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On a scale from Right to Left, right being absolute anthropocentric and the left being the realm of eco-terrorists, I would say that I fall somewhere just to the left of middle. I am a businessman and I believe that profit is number one. I am a citizen of this planet and I strongly believe that drastic measures must be taken to protect it. To most people the preceding statements seem contradictory but I see a strong correlation. Right now corporations all around the world are plundering their own resources, some willfully, others through ignorance. According to the book of Genesis god put all the flora and fauna on this planet for consumption by humans, we have taken that a step further to include all natural resources.
It is this attitude that has lead us down the destructive path that we are on today, we simply cant get past the idea that it is ok to rape the planet. What big business does not seem to understand is that profit potential is finite if resources are not properly used. What happens when Georgia Pacific simply runs out of trees? There is a better more wholesome approach to the environment though, it is called resource management. Our renewable resources can be managed scientifically to help to provide for future availability. Attitudes have to change about what a resource is, top soil for example, is one of the most valuable of resources we have and through organic farming methods we can save top soil.
We must protect the air that we breathe and the entire atmosphere that surrounds us this is of course most critical in sustaining ourselves. The problem with resource management today is that big business does not like to think to far ahead into the future and the cost of being environmentally sound is too high. In order to be a corporation that survives I believe we must look far into the future and protect ourselves from the fallout that we are currently creating. Organic farming, a good place to start: The worlds population is growing at an alarming rate and while food supply is not. Current farming practices are not likely to be able to sustain us for much longer. Organic farming is defined by the National Organic Standards Board - April 1995 as an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.
It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Organic is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole. Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues; however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water. Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agriculture products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and humans alike.
What is wrong with traditional agribusiness? This subject can be broken into two issues; on-site effects and off-site effects. On-site issues with traditional agribusiness include soil erosion, loss of fertility, species loss, desertification and human health issues. Off-site issues include sediment deposits in waterways and pollution of groundwater. Soil erosion is a very serious global issue, in the last fifty years agriculture has damaged 2. 5 billion acres of topsoil or 10. 5 % of the worlds most fertile soil. This is an extremely shocking fact when you consider the magnitude, the area destroyed equals the area of China and India combined.
Topsoil takes thousands of years to form and it is never more than inches deep, once eroded, it is gone for good and the land becomes worthless. Pesticide use on crops is the most expensive and ineffective way to treat for pests. Pesticides are good for killing the bugs that attack crops and the natural predators of those bugs. This is a good plan for the very short term but in the end the pests actually come back in greater numbers. Groundwater contamination is a major off-site issue. Pesticides that are used on traditional farms seep through the soil and into the groundwater.
The chemicals used in many of these pesticides are highly toxic and are deadly to many species of life including humans. Desertification is a global issue, it affects one sixth of the world population and is caused by changes in climate and human activities. Symptoms of desertification include a lowering of the water table, increase in salt content of the soil, reduced surface water, increase in soil erosion and a loss of native vegetation. There is a direct correlation between agriculture and desertification mostly stemming from bad soil management.
At the current rate of soil loss and population increase, there will simply not be enough fertile land to feed the planet. Drastic measures must be taken to prevent further loss of the earths topsoil. Sustainable Agriculture We can prevent the problem at hand through the uses of soil management and integrated pest management. Organic farming employs many new and old technologies into agriculture. There is no pesticide use in organic farming so that takes care of the pollution issue. Soil management practices include; contour plowing and no-till or low-till methods.
Contour plowing is the process of plowing along the contours of the landscape, perpendicular to the slope. No-till farming allows the roots, stems and weeds to be left in the field to decay thereby aerating the soil. The aforementioned process also greatly reduces the need for fossil fuels consumed by tractor-tillers. Integrated Pest Management or IPM is a system that uses crop rotation, no-till agriculture, natural enemies of pests and the careful use of some highly specific chemicals. IPM greatly reduces the pest problem and helps the farm to more closely mimic a natural sustainable system.
The only reason that organic farming has not taken off is the cost of transitioning from a traditional farm to an organic one. Making Organic Possible It has become my ambition in life to make the cost of going organic affordable. My plan is to start an organic farming franchise corporation called Smart Produce, the mission of my company will be to provide the very latest in sustainable agriculture to local farmers and in doing so forming partnerships worldwide through franchise agreements. Smart Produce will be a world leader in organic farming and environmental protection; we will educate the world bringing messages of sustainability to all.
Free research essays on topics related to: drastic measures, pest management, organic farming, management practices, soil erosion
Research essay sample on Organic Farming Soil Erosion
