The world population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Given recent geopolitical shifts, vulnerable trade systems, and rising natural calamities due to climate change, food security is a major concern for policymakers, administrators, and world leaders. Despite these complications, sustainable agriculture practices have emerged as a reliable solution whose widespread adoption may ease access to nutritious, affordable food for all in the coming decades. This blog explores some significant practices that will play a crucial role in addressing this security challenge.
Precision farming can enhance food production sustainably while reducing environmental impact. It will empower farmers with precise quantities of inputs, water, pesticides, and fertilizers at the right place and time. Studies suggest that precision farming can reduce water and fertilizers consumption by 4% and 9%, respectively. It can also ensure a circular economic model as it will reduce input wastage by up to 40% while increasing crop production by 4%. These efficiency levels will be elemental in addressing the increasing food demand of the expanding population.
Agroecology aims to combine agricultural knowledge base with biodiversity data that impacts all aspects of agronomy, including nutrient cycling, natural pest control, and nitrogen fixation. It is a holistic approach that involves agricultural systems and ecological principles and focuses on enhancing the interaction between flora and fauna for a fair food system that benefits all stakeholders. Studies suggest that approx. 78% of the research conducted on agroecological practices concluded with positive results in the context of food security for middle and low-income nations. A number of global initiatives, like the Scaling Up Agroecology Initiative, are promoting the adoption of these practices among governments and food producers worldwide.
Permaculture designs aim to develop agricultural systems embedded with self-maintenance patterns, iterating natural processes that occur repetitively. These practices range from water conservation to biodiversity promotion, improving soil health, and more. As the practice is acknowledged around the world, a number of initiatives have been launched to promote its adoption. For instance, the CGIAR’s Nature-Positive Solutions Initiative aims to increase food, water, and land productivity by 30%, reverse soil degradation, and increase biodiversity by 50%. This practice not only caters to food requirements but also fosters environmental stewardship. Apart from maximizing resource efficiency, permaculture will be pivotal in building resilience to external chaos.
Carbon farming's primary aim is to enhance the rate of CO2 removal from the atmosphere as it is converted to soil organic matter and plant biomass. This well-structured, sustainable approach is gaining attention for its ability to align environmental goals with food production. It raises the possibility of carbon storage in the long term while simultaneously increasing soil fertility and agricultural yield. There is no all-inclusive strategy for carbon farming at present. However, there are some that are highly recommended, like restoring and rewetting peatlands, managing grasslands and cropland nutrients, manure and livestock management, and so forth.
Conservative agriculture is an advanced alternative management technique that helps manage agricultural systems. As FAO and UN define it, “conservative agriculture is a production system that protects agricultural soil and water that integrates economic, environmental and agronomic aspects of agriculture.” It is constituted by three major approaches: diversified farming with a minimum of three distinct crop rotations, permanent organic soil cover, and minimum mechanical disturbances in the soil through conservation tillage. Adoption of any of these three approaches has proven to have a positive SOC (soil organic carbon) impact globally and is being widely adopted in several parts of the world. For now, conservative agriculture methods are currently being looked into in East Africa, where it is helping in soil moisture preservation, SOM, and SOC while minimizing soil erosion and surface water runoff.
Insects, weeds, and pathogens have been major challenges to global food security and sustainable agriculture development. However, the use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides needs to be reduced through alternative methods. Integrated pest management supports natural pest management and productive crop development without disturbing agroecosystems. It is a structured approach that blends various pest management methods, reducing farmers' reliance on synthetic pesticides. Implementation of these techniques is on the rise across the globe. For instance, a study showed that the implementation of integrated pest management techniques in rice cultivation in Asia resulted in a 64% decrease in pesticide applications while increasing the output by 14%.
Global food security is a big challenge that industry stakeholders face, and while several solutions are being devised to neutralize its impeding effects, sustainable agriculture practices can be relied upon as a promising venue in this case. Due to rapidly rising climate changes and regulatory pressures, the implementation of these techniques has been one of the major questions that most sustainable services experts are being asked. Most strategic approaches focus on encouraging private-public partnerships to facilitate the efficient adoption of the above-mentioned farming practices and turn them into a necessity rather than an alternative.
