Chapter 11 - Strategies To Increase Agricultural Sustainability

Problem: - use of some pesticides have been banned or restricted due to their impacts on non target species - many pests have developed resistance to pesticides Strategy: - cultural pest control = mulching, weeding, crop rotation, barrier crops, culling, biological control, predator habitats - reduced use of antibiotics

Problem: - current supplies of rock phosphates to produce phosphate fertilisers are non-renewable Strategies: - increased use of natural processes to supply nutrients - recycling of organic matter - crop rotation - cultivation of legumes - conservation of soil biota

Problems: - manufacture of nitrate fertilisers require large energy inputs from fossil fuels Strategies: - reduced use of artificial fertilisers, especially nitrates - low tillage techniques - low food miles

Problems: - over exploitation of rivers and groundwater reserves - soil salinisation caused by using saline irrigation water Strategies: - cultivation of low water use crops - maintenance of soil and soil organic matter - use of reservoirs and aquifers recharge - drip irrigation rather than overhead sprays

Problems: - methane produced by anaerobic microbes in rice pads fields and the digestive system of livestock Strategies - cultivation of rice varieties that can tolerate drier conditions so fields can be drained earlier - feeding cattle a high carbohydrate diet and grinding their food first releases methane production

Problems: - loss of species that provide important ecosystem services such as lest control, nutrient provision, and pollination Strategies: - retain natural and semi-natural existent mrs such as hedgerows, ditches, ponds, woodlands. - maintinence of soil biota