Pakissan.com; Sustainable Developments In Agriculture

Sustainable Developments In Agriculture
Hadi Bux Leghari

With respect to coming generations all of us are obliged to deal with nature and the environment carefully. Only with a sustainable development can the needs of mankind be fulfilled in the future. This responsibility exists on a global scale - in all fields of life and economy. Sustainable Developments In Agriculture

It is problematic, however, when “sustainable development“ or “sustainability“ is degraded to hollow catchwords or do not cover more than single fragments of a viable system for the future. Economical, ecological and social aspects are essential elements of a sustainable development. Unilateral concepts favoring economy or ecology only, lead to partial successes, which cause disproportional disadvantages or difficulties in the other fields. A sustainable development therefore always requires action in compliance with all aspects, and a responsible consideration of the partly competing single aims.

One further point of view is also relevant: Sustainable development is not static but a dynamic model, which has to be adapted again and again to new findings. This path offers the sole chance to preserve nature, the environment and natural resources and at the same time increase the efficiency of economic activities; rigid rules and regulations as well as a standardization of agriculture hamper this dynamic process and are counterproductive. To safeguard the food of the still rapidly growing world population, a flexible approach that remains capable of further developments is needed.

“The way is the destination“: This phrase describes a characteristic feature of a sustainable development. It is crucial to check the state reached again and again for deficits and weaknesses, and then counters these weaknesses with better strategies, means and tools. Without doubt there can be no general recipe or rule that is suitable for each and every situation. Differences between country sides, regions, and economic or social conditions require flexible tools and strategies such as that provided by and connected to Integrated Farming in an unmistakable manner.

Definitions:

"A sustainable food and agriculture system is one which is environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsible, non-exploitive, and which serves as the foundation for future generations. It must be approached through an interdisciplinary focus that addresses the many interrelated parts of the entire food and agriculture system, at the local, regional, national and international level.

Human intervention in natural processes and affecting natural resources is necessary to satisfy people's material and non-material needs and desires – for food for example. Sustainable development in this context assumes that we think and act with a view to the future: Present-day needs must be met in such a manner that future generations will also be able to satisfy their needs.

The discussion on sustainable development, which was initiated, in particular, by the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (the term "sustainability" was coined more than 200 years ago in the forestry sector), has come to rank high on the agenda of modern society. This includes the debate on appropriate approaches, processes and instruments to achieve this aim. The intensity of the discussion is understandable in view of the global developments expected within the next few decades, which will have far-reaching consequences for the private, professional and social sphere of every single person. Let us list a few key words by way of example:

further drastic growth of the world population and increasing urbanization;
decreasing availability of arable land per capita of the world population and limited supplies of fresh water; business alliances and completely changed forms of organization due to the growing time and cost intensity of production processes; product recycling on the basis of a recovery concept planned from production to the end of use, i.e. intensification of material cycles.

The interest in sustainable development shown by society as a whole and the agricultural sector in particular is easily understood: This land use is of great importance for the management and upkeep of our cultivated landscape, but also for a number of social functions of the open land such as groundwater regeneration or use as recreation area.

In today's industrialized nations, the agricultural sector has fulfilled its primary function of ensuring the production of sufficient food. By achieving food-supply security, the agricultural sector has made an enormous contribution to the development of our prosperity. Only after this was taken for granted could the discussion on agriculture's environmental impacts assume its present intensity. Public interest in agriculture has thus directly followed our stages of development as an industrialized nation.

From the beginning of industrialization up to the present day three major periods of development can be identified: Industrialization with mainly income-oriented targets and secondary importance attached to social and environmental concerns further development of trade and industry at high levels of production, providing increasing social welfare to workers;

a high degree of social welfare for all citizens provided by a close-meshed safety net of social benefits, a high priority given to protection of the environment, while at the same time maintaining high economic efficiency. Subsequently, human behavior and economic activity were reassessed on the basis of the new insights. The scarcity of essential resources that form the basis of human life - such as water and air, which had been regarded as free goods in the past - was recognized, and the scarcity of land, originally only seen under economic aspects, was re-evaluated taking account of ecological factors as well. Individual assessments and preferences changed - sometimes radically.

Developments in the industrialized nations have led to the realization that economic performance must not be assessed solely in terms of material potential. In addition to social welfare, income and profit aspects, the "environmental potential", that is to say the external costs, must be assessed and sound management of nature ensured. This includes the question to what extent natural resources will be strained or even damaged by human use.

Water, air and the natural environment – as far as biodiversity was concerned – were still considered to be free goods in classical economics. Today, in contrast, the scarcity of "natural capital" is seen as a necessary component of economic calculations. However, the prioritization of indicators for the assessment of natural capital raises problems as yet unsolved: To this day, scarcity cannot be measured accurately in monetary terms.

