Sustainable Agriculture

Recently I have done some research on sustainable agriculture and maintaining a viable food system. I figured for my first post on Natures Wonderland I would share some of what I have discovered.

 I am not sure about you, but one of my favorite things about the summer is having food fresh from the garden. There are few things as great as being able to pick a tomato off the vine, with the sweet aroma of the plant right there in front of you as you take a big bite, all while you attempt to keep the juice and seeds from dripping on your shirt. 

Anyway, back to what I learned. 

Sustainable agriculture defines a system as "capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems... must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound (Duesterhaus, 1990)”.

Historically the agriculture industry has moved from being a small family farm business in the early 1900’s to its current operations of mega-farming. Over the past one hundred years agriculture has become a technology driven business. The idea of raising productivity to provide food for the world was a worldwide driven movement to ward off starvation in developing portion of the globe. The effort really began to excel in the 1960’s with many international efforts introduced (Welch & Graham, 1999).  Recent research has show that the current system has major pitfalls at the cost of people, the environment and the farmer (Ikerd, 1993).  Many grassroots organizations have been created to make a shift toward a more sustainable agriculture industry.

For a family of four to survive off of their land it would require them to maintain a two acre farm. The following infographic provided by Daily Infographic show how those 2 acres would be cultivated in order to maintain a family. 

I understand this is not reasonable for every person. There are many other options for people who want to support sustainable agriculture. One way is buying local foods and goods. Currently the average distance your food needs to travel to get from the farm to your table is approximately 1500 miles. This can impact many aspects of conservation, health and environmental issues. The consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels to travel that distance is extremely high, many pieces of produce must be picked prior to vine ripening to ensure the products don’t spoil in transit. This reduces the amount of nutrients found in food that has to travel great distance, overall creating a reduction in health benefits for the consumer. Finally the transportation emission of greenhouse gases alone has impact on the environment (Norberg-Hodge, unknown). 

             One quarter of the overall land with in the greater Boise area (Ada county) is designated as farmland with 91% being family operated farms (US Census Bureau, 2012). Available to the citizens of the greater metro area are many local farms, Boise Consumer Co-op and the Capitol city market where local sustainable produce, meats, and dairy products can be purchased. Some of the major contributors to the available sustainable products are Peaceful Belly Organic Farms, Morning Owl Farms, Snake River Farms and Earthly Delights Farm. Many of the local farms have community supported agriculture (CSA) shares available to purchase. The bounty of the crop is divided amongst its shareholders in exchange for monetary support of the farm and its production. The average cost for a produce CSA from one of these farms is based on the cost of production to maintain the farm and the livelihood of the families involved (Peaceful Belly, 2009). However on average a CSA runs around $450 dollar for 18 weeks worth or produce, with the grown season kicking of in mid may and running through October. This season is specific to the climate of Boise, Idaho and could vary from location to location.

Just something to think about as the summer season is upon us and you are wondering what other options you have for produce. 


Citations:

Duesterhaus, Richard. "Sustainability's Promise." Journal of Science and Water Conservation 45.1 (1990): 4. Print.

Ikerd, John E., "The need for a systems approach to sustainable agriculture," Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 46, 1993, pp. 147-160.

Welch, R. M., & Graham, R. D. (1999). A new paradigm for world agriculture: meeting human needs Productive, sustainable, nutritious. Field Crops Research, 60(1-2), 1-10.

"Ada County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." US Census Bureau. 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/16/16001.html>.

Norberg-Hodge, Helena. "The Case for Local Food." International Society for Ecology and Culture: Promoting Locally Based Alternatives to the Global Consumer Culture. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://www.localfutures.org/publications/online-articles/the-case-for-local-food>.

"Peaceful Belly » What Is a CSA?" Peaceful Belly » What Is a CSA? 2009. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <http://www.peacefulbelly.com/csa-education/>.