Yield

 

“A reasonable agriculture would do its best to emulate nature. Rather than change the earth to suit a crop it would diversify its crops to suit the earth.” - Verlyn Klinkenborg.

Agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases which contribute to the greenhouse effect and climate change. The changing climate impacts the yield and is likely to cause food insecurities in following ways:

• To mitigate climate change, energy prices increase which account for soaring food costs.

• Water required for food production becomes more scarce and expensive due to natural disasters such as droughts.

• Competition for land is likely to increase as certain regions become climatically unsuitable for production. 

• Extreme weather conditions like torrential rains may cause sudden decrease in yield, leading to rapid price increase.

Farmers can maintain the crop yield and be climate resilient by following these 'climate-smart' agricultural practices.

• Farms need an effective management plan which increases their yield, fights food insecurity, saves money and reduces the climate impact. They also need to keep a close track of weather and farm data in order to predict patterns and plan accordingly. 

• Agriculture consumes 70 percent of the world’s freshwater, making water conservation urgent and necessary. By planting a buffer of trees and bushes along streams and rivers soil erosion can be prevented. Also, wastewater caused by agricultural processing can be treated before it is released back into waterways. 

• Fertile soil is the biggest carbon sink on the planet as healthy soil holds more moisture which keeps plant roots hydrated during dry periods. Soil can be conserved by incorporating methods such as contour planting or no-till farming. Further more, regular compost applications enrich the soil there by minimising the usage of fertilisers.

• Pulling weeds by hand instead of using chemical weed killers is healthier for soil and lowers the greenhouse gas emissions as well as the operating costs. Selective manual weeding is a practice where farmers uproot 'bad' weeds (which are later composted) while allowing 'good' weeds to grow. This helps in restoring nitrogen to the soil and reduces the usage of chemical fertilisers.

• Planting more trees reduces soil erosion, enriches soil, filters water, provides shade for workers, creates habitat for wildlife and sucks up greenhouse gasses. Agricultural expansion causes deforestation and high-yield farming practices can address this challenge.

A tryst with nature #farming

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