall costs involved in farming. Moving food from farm-to-fork in a more efficient manner and incorporating smart farming have helped everyone involved with the agriculture industry. IoT and data from sensors installed in everything from seed drills, sprayers, and spreaders to drones, satellite imagery, and soil make it so surprises become rarities.
In addition, sustainable agriculture produces a wide range of plants and animals, resulting in biodiversity. During crop rotation, plants are seasonally rotated, and this results in soil enrichment, the prevention of diseases, and pest outbreaks, which saves the farmer money.
Also, by engaging in sustainable farming methods, farmers receive a fair wage for their produce, which reduces their reliance on government subsidies and strengthens rural communities. Organic farms typically require 2 1/2 times less labor than factory farms yet yield 10 times the profit.
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