Sustainable farming: working with nature

Modern farming has enabled human populations to expand and live in a manner that was never before possible. A few people can grow the food needed to feed enormous numbers of people. Furthermore, the supply is reliable from year to year and relatively cheap.

On the other hand, extensive land degradation, eutrophication of waterways, decline of native vegetation (and its associated loss of flora and fauna) and the pollution of water and soil are some of the worldwide problems associated with agriculture. Most of these problems stem from humans disrupting biological cycles that operate in nature and the present agricultural practices that cause these problems are clearly unsustainable in the long term.

If agriculture is to keep providing society with the same benefits without degrading the environment, then it is obvious that it must change; that is, become sustainable over the long term.

The word implies 'keeping going'. A sustainable agriculture is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, humane and practical. It can be continued in the long term without environmental decline. This applies to the farmland and the land affected by the manufacturing for agricultural needs (for example, machinery, pesticides and fertilisers) and processing agricultural products. The result is an agriculture that is built to last. Many people now acknowledge that for civilisation to continue, human activities must adhere to sustainable principles.

Conservation farming

Agricultural agencies in Western Australia encourage farmers to adopt conservation farm practices. These practices are quickly becoming part of the farming scene of Western Australia. Underlying the change lies the realisation that the soils that make up a farm are varied and that each has an identifiable limit to the uses it can support. Some soils are capable of sustaining higher- producing uses than others. Farmers need to identify the optimum use for each of the soils found on their farms; that is, a use that gets good returns but does not exceed the soils' capability. This approach is called 'farming to soil type' and it usually involves some rearrangement of fences to group similar soil types together.

Strategies to combat soil problems are many and varied. Keeping last year's stubble on the land - rather than burning it - to reduce wind and water erosion and to add valuable organic matter to the soil is gaining acceptance. Further reductions of erosion can be achieved by managing livestock differently; for example, by never allowing grazing to make paddocks bare.

New ways of planting crops are being tried. These involve a minimal amount of soil disturbance, thus reducing erosion and the loss of soil structure.

Salinity, now recognised as one of our major environmental problems, is attacked head on by a strategy called 'integrated catchment management'. This strategy encourages involvement of all landholders in a catchment to initiate projects that will support sustainable land management practices.

The use of pesticides and fertilisers can lead to serious environmental problems and is increasingly being questioned. Reliance on these chemicals can be reduced by the use of integrated pest management, a strategy that has been successful in controlling several plant and animal pests. Growing a variety of products, rather than relying on the staples of wheat, sheep and beef, makes much sense not only economically but also environmentally. For instance, grain lupins contribute organic nitrogen, break the plant disease cycle and use more water in a cereal/lupin rotation. The more diverse the farming system, the less likely it will be that certain animals and plants will become pests.

More research is needed

There is continuing debate on how far reaching these changes will have to be to sustain agriculture. For instance, it is claimed that retaining existing remnants of native vegetation and planting trees and shrubs will support more birdlife and keep insects in check. Organic farming is gaining support with its rejection of the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Continuing research into these issues is required.

Farmers are not alone in their aim to transform agriculture. The National and State Conservation Strategies advocate sustainability. Land Conservation District Committees are now common organisations 'in the bush'. They are groups of farmers that have identified a common goal in land conservation and direct research and implement land conservation programs based on the area's needs. Above all, these committees are instrumental in spreading the message of sustainable farming and Landcare- working with nature to produce food for people