Telangana TSBIEĀ TS Inter 1st Year Environmental Education Study Material 23rd Lesson Sustainable Agriculture Textbook Questions and Answers.
TS Inter 1st Year Environmental Education Study Material 23rd Lesson Sustainable Agriculture
Essay Questions
Question 1.
Write an essay on sustainable agriculture.
Answer:
Many studies reveal that the global population is going to reach 9 billion by 2050. Meeting the food demands of this booming population requires 70% increase in food production. While modem industrial agriculture introduced by the Green revolution (i.e., conventional agriculture) is highly productive and has achieved a balance between population growth and food production, it has also brought in many detrimental and longterm problems that have degraded the natural environment.
The challenge now is to add the ecological dimension for improvement of crop productivity and to introduce agricultural practices that are economically viable and environment friendly. The rational solution given by economists, environmentalists and social scientists is Sustainable Agriculture that helps in making a shift from crop-centered Green revolution to frontier technologies – centered Evergreen revolution.
Sustainable Agriculture :
Sustainable Agriculture is the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. It entails the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It has been defined as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term”.
Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals Environmental health, Economic profitability and Social and Economic equity.
Principles of Sustainable Agriculture :
- Building and maintaining healthy soil.
- Management of water, energy and other resources.
- Reducing pollution.
- Promoting biodiversity.
- Ensuring animal welfare.
- Stabilizing the food supply.
- Ensuring economic viability.
- Management of post harvest produce.
Methods of Sustainable Agriculture :
Following are the methods by which the sustainable agriculture is carried out:
1. Crop Rotation :
Crop rotation is the method of farming where a series of different types of crops are grown on the same field systematically in sequenced seasons. This helps in breaking the reproduction cycles of pests. It also helps to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients in the soil, thus reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. It also helps in maintaining biological diversity.
2. Organic Farming :
Organic farming is a mode of agriculture which involves cultivation of plants and rearing of animals in natural ways. It is an integrated farming system that strives for -environmental sustainability, improvement of soil fertility and biological diversity by avoiding chemical pesticides and fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones.
Benefits of Organic Farming :
Organic farming techniques maintain soli health, prevent environment degradation and produce high quality crops. Pollution of ground water decreases. The food produced is tastier and healthier and does not contain residues of pesti ides. Milk is free of antibiotics and growth hormones. Farmers in organic farms work in a healthy environment.
Disadvantages of Organic Farming :
Organic food has some disadvantages. The yield productivity is low and the cost of crop production is high. Organic food is, therefore, about 40% more expensive than conventionally produced food. Organic farming requires more labour.
An assessment of organic farming relative to conventional farming illustrates that organic systems better balance the four areas of sustainability. Credit: Reganold and Wachter, WSU.
3. Permaculture :
Permaculture can be defined as the conscious design of agriculture systems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. The term is a contraction of the words ‘permanent’ ‘agriculture’ and ‘culture’. It is a holistic approach based on the belief that agriculture can be ‘permanent’ only if agricultural practices are in harmony with the ecosystem and work with nature rather than against it. Otherwise, it can never be sustainable.
Permaculture aims to empower people to meet their own needs, bring production of food closer to consumers and ensure that the waste is well used and re-used. Permaculture designs are interactive and work with natural forces like the Sun, water and wind to provide food, shelter, water etc., with minimum labour and without importing any resources or creating any waste. The system uses renewable resources and energy and ensures that nothing goes to waste.
For example, Harvested Rain water can be used in the kitchen. The grey water, which is relatively clean, is used for irrigation of plants, which in turn provides food and wood fuel. The plant and animal wastes are put back into the system as compost. Thus natural energies are optimally utilised.
This method helps in naturally building up nutrient rich and well-balanced soils.
4. Hydroponics and Aquaponics are innovative farming techniques of growing plants in a water based nutrient rich solution. This is the best method to grow crops in places where soil is limited. Plants which grow by this method use very less water compared to field grown ones. The waste water can be re-circuiated and reused.
5. Agroforestry involves the growth of trees, shrubs, and/or livestock amongst crops or grazing land on the same unit of land, either alternately or at the same time. Alley cropping, Strip cropping, Hillside systems, Parklands, Shade systems, Silvo- pasture, etc., are different agroforestry applications.
Properly designed and managed agroforestry practices can control runoff and soil erosion. Such practices maintain soil organic matter and biological activity. Soil quality improves. Agroforestry also enhances biodiversity. It establishes efficient carbon sequestration and counters the greenhouse effect.
6. Urban Farming or Urban Gardening is a method of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. It can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, bee keeping and horticulture. Due to space limitations, urban farming can be practised in backyards, raised beds, vacant plots, Green houses, on roof tops and in balconies.
Urban farming is rapidly picking up in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. In Hyderabad, the Telangana Horticulture department provides farming kits on subsidy to aspiring farmers. Urban agriculture enhances urban food security. It contributes to local economic development, poverty alleviation and social inclusion of the urban poor and women in particular.
7. Cover Crops are crops which are grown for the protection of the soil. Plants like sun hemp, horse bean, cow pea, cluster bean and green gram are grown in fields for enhancing the quality of the soil. They are also called Green Manure. They help to increase the nitrogen content of the soil and make the soil fertile. They prevent erosion, increase biodiversity, suppress weeds and improve the water holding capacity of the soil. They are sown just before the monsoons, cut down after 30 – 40 days and mixed into the soil after which the season’s main crop is sown. The biomass can also be used as fodder.
8. Reduced Tillage or Conservation Tillage :
Traditional plowing (tillage) can cause a lot of soil loss. Reduced till method involves inserting seeds directly into undisturbed soil. This reduces erosion and encourages even distribution of earthworms in the soil. As a result, there is better soil aeration and improved soil health. Besides, farmers save on labour, machinery use, fuel and time with reduced tilling.
9. Mulching is the process of covering the top soil with plant material such as leaves, grass, twigs, crop residues, straw etc.
Mulch cover improves infiltration of rain and irrigation water. It reduces surface runoff and prevents soil erosion, reduces evaporation and retains soil moisture, enhances activity of soil organims, increases soil organic matter and suppresses weed growth.
10. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of damage caused by pests through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices and use of resistant varieties of seeds. Pest problems are suppressed by minimizing the conditions in which they live, physically removing them by using barriers or traps, encouraging the growth of natural predators of these pests, planting pest resistant varieties of crops and using Biorational (relatively safe for man and for the environment) chemicals.
This method potentially minimizes the usage of pesticides, which reduces environmental pollution and worker health problems and also promotes biodiversity. It also helps replenishing the land, air, water and soil for future use.
11. Growth of Heirloom and Older Varieties :
Heirloom and older varieties of food crops have the ability to adapt to changes in climate, diseases, and pest conditions in the environment. Growing them improves genetic variety and preserves the biodiversity of seeds.
12. Making Use of Renewable Energy Sources :
Usage of eco-friendly renewable energy resources like wind, solar, biomass etc., to run the pumps and other farming equipment helps to reduce pollution and dependence on fossil fuels. It also provides farmers with a long-term source of income.
13. Ensuring Animal Welfare :
Sustainable livestock husbandry practices like grazing in natural pastures provides improved quality living for animals. Besides the land also receives various nutrients through the excreta of these animals. Smart integration of livestock and crops can give profits to the farmers.
14. Ensuring Economic Viability :
Economic viability is ensured through the reduction of overall production cost as the farmers save money on fossil fuels, transport and labour costs, besides receiving fair wages for their quality produce. This greatly reduces their reliance on government subsidies and strengthens rural communities.