THE ROLE OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN CHANGING CLIMATE

Short Backgrounder

Basically: Human existence and activities revolve around the economic-agricultural works

The Fact: Civilization and Industrialization had started and taken off from the development of Agricultural Production.

In the turn of Centuries: The farm – crops production had been developed into Corporate Agri-Business Production or Commercial Farm Plantations with the aims such as:

> feeding the increasing world population
> mass food production
> great profits and income

* What are Required:

> High advancement of production technologies
> Development of modern and automated machines
> Setting up of Processing and Manufacturing Plants
> Mass production of petro-chem - based Agri- inputs
> Massive supply of fuel/oil for machines/plants operations
> Development of roads and transports and storage systems
> Vast forest lands and plains were being converted into
mono-crop commercial farms


*What have been the Results:

>Excessive extraction and abusive use of our Basic Natural
Productive Resources.
>These led to the wanton destruction of our environment – ecological
balance including the atmosphere.
- Eroded and barren soil
- Denuded forests- no more vegetative cover
- Flash floods
-Typhoons
-Droughts
- Landslides
- Unpredictable weather condition
- Huge generation of wastes
- Enormous emissions of air pollutant gasses
- Water source contamination

Over all Context

These Contributed in creating the present, pressing Global Alarming Condition:

CLIMATE CHANGE
AND
GLOBAL WARMING

WHAT IS THE DYNAMIC OF THE LIVING EARTH?

From Greenhouse to Green FieldsOrganic farming takes a swing at the greenhouse effect and wins

The global breath: The movement of carbon on the planet can be compared to a global breath. Like any living creature, the earth's "inhale" must be equal to its "exhale" for optimum health.



Is it getting warmer in here? The "exhale" is outpacing the "inhale" and we're feeling the effects of too much CO2 in the atmosphere--global warming.


If we continue to spew CO2 into the air at the current rate, the results will be disastrous. In just 100 years, the global temperature will rise as much as 2.5°C.

The good news: We can reverse global warming by increasing the "inhale". Scientists have already determined that if we increase the amount of plants and reduce the amount of CO2-releasing industries, we may be able to swing the balance. But, both avenues require massive changes in social and industrial structures, not to mention money.

The better news: Organic agriculture can begin to substantially reduce CO2 in the atmosphere while we work on the other options mentioned above.
Why specifically ORGANIC agriculture? All agriculture takes CO2 out of the atmosphere. But, organic agriculture does it at as much as 3 times the rate of conventional agriculture.
The 23-year The Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial® found the conventional agriculture system sequestered (stored in the soil) just 303 pounds of carbon per soil acre foot. The organic agriculture system based on a legume cover crop and diversified rotation sequestered 594 pounds of carbon per soil acre foot. And the organic agriculture system based on a manure application and diversified rotation sequestered 1,019 pounds of carbon per soil acre foot.


Another reason: Not only does organic agriculture take CO2 out of the atmosphere at a higher rate than conventional agriculture, but the system releases less CO2 into the air through the very nature of the process.

Industry releases CO2 to produce chemical fertilizers and herbicides that conventional agriculture requires. Since organic agriculture uses neither of these inputs, the net release of CO2 is much less.
How exactly does organic agriculture pull CO2 out of the air and capture it as carbon in the soil?
Growing cover crops ensures fields never lay fallow. The more green material growing, the more photosynthesis takes place. More photosynthesis means more CO2 is removed from the environment.
Organic agriculture systems often rely on compost and animal manures for increasing soil organic matter.

More organic matter means the soil can hold onto and make useful the carbon that is sequestered.

Utilizing compost and animal manures also practices recycling. What would be considered parts of the global "exhale"--dead plant matter and animal wastes--become components of the "inhale"--organic matter in the soil.
Diversified crop rotations are also an essential part of organic agriculture and part of the carbon sequestration cycle. Well-planned rotations of various crops through the fields ensures beneficial micro organisms a healthy environment, and assists in converting and stabilizing soil carbon.
From Greenhouse to Green Fields Organic farming takes a swing at the greenhouse effect and wins

Organic agriculture puts the "black" back into the soil
Burning converts carbon and oxygen into CO2 often released as a black gas.

Photosynthesis converts CO2 back into carbon matter and releases the oxygen.
Soil full of organic matter holds the carbon in the ground.
The air is cleaner, the soil is healthier and the earth is on its way to recovery.


On Sustainable Livelihood and Enterprise Development

The General Framework:Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future.

Three Constituent Pillars

SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES IN BUSINESS

How to Measure Business/Livelihood Sustainability
Process Flow Accounting
Approach

> Materials and Energy Flow Accounting

Process Flow Accounting
(Project Operation)


Basic Principles on Sustainable Organic Agriculture
1. Principle of Health
2. Principle of Ecology
3. Principle of Fairness
4. Principle of Care