Getting to know sustainable agriculture
DAVID MINK Gatehouse Plus

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, industry was thriving throughout the world. Bureaucrats had created a nearly perfect model for balancing incoming resources with outgoing goods. Workers toiled, machines took over thousands of jobs and menial tasks, and the money flowed in.

It only made sense that as such bureaucrats took over the agricultural industry, they applied these same principles to the process. But as time passed, they began to understand the things that work in the industrial field didn't necessarily work when applied to agriculture. The industrialization of agriculture in fact led to the dust storms of the great depression. Such continued industrialization also contributed greatly to soil erosion and pollution of water sources.

"Conventional 20th-century agriculture took industrial production as its model, and vertically-integrated agribusiness was the result," notes a release by the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

"But farms are biological systems, not mechanical ones, and they exist in a social context in ways that manufacturing plants do not."

The idea behind sustainable agriculture, in contrast, is producing abundant food without depleting the earth's resources or polluting its environment. It is the act of "farming with nature," promoting biodiversity, recycling plant nutrients, protecting against soil erosion and water pollution, using minimum tillage, and integrating crop and livestock enterprises on the farm.

Sustainable agriculture, however, isn't simply a way of growing food in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem; it's also a method of giving back to the ecosystem. It emphasizes close connections between the farmer and his community - between the producer and the consumer.

"Sustainable agriculture is also the agriculture of social values, one whose success is indistinguishable from vibrant rural communities, rich lives for families and wholesome food for everyone," noted NSAIS.

In contrast to the megafarms of corporate America, farms that are the future of the sustainable agriculture movement will be the small, community farms that are the backbone of the industry.

The hope is that these farms and farmers can developrich pro- ducer/consumer relationships with the community, supporting the larger ecosystem in the same way that no-till farming supports the smaller ecosystem. In this vision, these farms can supply the majority of their region's foods, creating a rich industry that is close to its consumer and its economic base.

There are a number of steps to take to get your farm on track with sustainable agriculture. Aside from crafty marketing, farmers must build up their soil structure and fertility, protect water quality, manage pests ecologically and maximize biodiversity. Keep an eye out for future Farmer's Corners, where these topics will be explored more deeply.