The environmental impact of large-scale agriculture and farming operations is a hot topic among industry experts, politicians, and economists — and it’s easy to see why.
Currently, agriculture accounts for over 80% of the country’s water use, and practices like monocropping and chemical fertilizers are diminishing soil health in concerning ways.
However, the rising popularity of localized farming, increased consumer awareness of sustainability, and changing eating habits give small and independent farms a chance to reassess their farming practices.
Key Takeaways
With a smart approach, small and family-owned farms can avoid unsustainable farming practices while remaining commercially viable.
When we look at the environmental impact of farming, the first question many ask is, “How did we get here?”
As people moved to more urban areas, farms stopped serving the local community and were instead plugged into the corporate farming machine to survive. Combined with rising consumer demand for foods that are available year-round, many farms had to focus on quantity instead of quality — at the expense of the local environment.
A dust storm. In the 1930's and 1940's, the negative affects of the drought were accelerated by poor land use.
Put another way, smaller farming operations face pressure to slash costs and maximize profits. Unfortunately, that approach has had a significant impact on the environment and our health:
Every year, we see new heat records being broken and experience record rains and droughts. Poor land use and unsustainable farming practices make us less able to adapt to unexpected changes and events.
Implementing sustainable farming practices is important for the planet and the economic health of the small farm industry. Improving how farms are run also improves the quality of the products we produce, which in turn helps small farms differentiate themselves from corporate competitors.
However, transitioning from a traditional farm to a more sustainable one won’t happen overnight. Instead, consider making incremental changes and finding alternatives to these five unsustainable practices.
Synthetic fertilizers (containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) are invaluable for stimulating quick growth and higher yields — both necessary to meet the demands of the corporate farming industry.
A large number of pesticides are used to maintain monocultures and other staple crops.
Unfortunately, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are also extremely hard on the land. While good for plants in the short term, these fertilizers often kill the microorganisms in the soil that make it healthy. This creates a negative cycle, with farmers needing more fertilizers to grow the same crop.
Additionally, rain and other watering also cause toxic nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into groundwater. A 2019 study found that 94% of rivers in the US had traces of pesticides in them.
What We Can Do
Soil health is of the utmost importance to farmers, and there are several ways we can help mitigate the harms of the overuse of agrichemicals:
For meat farmers, antibiotics and hormones have become standard practice for livestock that are fed grain and other feed that isn’t naturally in their diet. However, there is also an over reliance on antibiotics, with 66% of the world’s antibiotics used on farm animals.
Overuse of antibiotics can help bacteria grow more resilient, creating more deadly and drug-evasive variants. Additionally, today’s consumers are more sensitive to hormone and antibiotics in food, so curbing their use is an excellent way to build customer trust.
Related Read: 3 Keys to Quality Grassfed Beef
The more we can do to promote sustainable livestock practices and stop using antibiotics unnecessarily, the better off we’ll be.
What We Can Do
Minimizing our use of antibiotics and growth hormones doesn’t just make our meat farms more resilient — it also makes the end product taste better. Here are a few things to consider:
Monoculture farming is when you grow one crop type per field season by season. While the practice is widespread, it hurts soil quality, promotes deforestation, and requires the use of more agrichemicals to work.
The harm from monocultures inspires many farmers to look for alternatives, such as intercropping, permaculture, and regenerative agriculture practices.
Moving away from monocultures is not only better for the planet, but better for business as well. With more ways to connect directly to customers, farmers who diversify their crops can offer a wider range of products that cater to local preferences and needs.
What We Can Do
Monocultures may work for large, corporate agriculture operations, but they limit a small farm’s ability to appeal to customers and grow. Here are a few things to consider:
The rise of farming machinery also increased tillage. Tillage involves using a tractor to stir the soil to control weeds and prepare for sowing. However, excessive tillage decreases soil quality and accelerates erosion.
If soil is tilled too much, it can make it all but infertile. However, if a field has been tilled too much, it may be more complex than stopping tilling and hoping for the best. Adopting no-till farming requires a different mindset and a few years to start seeing benefits.
However, the investment is worth it. Healthier soil will equate to healthier plants and higher yields.
What We Can Do
The more we take a holistic view of our land and diversify our crops, the easier it will be to avoid the damages of excessive tillage. Here are a few starting points:
To maximize profits, the instinct is often to use as much of the land as possible. However, this practice puts more pressure on the soil and removes vital buffer zones to protect various crop species and surrounding areas.
Meat farmers who try to use their land may find their pastures being depleted too quickly, necessitating more grain-feeding for cattle or stressful conditions for animals.
As we move towards diversifying our crops and working more sustainably, we should also consider using our land to be more efficient, productive, and less harmful to the surrounding environment.
What We Can Do
Like all parts of sustainable farming and agriculture, you can’t just wake up in the morning and decide just to use less land. Instead, consider these suggestions as goals to work towards incrementally.
The economics of farming are changing. Technology has allowed small farms to easily connect and sell directly to consumers. New farming techniques like vertical farming and hydroponic farming also allow locally-grown food to enter previously impossible markets.
Embracing sustainable farming practices has many benefits for smaller farming operations, including:
While sustainable farming has numerous benefits, it doesn’t come without its hardships. Transitioning to sustainable farming practices can incur higher initial costs and require more customer buy-in — but that shouldn’t scare you off.
The future of farming is local, and online sales and changing customer needs are helping farmers pave a new path forward.
Despite the growing pains, adopting sustainable farming practices leads to a more diverse, higher-quality range of products — which is exactly what consumers are looking for.
In a time when food markets have been particularly volatile, the rising popularity of farm-to-fork and other direct-to-consumer sales gives farms a viable path to financial independence and growth.
Put another way, adopting sustainable farming practices gives your farm more flexibility in the wake of a changing climate and consumer preferences.
Online sales for fresh food have completely upended the landscape for farms, giving them more ways than ever to market themselves and sell directly to customers locally and nationwide.
Leveraging fresh food e-commerce platforms like GrazeCart allows farmers to try new business models that appeal directly to consumers.
If you’re looking for a simplified way to sell directly to customers, try a free 14-day trial of GrazeCart today or watch a demo to see it in action.