Sustainable+Farming+(James+Miller)

=**Sustainable Farming**=

__**WHAT IS IT?**__

Simply speaking, Sustainable Farming is a process by which farmers can grow abundant supplies of food without draining the soil of its resources or putting harmful chemicals into the environment (Earls).

__**WHY WAS IT DEVELOPED?**__

The ideas for sustainable farming were developed as a reaction to the agricultural practices in the twentieth century. When large industry entered the farming scene, food became an abundant resource. However, the industrialized techniques took their toll on the water, soil, and organisms in the area (Earls).

__**HOW SUSTAINABLE FARMING WORKS**__

The main principle behind sustainable farming is to take advantage of natural processes; such as those which occur in bacteria and other soil organisms, to produce food. Microorganisms in the soil are responsible for producing chemicals which can be used by plants for food. Sustainable farming encourages farmers to leave old plant remains in the soil to provide food for these microorganisms. Sustainable farming also looks for ways to control the nitrogen and carbon levels in the soil without relying too much on fertilizers. However, one must be careful because a change in the nitrogen:carbon ratio could cause disaster in the fields. When nitrogen is added to the soil, the carbon:nitrogen ration is altered. If this is not kept in check, the microorganisms' activity will increase due to the extra nitrogen. The microorganisms will then speed up the process of decomposition. Eventually, however, this will greatly decrease the carbon in the soil and cause a decrease in the population. Since the population of the microorganisms provides food for the plants, a decrease in their population will also cause an unhealthy plant population.In order to combat this, sustainable farming also promotes the addition of carbon to the soil through the use of manure and compost. However, one must also be careful when adding carbon because too much carbon will cause the microorganisms to use a lot of nitrogen in an effort to decompose the carbon. Thus the nitrogen will be in the organisms and unavailable to plants.Since sustainable farming prefers an organic approach to farming, the addition of these necessary elements usually does not come from commercial fertilizers. Instead, sustainable farming uses organic fertilizers such as animal waste and plant remains or legume crops which have nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots (Sullivan 2004). **The process of sustainable farming takes advantage of the microorganisms in the soil and on the roots of some plants.**


 * __CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL CYCLES__**

Sustainable farming has connections to all of the nutrient cycles on earth: water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Sustainable farming's usage of organic matter as a fertilizer also plays a part in the water cycle. The organic cover over the soil helps to absorb the water which precipitates. The more saturated the soil is, the more ideal it is for healthy plant growth (Bellows).


 * This diagram showing the water cycle demonstrates how water is transferred through the cycle and into farm plant**

Usage of fertilizers can be harmful to microorganisms which carry out the carbon cycle. Since sustainable farming generally avoids the usage of such commercial fertilizers, it provides a beneficial atmosphere for these organisms. Animal manure and plant remains are decomposed by the soil microorganisms. The complex carbohydrates in these substances are broken down and released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide which can then be absorbed by plants for photosynthesis. The nitrogen cycle, as hinted above, is also present in sustainable farming. Atmospheric nitrogen is absorbed by the soil and is used by microorganisms to break down complex carbons. The by-products of this process of nitrogen fixation are ammonium and nitrate, both essential for plant growth (Bellows, McClintock, Grubinger).


 * Both of the following diagrams help to demonstrate the complete nitrogen and carbon cycles. The process of sustainable farming, however, focuses on the parts of the cycle which directly affect the plants. For plants the main sources for nitrogen are from the soil. The nitrogen in the soil is able to be absorbed because of the process of nitrogen fixation which occurs in the microorganisms in the soil.**
 * Most of the carbon which plants take in comes from the atmosphere. Carbon is also an important element in the soil which helps to keep the nitrogen:carbon ratio in check so that nitrogen is always available for plants.**

Finally phosphorus is available in the soil and in animal manure. Phosphorous is important for plant growth and reproduction as well as for the process of nitrogen fixation by microorganisms. Phosphorous is usually bound to other chemicals in the soil and thus is sometimes difficult for plants to obtain. With the addition of organic material to the surface phosphorous may become more readily available for plant uptake (Bellows).


 * This diagram helps to show that plants mostly obtain their phosphorous from the soil. The soil is saturated with this element because of animal waste products.**

__**SOLUTION?**__

In many respects, sustainable farming does solve some environmental problems which conventional farming poses. Sustainable farming tries to offer alternatives to chemical usage and therefore avoids putting harmful chemicals into the biosphere. However, economically it is not the most attractive alternative. Since sustainable farming is only able to provide a small income, large corporations and businesses still retain the old practices of conventional farming. Yet, sustainable farming also has some, although preventable, down sides for the environment. During the period of transition from conventional methods to sustainable ones, the soil could become over populated with chemicals which could leak into and contaminate water. Also, since sustainable farming also encourages the use of manure and other organic by-products, it is possible that these may also leak into the environment if they are not properly stored. Animal waste can also be a breading ground for many bacteria such as pathogens. Another down side to sustainable farming is that many of its practices, such as alternative tilling methods, require expense machinery (Earls, Sullivan 2003).

media type="youtube" key="9rG3SBQYOms" height="344" width="425" This short video offers an explanation as to why sustainable farming is attractive to the local people as well as why it is limited with respect to the large farming industry. It also provides information as to how small sustainable farms are trying to compete with industrialized ones.

Earles, R. (2005). //Sustainable Agriculture: An Introduction//. Retrieved from http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/sustagintro.html

Sullivan, P. (2004). //Sustainable Soil Management//. Retrieved from http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/soilmgmt.html

Bellows, B. (2001). //Nutrient Cycling in Pastures//. Retrieved from http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nutrientcycling.html

Sullivan, P. (2003). //Conservation Tillage//. Retrieved from http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/consertill.html

McClintock, N.C. (2005, June). //Compost Production and Use in Sustainable Farming Systems//. Retrieved from http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/PDFs/FieldNote1Jan09.pdf

Grubinger, V. (n.d.). //SOURCES OF NITROGEN FOR ORGANIC FARMS//. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/organicN.html