Alternative Farming Approaches (HL) (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Alternative Farming Approaches

• Alternative farming approaches aim to address environmental, economic, and sustainability issues in agriculture

• These methods focus on conserving resources, improving soil health, and creating sustainable food systems

• Key alternative approaches include:

  • Soil regeneration

  • Rewilding

  • Permaculture

  • Non-commercial cropping

  • Zero tillage

Soil regeneration

• Soil regeneration improves soil health by restoring structure, nutrients, and biodiversity

  • Techniques include:

    • Cover cropping

    • Crop rotation

    • Mulching (adding compost)

    • Adding organic matter like manure

    • Reducing soil disturbance due to ploughing

    • Nutrient management

• Regenerative farming typically reduces or eliminates synthetic fertilisers

  • This promotes sustainable nutrient cycles

• Soil regeneration also helps increase soil carbon storage

  • This helps reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change

Rewilding

• Rewilding involves allowing land to return to a natural state, supporting biodiversity and ecosystem health

  • This often includes reducing human activity and allowing native plants and animals to flourish

• Benefits of rewilding include:

  • Enhancing wildlife habitats

  • Supporting pollinators

  • Restoring natural soil nutrient cycling

• Rewilding also contributes to carbon storage as natural vegetation regrows and stores carbon in plants and soil

Permaculture

• The word 'permaculture' is a contraction of permanent agriculture

• Permaculture is a farming design that mimics natural ecosystems to create self-sustaining systems

  • The aim is that these systems can be continuously used for agriculture

• Key practices include:

  • Conserving water

  • Promoting plant diversity

  • Using natural pest control

  • Minimising artificial inputs like synthetic fertilisers or pesticides

• Crop diversity and crop rotation are used to maintain soil fertility and reduce pests and diseases

Non-commercial cropping

• Non-commercial cropping is growing crops for local consumption rather than to be sold commercially

  • It focuses on community food security and supporting local economies

  • For example, urban allotments can be used for non-commercial cropping

• Reduces the need for long-distance transport

  • This lowers the carbon footprint of food production

Zero tillage (no-till farming)

• Ploughing breaks up the surface of the soil

  • This leads to increased erosion, loss of organic matter, loss of moisture and soil organisms, and soil compaction

• Zero tillage (or no-till farming) involves planting seeds directly into unploughed soil

  • This helps prevent soil erosion, conserve moisture, and maintain soil structure

• This approach also reduces the need for heavy machinery and fuel, lowering environmental impact