According to HABER (1997), food production is agriculture's most important ecological function. The full exploitation of the genetically determined yield potential of plants and the resulting productivity increase in agriculture, which formed the basis of today's excellent nutrition levels in the Western world, was an enormous ecological achievement in view of a world population that doubled between 1950 and 1985. If the productivity levels of 1950 had not improved, all of the world's potentially arable land of 28 billion hectares including prairies and forests would have had to be used for agriculture as early as 1985. And no land would have been available for the conservation of natural or near-natural biotopes.

Still, more than one-sixth of the world's population suffers acute food insecurity. Considering these undeniable global problems and the predicted demographic trends, we need highly productive forms of agriculture and forestry and therefore a "sustainable intensification": Yield increases by two to three per cent annually and the protection of the biosphere must be ensured simultaneously. Scientific and engineering progress in all natural science disciplines, contributing to more efficient and thus resource-saving production systems worldwide, is therefore a key to sustainable development. Especially with the international integration of markets and the resulting worldwide flows of material, the entire world cannot refuse to contribute to the solution of these problems.

The agricultural environment and conditions of production will change dramatically in the years and decades to come because of political developments, economic and social constraints, and scientific progress. Agriculture will increasingly be determined by a global, holistic understanding of the cycles that characterize our natural environment. Ecosystem research has proved to be an important vehicle to this end.

The further development of integrated crop management requested by the FAO, among others, and which includes integrated plant protection, will increasingly point the way for agriculture. Methods and processes of plant nutrition, soil management and harvesting as well as satellite-based information systems will have their effects on agricultural land use. In addition, genetic engineering for forage and food production will grow in importance. The two objectives of ensuring continuously high and even rising crop yields and preserving the balance of nature are directly connected.

Agriculture uses the environmental goods of soil, water and air on a large scale to guarantee the supply of high-quality food. Thanks to the achievements of plant protection (e.g. plant protection products, resistance breeding) and more specific fertilization, among other things, this is done with predictable security and at reasonable prices, but it also involves a special responsibility for the natural environment. Specific interventions in natural processes are an integral part of primary production, and in this respect there is no marked difference between agriculture and other sectors of the economy. However, cultivators of land are also and always cultivators of nature. They depend on a lasting use, and therefore on a future-oriented, rational exploitation and development of natural resources. In the long run, this is the only way for farmers to guarantee an economically successful production of plant and animal products, and thus the achievement of their own economic goals.

Competing land-use demands on natural resources not only increase the pressure on these resources; they also lead to varying degrees of scarcity and strain in different regions. Agriculture, water management, nature conservation, human settlement, trade, industry, traffic and tourism – each sector has its own particular demands. That is why protective and higher-priority measures must be taken that considers not only the present situation, but also, as far as possible, future developments and shortages. All groups – and society as a whole – are called upon to define, balance as a whole and implement these measures.

Consideration for future generations is imperative, not least for economic reasons. But income as an economic indicator must not only be evaluated for each person individually, but also as a measure of welfare provided by national economies to present and future generations. It should be based neither exclusively on "artificial capital" (i.e. goods made by people) nor solely on "natural capital" (natural goods and resources). Both forms of capital are necessary, as they can only be substituted for each other to a limited extent.

"Sustainability" in a static sense is insufficient to characterize a guiding vision; this can only be done on the basis of the principles of "sustainable development", which requires a continuous reorientation. This vision of "sustainable development", as presented in Agenda 21 of 1992, is being projected today onto all sectors of society. But there is no common understanding of the contents of the definition given by the Brundtland Commission in 1987. There are a number of widely differing ideas, some of them concentrating on isolated facets only and makes a very clear distinction between the "origins" of different sustainability concepts and points out that many ecological definitions are determined by objectives such as preservation of natural resources and protection of environmental media against destruction and pollution. Statements on socio-economic issues or productivity in agriculture, however, are usually missing. Economic reflections on sustainable development, on the other hand, are characterized first of all by ideas or opinions regarding the production-consumption ratio, while ecological questions and social concerns are largely disregarded. Social science approaches focus on a – for the most part not more clearly defined – welfare status of the rural population. Finally the author mentions the ethical and the global components of sustainable development.

Development is sustainable if all the components mentioned above (economic, ecological and social) are taken into account equally – even though their respective objectives might only be achieved – or be achievable – to varying degrees. The standards are set by individuals and translated into political objectives of governments. One of the basic principles is that future generations should have a relatively free choice between what is known as natural and artificial capital - that is to say that future generations must still have natural capital at their disposal. But their choice will possibly be limited by the practical necessities of social and economic development.

