Excerpt
WHILE probably no two people agree on a definition, “low-input, sustainable agriculture” generally refers to a wide range of farming styles and practices. It includes systems ranging from reduced chemical use to those labeled organic farming. The techniques used in a sustainable system may include crop rotations and other cultural practices that control pests, substitution of manure or green manure crops for synthetic fertilizers, careful nutrient management, and low-initial-cost conservation practices. And let's not overlook America's vast ranching industry on native range-the broad-scale, low-input agriculture and the original low-input agriculture in this country that involves no plowing, no planting, no intensive fertilization. The rationale for low-input agriculture is economic, environmental, and social. As concern for the environmental, and social. As concern for the environment increases, more and more producers are becoming interested.
We need to dispel two myths about low-input agriculture. First, some people have the mistaken impression that it means lower production and less profit. In fact, in some cases it can reduce costs and increase net profit. Instead of maximum production at any cost, the goal is to find the optimal production level …
Footnotes
Wilson Scaling is chief of the Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20013.
- Copyright 1990 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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