You will see plants in a variety of sizes, shapes, and complexities in terms of their cellular composition. Plants perform the most important function of photosynthesis. Plants play an important role in agriculture. They make food, oxygen, and energy from water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is very essential for a plant’s survival and is a way of entering solar energy into the food web. Without plants, there would be no oxygen on earth and no food for all the living organisms on Earth.
Furthermore, plants provide us with commercially and economically important products like fiber, building materials, wood, timber, latex, resins, rubber, and medicines.
Plants have an impact on human lives directly or indirectly. So they are crucial for a sustainable environment.
Unsustainable use of land results in permanent damage to the ecosystem. This is one of the reasons we are facing global warming issues. Despite the beneficial Role of Plants in Agriculture, it is necessary to adopt sustainable farming practices to avoid overexploitation of agricultural land and make the best use of it.
Sustainable Farming Practices
Sustainable agriculture is beneficial as it conserves energy and emphasizes local production and requires fewer chemicals. It makes the best use of available resources and conserves biodiversity. Sustainable farming refers to meeting the needs of people like quality food and public health. It also provides a means of living for farmers. Sustainable farming practices also ensure to reduce the agricultural runoff and prevent the pollution of water bodies. This saves water. It also means to maintain soil fertility and avoid depriving it completely of nutrients.
- Permaculture:
A design system that makes use of principles of nature for the betterment of humanity. These principles can be applied to every system including water supplies, food production, energy systems, and housing systems in order to enhance the efficiency of these systems.
Farmers are encouraged to use a variety of crops to mimic the plants in a natural ecosystem. Instead of focusing on food cash crops only, grow herbs, shrubs, trees, garden beds, and herb spirals which serve multiple purposes along with retaining soil water in the farm.
- Ground cover:
Removing weeds can greatly conserve soil nutrients and soil water through mulching. This can also be achieved by ground covers which will not leave any space for weeds to grow uncontrollably on the farms. It will limit the growth of weeds that compete for nutrients with valuable crops. Fewer herbicides are required to kill weeds which preserves the quality of crops greatly.
- Hydroponics and aquaponics:
Hydroponics is an innovative farming technique to grow plants in water instead of soil. Nutrients are provided to the plant in liquid media. Aquaponics is Similar to hydroponics. Plants are grown in water instead of soil but instead of adding fertilizers, fishes are grown which creates a symbiotic association with the growing plants and provide them with essential nutrients.
- Biodynamic farming:
Plants and animals can live in an ecosystem and support each other’s existence. This can be achieved with the use of biodiversity. Introducing diversity of plants, animals, and beneficial microorganisms in farming. This kind of farm will be beneficial to humans and other living organisms. This technique is especially effective for a variety of farms that include gardens, vineyards, and other agricultural farms where a variety of products are being produced.
Biodynamic agriculture reduces the need for importing fertilizers and allows you to cut expenses effectively. Soil fertility can be achieved by the use of organic fertilizer (manure and decaying plants) from farmed animals and plants. Crop rotation is another practice proven to be useful in conserving soil fertility.
- Agroforestry:
Agroforestry has emerged to be a powerful tool for farming in areas prone to desertification. Similar to Parma culture, agroforestry involves mingling crops with trees and shrubs. This creates a microclimate in which temperature, humidity, and soil moisture become favorable for these plants protecting them from dry wind or heavy rain. This will prevent desertification by holding nutrients within the soil and improving soil structure.
- Organic farming:
Energetic forming only natural pest control methods are used with organic fertilizers to grow crops. Farmers use animal dung manure, bone meal, composite, rotten leaves, and decaying plants As natural fertilizers best to not cause soil acidity and improve soil health. Insect-repelling plants are introduced to repel harmful insects. Nitrogen-fixing crops are also helpful in fixing nitrogen in the farm soil.
Final Words:
Sustainable farming practices not only benefit the farmers but also provide us with food of high nutritional value which is free of any toxic chemicals. Our quality of life depends on the environment in which we live. Studies have shown that the nutritional values of crops and fruits have decreased to the lowest. Moreover, a high quantity of harmful chemicals from different herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides has been observed in agricultural food crops. Hence first animal farming practices are needed more than ever before. It reduces the negative effects of artificial farming techniques by use of natural practices to produce food that is commercially and economically sustainable.
