Sustainable Agriculture

A buzz phrase? Maybe, but its also a really important piece of what's missing in today's farming industry.....sustainability. What does it mean to sustain something?...to be sustainable. We should add a word, "independently" to the phrase.

If something is independently sustainable, that means it can exist, on its own, without the use of external inputs or influences to keep it going. It's kind of like being able to live without the use of life support.  But why do so many of the world's farms, field and crops need life support? Its because the system is broken and it can not longer sustain itself on its own.

Just like the human body couldn't sustain itself without the use of a critical organ such as the stomach to digest and supply nutrition, the plant-soil system can not sustain itself without the billions and billions of beneficial bacteria and fungi that act as the plant's digestive system.

I believe in continuous learning. So, I'm scheduled to attend a seminar on Sustainable Agriculture in March, held by a renowed agronomist, Graeme Sait in Australia. Graeme has been studying the effects of conventional agriculture on the environment and our food supply for many years and offers a certificate in Sustainable Agriculture which I hope to earn while I am in Australia. The intricacies of the natural soil-plant system are key to understanding how to really re-build sustainable agriculture and I look forward to continuing my never-ending journey to discover the answers.  If you want to learn more about the course I am attending, go to: http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/