Sustainable Agriculture,

212 Pages·2003·4.7 MB·English

by  John Mason

SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE
Second Edition
J O H N M A S O N
National Library ofAustralia Cataloguing-in-Publication:
Mason,John,1951– .
Sustainable agriculture.
2nd ed.
ISBN 0 643 06876 7.
1.Sustainable agriculture.2.Sustainable development.
I.Title.
338.16
Copyright © John Mason 2003
All rights reserved.Except under the conditions described in the Australian Copyright Act
1968 and subsequent amendments,no part ofthis publication may be reproduced,stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recording,duplicating or otherwise,without the prior permission ofthe
copyright owner.Contact Landlinks Press for all permission requests.
Published by and available from:
Landlinks Press
PO Box 1139
Collingwood Vic.3066
Australia
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Website: www.landlinks.com
Cover design and text design by James Kelly
Set in 10.5/13 Minion
Printed in Australia by BPA Print Group
Front cover photograph courtesy ofJohn Mason
Contents
Acknowledgements v
Introduction 1
1 Different things to different people 3
2 Sustainable concepts 9
3 Soils 23
4 Water management 49
5 Pest and disease control 77
6 Sustainable natural weed control and cultivation 101
7 Management 113
8 Managing plants – Crops and pastures 129
9 Managing plants – Tree plantings and windbreaks 155
10 Managing animals in a more sustainable way 171
11 Understanding products used in sustainable agriculture 191
Appendix 197
Index 203
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Acknowledgments
Research and Editorial Assistants:Iain Harrison,Peter Douglas,Paul Plant,
Andrew Penney,Kathy Travis,Naomi Christian,Mark James,Alison Bundock,
Rosemary Lawrence,Peter Douglas,Lisa Flower.
Thanks to the following organisations for information supplied:
The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA)
National Farmers Federation
Victorian Institute for Dryland Agriculture
Australian Wiltshire Horn Sheep Breeders Association
Australian Finnsheep Breeders Association
Llama Association ofAustralia
The Emu Producers Association ofVictoria
The Australian Ostrich Association
Victorian Department Natural Resources and Environment
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Introduction
First there was subsistence farming.Then there was a technological revolution:develop-
ments in machinery and chemicals allowed us to clear and cultivate land faster,feed plants
and animals quicker (and grow them faster);and kill pests or diseases quickly.These new-
found abilities seemed like a godsend to mankind;and throughout the 20th century we
used them to their fullest,generally with little regard to any unforseen repercussions.
Gradually,time has revealed a variety ofproblems caused by this modern agricultural
development,including chemical residues affecting plant and animal life on land and in the
sea,soil degradation in the form ofsoil structural decline,erosion,salinity,soil acidification,
loss offertility,nutrient loading ofwaterways,dams and lakes and more.
As we move into the 21st century and concern about our environment grows,there is
an obvious move towards more sustainable farming.
Sustainable farming is,in essence,concerned with anything that affects the sustain-
ability ofa farm.You cannot keep farming a property indefinitely ifthere is a degradation
ofresources (environmental resources,financial resources,equipment,machinery,materi-
als,or any other resources).In the short to medium term,the problem ofsustainability is
overwhelmingly a financial one;but in the long term,environmental sustainability will
possibly have a greater impact on the whole industry than anything else.
Why be sustainable?
Ifwe can’t sustain agricultural production,we will eventually see a decline in production;
hence a decline in food and other supplies.There is no escaping the fact that people need
agricultural products to survive:for food,clothing,etc.Science may be able to introduce
substitutes (eg synthetic fibres) but even the raw materials to make these will generally be
limited.As the world’s population increases (or at best remains stable in some places)
demand for agricultural produce increases accordingly.Poorly maintained farms produce
less in terms ofquantity and quality.Profitability decreases mean that surplus money is no
2 Sustainable Agriculture
longer available for repair and improvements.Farm land can become contaminated with
chemical residues,weeds or vermin.The amount ofvegetation produced (ie the biomass)
may reduce,resulting in less production ofcarbon dioxide,and a greater susceptibility to
environmental degradation.
We have created a world that relies heavily on technology to produce the food needed
to sustain its human population.There is a worldwide dilemma.To abandon modern
farming methods could result in worldwide famine but to continue current practices will
almost certainly result in long-term degradation offarmland and,eventually,the inability
to sustain even current human population levels,without even considering future increases
in the human population.
Who should be concerned?
Everyone needs to be concerned about a decline in farm production potential.The farmer,
his family,and workers are always affected first.An unsustainable farm is simply not worth
persisting with and any farm which heads this way must eventually be abandoned or rede-
veloped to become sustainable.This book is about foreseeing and understanding such
problems,and addressing them before it is too late.
1
Different things to different people
Sustainable farming means different things to different people,however they all share a
common concern in preventing the degradation ofsome aspect ofthe farm.Some farmers
are primarily concerned with degradation ofnatural resources (eg their land is becoming
less productive).Other farmers may be more concerned about degradation ofprofitability,
which could be due to increased labour or material costs,poor planning,or simply chang-
ing conditions in the economy.The causes and the solutions to such problems are different
in each situation.
Sustainable agriculture is a philosophy:it is a system offarming.It empowers the
farmer to work with natural processes to conserve resources such as soil and water,whilst
minimising waste and environmental impact.At the same time,the ‘agroecosystem’
becomes resilient,selfregulating and profitability is maintained.
What to do
There are many different ideas about how to be more sustainable.Different people
promote different concepts with great vigour and enthusiasm and,in most cases,these
concepts will contain something valuable.Many are quite similar in approach,often being
variations ofa similar theme.Each approach will have its application;but because it
worked for one person does does not necessarily mean it will work for someone else.Some
ofthese concepts are explained below.
Lowinputfarmingsystems
This approach is based on the idea that a major problem is depletion ofresources.Ifa
farmer uses fewer resources (eg chemicals,fertiliser,fuel,money,manpower),farm costs will
be reduced,there is less chance ofdamage being caused by waste residues or overworking
the land,and the world is less likely to run out ofthe resources needed to sustain farming.