AGRICULTURE is the cultivation of plants and the breeding of livestock to provide food, fiber for man, medicinal plants for cure and other products for sustainability and longevity of life. The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years; with gathering and hunting as the fore running and then came planting and storage as a more sustainable form of food supply as opposed to hunting in the wild.
“Agriculture played a vital role in modern day civilization and lead to the development of sedentary human civilization.”
Like all good things, the negative parts will definitely surface and modern day agronomy, plant breeding, agrochemicals (herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers alike) though rapidly increasing production of food and providing man with the assurance of life continuity but at the same time damaging the soil, the environment and raising concerns about animal welfare through contribution to antibiotic resistance in animals and humans, global warming, depletion of water bodies and aquifers. GENETICALLY enhances agricultural produce are widely used all over the world even though they cause health disorders and are banned in several countries. All this as a result of wanting to assure man of food security and make more money.
The industrial mono culture which is the widely practiced form of agricultural production has requires a large amount of energy, degrades the land on which cultivation is done and reduces ecological resilience and diversity.
I could go on and on about the damages that technological innovations has done to agriculture but today, I want to talk about the advantages of technological advance for agriculture and how it can extend agricultural longevity.
GROUND BREAKING INNOVATIONS IN AGRICULTURE
When mechanization came, we thought we had seen it all. Mechanization reduced the stress involved in agricultural and then came another problem of space, water supply etc. and like always man was able to find some solution.
- Algorithmic Agriculture: algorithm! I know right, I was amazed when I found out about it, it does not work only for maths, yes it can now be used for agriculture, I mean there is an algorithm for planting crops. A precise step-by-step planting plan to aid use in effective land use for crop production. Created by BENEDIKT GROB, A UK-BASED designer created an algorithmic model that enables him to plant various crops in complex pattern on the field and this increases resilience and diversity as pest and diseases would not have a particular pattern to follow.
- Harvesting and Harnessing Rainwater: IN MOST COUNTRIES WATER IS A SCARE COMMODITY and rainwater being a seasoned commodity is a very precious commodity for farmers in those region. The creation of rain barrels for harnessing rain water is an important innovation that can be installed and used for collecting and storing rain water in large quantities for irrigation.
Rooftop Growing: in urban societies where space for farming is so limited and the need for fresh greens are always high and never fully met; rooftop farming exist to breech that gap. All one needs is the planting bags or pots and you can start planting your vegetables. This reduces the outbreak of pest and disease since it is in a small scale and you are readily assured of fresh greens. And you get to utilize your space properly.
Ring garden and stacking: how cool does that sound huh? I can imagine a big rings made from irons and steel and all that stuff, used for planting and stacking produce. Imagine how large the production rate would be and how well space would be utilized.
Well-designed fields planted with a variety of crops serve several functions: food production, wildlife habitat, air quality improvement, carbon absorption, and more. This is referred to as “stacking functions” in permaculture circles. One of the most promising examples of this principle is the solar-powered Ring Garden. Though the Ring Garden is still only in its conceptual stage, its elegant combination of desalinization, solar energy, and food production is worth exploring, particularly for drought-stricken coastal communities like California. When fully operational, the rotating structure is projected to annually produce 16 million gallons of clean water, 40,000 pounds of crops grown without soil, and 11,000 pounds of biomass for livestock feed.
I don’t know about you but I think this is a great fit for food production and life sustenance.
- REFERENCE
INHABITAT
cover image was gotten from pixabay.com
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