Knowra Sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture maintains long-term farm productivity and environmental health while supporting viable livelihoods and meeting society’s food and fiber needs.
Crop rotation : The practice of growing different crops in sequence on the same land. Rotating crops can interrupt pest cycles, diversify nutrient demands, and improve soil condition.
Agroecology : The study and practice of applying ecological principles to agricultural systems. It connects farm design and management with ecological processes and local knowledge.
Soil health : The capacity of soil to function as a living system that sustains plants, animals, and people. Long-term productivity depends on maintaining soil structure, biology, and nutrient cycling.
Industrial agriculture : Large-scale, input-intensive farming organized around high-volume production and specialized operations. Its productivity and environmental costs highlight tensions that sustainable agriculture addresses.
Sustainable intensification : Increasing agricultural output while reducing environmental harm per unit of production. It raises the question of whether efficiency gains can deliver sustainability without expanding total production.
Cover crop : A crop grown primarily to protect and improve soil rather than to be harvested. Cover crops keep soil covered between cash crops and can add organic matter or nitrogen.
Organic farming : A regulated production system that restricts many synthetic inputs and emphasizes specified biological and ecological practices. Organic certification is one approach to sustainability, but it does not by itself guarantee every sustainability outcome.
Soil erosion : The removal of soil by water, wind, or other forces. Erosion depletes a productive resource that sustainable farming seeks to conserve.
Monoculture : The cultivation of a single crop over a field or production area. Uniform cropping can simplify production but increase ecological and pest-management vulnerabilities.
Agricultural subsidy : Government financial support or price assistance provided to agricultural producers. Subsidy design can reward either resource stewardship or production practices with environmental costs.
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