By Christy Spees and Judy Gayer

Have you heard of the Dust Bowl? The decade when enormous, choking clouds of dust stormed through the American prairies, sometimes travelling as far as the east coast? The catastrophe caused thousands of people to die from “dust pneumonia” and thousands of others to abandon their homes. Years of over cultivation and poor land management, followed by drought conditions, left the region’s exposed topsoil ripe for carrying off in the wind. And carry the topsoil off it did, depleting soils and contributing to farmers losing their livelihoods.

Ancient history, you say?

Not so fast. Our current agricultural system is characterized in large part by industrial-scale farms that grow only one species of crop at a time, with no or inadequate rotation (monoculture). Although industrial agriculture has made it possible to produce large quantities of food at a relatively low cost, over time the system has degraded the land, water, and other resources we depend on for life and contributed to more frequent, devastating drought conditions. “Monocrop” practices cause crops to be increasingly vulnerable to plant and insect parasites, resulting in a vicious cycle of dependency on pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Over time, these practices deplete the soil of critical microorganisms. In turn, nutrient-deficient soil requires continued addition of chemical additives, which run off into fields and create dead zones in waterways. Depleted soil also loses its ability to sequester carbon.

Approximately 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. come directly from agriculture. Looking at the global food system as a whole (including processing, transportation, and waste), its contribution is estimated at nearly 50 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Industrial farming practices have led to health problems in humans by, among other things, contributing to the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, leaching nitrates into groundwater, creating dangerous levels of pesticide exposure for farm workers and residents of adjacent communities, and leaving unhealthy levels of pesticide residue in food. Finally, the system produces food that, over time, has diminished in nutritional quality, due to soil overuse and to rising carbon dioxide levels.

Fortunately, sustainable agriculture practices offer a way to help break this destructive cycle. Sustainable agriculture — when done right — conserves resources and minimize ecological damage while improving farm profitability. It does this by conserving water and energy, minimizing use of costly fertilizers and pesticides, and enhancing soil composition to increase potential yield. Improved soil health, in turn, increases the soil’s ability to hold water, filter contaminants, withstand erosion, and resist disease. As an additional benefit, sustainable agriculture practices can replenish the soil’s ability to serve its important role as a sink for carbon. In terms of profitability, farmers using sustainable practices often find they are able to attain a net income at least as high as their conventional farming neighbors.   

Sustainable farming practices include:

• Planting a diverse array of crops on a rotating basis to promote soil health and avoid an increasing dependency on pesticides to manage parasites that evolve over time with monoculture plantings.

• Using cover crops instead of leaving soil bare during off-season to prevent erosion, replenish soil nutrients, and control weeds.

• Instituting no-till or reduced-till practices to improve soil nutrients and reduce erosion.  

• Applying integrated pest management with the goal of minimizing pesticide use and  controlling pests through natural and biological tools, rather than chemicals.

• Adopting water management systems that use less water, such as drip irrigation.

• Managing farms as ecosystems (agroecology) through efforts such as integrating livestock and crops to reduce transportation-related costs and pollution; integrating trees and shrubs to provide shade and protect crops, animals, and water resources; and managing uncultivated areas to control erosion, reduce nutrient runoff, support biodiversity, and create natural carbon sinks.

• Adopting sustainable waste management systems, such as composting manure and applying it to soil in lieu of chemical fertilizers.

Sustainable agriculture is an ever-evolving field, and successful sustainable farming requires implementing a variety of strategies concurrently; this list provides a brief overview of some common, current methods.

So what can we as individuals do to support the move away from industrial agriculture toward more sustainable solutions? Even simple steps can help. Support local farmers by shopping at farmers’ markets when possible. Write to food manufacturers, tell them you are a customer, and ask them to purchase ingredients from sustainable producers. Ask the manager of your favorite grocery store to stock more pesticide-free and sustainable products, including organic foods.  Take time to read labels and try to figure out whether the food you are buying has been produced sustainably and then “vote” with your shopping dollars (one shortcut is buying products that are USDA certified organic, a government-regulated label that ensures producers are using a number of sustainable methods).  Educate your friends and colleagues and, together, let your legislators know that you support changing farm policy to support more sustainable practices, such as those proposed in the Agriculture Resilience Act introduced earlier this year by Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) or the Farm System Reform Act introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).