The assessment of agriculture as an economic sector will largely be determined by the extent to which the land-use system positively or negatively impacts - or consumes - natural resources. Another important criterion is whether, or to what extent, these resources – according to the current state of knowledge – are already scarce or may become so in future. Based on this, it should be examined whether exploitation can be tolerated or, perhaps, must even be expressly permitted in order to achieve other objectives than those regarded as the original (key) objectives.

The example of water consumption in agriculture illustrates this issue: As a field crop uses rainfall for growth, this water is no longer available for groundwater regeneration and the extraction of drinking water. The extraction of drinking water is the key objective in protected water collection areas. In areas with predominantly agricultural use, by contrast, the major goal is to use the rainfall effectively for plant production purposes. Groundwater regeneration in this case is a n additional benefit.

In practice this means that, on the one hand, the extraction of drinking water must not be done at a rate that threatens to significantly lower the groundwater table. This might change entire landscape areas and thus limit or even prevent other forms of land use. Agricultural land use, on the other hand, must ensure that avoidable substance migration from the surface does not permanently affect the newly formed groundwater in such a way that it can no longer be used for the provision of drinking water, or only at considerable extra cost.

Elements of sustainable development in agriculture

1. Comprehensive approaches to assessing farms and providing them with advice that includes all the criteria for environmentally sound land management are extremely difficult to develop. Meanwhile, several methodological approaches addressing this issue have been presented, such evaluation schemes should clearly give special emphasis to the principle of balancing interests, particularly with the following:

productivity, regenerative capacity of the environment and of ecosystems, diversity of fauna and flora, and the protection of neighboring ecosystems against lasting negative effects.

Let us take the example of plant nutrition and the accumulation of plant nutrients in soils to illustrate the importance and necessity of such a balancing of interests: Apart from the desired effects (ensuring plant nutrition and thus the quantity and quality of harvested crops), there will also be effects on biodiversity. Plants and plant communities that depend on nutrient-poor soils will be negatively affected by any form of fertilization. In some locations, "balancing" can therefore mean giving priority to conserving nature (e.g. no fertilization at all on nutrient-poor soils to preserve the composition of species on the site). The situation is different in locations that offer good growing conditions for cultivated plants. With the exception of some bordering and supporting structures, it would be irresponsible not to exploit the yield potential of such valuable sites. This, however, is only valid if this exploitation does not involve any irreversible ecological disadvantage to the whole area.

2. Land, which is a finite and non-reproducible resource, must be used as effectively as possible. Yet effective land use does not necessarily have priority over other interests. The goal is rather to achieve the highest possible efficiency while exerting the least possible pressure on the environment. This should be understood as an obligation placed on agriculture and on every individual farmer. Legal standards determine the scope of action for environmentally sound management practices (agriculture according to the rules).

3. Beyond that, the consistent application of integrated methods can be instrumental in bringing about sustainable development. This means in detail:

   (i) to protect the soil by avoiding wind and water erosion, excessive compacting of the soil, and inputs of substances with avoidable harmful effects or in quantities exceeding the requirements;

   (ii) to protect plants against pests and diseases and simultaneously protect the environment by further developing and implementing good professional practices in plant protection, guided by the principles of integrated plant protection. These include: farming systems promoting plant health through crop rotation, variety selection and soil preparation, a rural land structure that leaves sufficient interconnected habitats for animals and plants within the agricultural landscape, mechanical, biological and biotechnical protection measures, and the sparing use of approved plant protection products, applying only what is absolutely needed, in order to avoid harmful effects on man, animal and nature;

   (iii) to ensure plant nutrition according to plant requirements and to preserve soil fertility by applying the principles of integrated plant nutrition. These include: „good professional practices“ in calculating the amounts of organic and mineral fertilizers on the basis of the nutrient supply in the soil and additional plant requirements, nutrient comparisons which, after appropriate balance assessments, allow a critical reconsideration of fertilizer amounts, careful application of fertilizers to avoid water pollution, as far as possible, closed nutrient cycles;

   (iv) to keep animals in a way that is proper for their species and economically feasible, in accordance with the principles of integrated animal husbandry, by: designing livestock buildings and husbandry systems, even for large stocks, in a way that is tailored to the animals' needs and takes into consideration their well-being and their requirements for movement and activity, ensuring that the nutrition of animals contains all nutrients and feeds in line with performance targets and animal requirements, establishing hygienic standards that prevent diseases, providing regular veterinary care and control to avoid epidemics among animals, and applying the principle of animal welfare to all activities related to animal husbandry, care and transport.

4. These guidelines trace the general outline of sustainable development in agriculture, in which the primary ecological task of food production is fulfilled with high productivity and resource efficiency and protection of the environment is equally guaranteed. It is, however, crucial that political considerations do not slow down - or even block - the necessary developments, but promote a speedy implementation on a large scale.

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