To avoid the negative effects of conventional agriculture in West Michigan by utilizing alternative forms of farming.
Following the industrial revolution, the farming industry experienced a historical boom of modernization never before experienced. Food was being grown more quickly than ever; machinery made harvesting infinitely more efficient; and large-scale farms were now much more lucrative for the economy and supported by the government than smaller, outdated farming practices. This agricultural revolution brought more jobs, as well as modern factory processes that greatly increase efficiency. With all of the economic positives that come with commercial/industrial agriculture, it is difficult to imagine a better farming practice. However, these "factory farms" also come with downfalls that are detrimental to the environment that we do not see when buying from the supermarket.
To start, commercial feedlots, also known as CAFO's (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), use copious amounts of food, water, and antibiotics to produce the most meat possible, as quick as possible. CAFO's are also notorious for having less than ideal conditions for their animals, consisting of very little roaming space and a diet consisting of primarily corn. With very cramped conditions for the animals, if one contracts an illness, all of them do. This significantly increases the risk of said disease to get into our food. In addition to natural habitat loss, these feedlots negatively affect the environment by releasing concentrated amounts of methane and carbon dioxide, both greenhouse gasses that contribute to global warming. Outside of animal pastures, conventional farming is also responsible for harmful environmental effects such as:
Soil Erosion, as a result of tilling and mono cultures.
Pesticide and excess fertilizer runoff
Large-scale habitat loss
Carbon dioxide emissions from heavy machinery and processing
And more
With conventional agriculture having so many harmful impacts on the environment, it is obvious we need a large-scale change of methods used within the agricultural community...
Conservation Agriculture is not necessarily a type of farming but rather a set of guidelines to make a more sustainable farming environment. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations outlines that there are three main principles of conservation agriculture:
Minimize soil disturbance through tilling.
Always have an organic soil cover through cover crops or crop residue.
Have species diversification.
The main goal of conservation agriculture is to build soil fertility while producing more efficiently. Minimizing or reducing tilling makes it so the beneficial nutrients from previous decaying plants are not being taken out of the soil. Cover crops or crop residue can have many benefits to the farming ecosystem. They can work as a protection for the soil during harsh times, improve the soil structure, and be used to control weeds and bugs. The overall effect of this crop cover is that it works so the dirt can hold in nutrients and water causing the soil to be more resilient and healthy. The importance of species diversification is that with a wide variety of plants, the roots can reach different levels using the water and nutrients in the soil more effectively.
A major benefit of conservation agriculture farms is the start-up costs are not as high as traditional farming. The goal of minimal to no-tilling drastically lowers the cost because don't have to buy as much large, expensive equipment. It is also less labor intensive so farmers don't have to spend as much on labor costs. Another benefit of creating these healthy soil environments is they more effectively retain their nutrients and capture carbon. A huge benefit of these systems is their effectiveness in producing these crops. They can produce similar amounts to traditional farming and have an increased variety of crops, potentially gaining more profit.
We also know that this type of farming is a possible solution in West Michigan because there is one here. An example of one of these farms is on The Grand Valley State University campus. It is called the Sustainable Agriculture Project.
Indoor vertical farming is the practice of growing produce in vertically stacked layers and it’s a great, sustainable alternative to traditional farming. Those who practice vertical farming can use soil, hydroponics, or aeroponics, however most facilities use hydroponics. This is because it is highly efficient and does not contribute to soil degradation.
The goal of vertical farming is to maximize the output of crops in a small space. This is achieved by controlling the temperature, light, water (temperature, contents, acidity, etc.), and gasses. This is all capable due to modern technology and an indoor environment that greatly lowers the chance of unpredictable outdoor environments affecting the crops.
There are a lot of pros to indoor vertical farming. Due to the ability to control a large amount of variables, they can be set up almost anywhere. Also, they reduce harvest times while boosting harvest volume, they operate at the most optimal use of space, greatly reduce the amount of water used for produce, reduces costs of transportation (since they can be set up anywhere, crops don't need to travel far), there's a reduced cost of labor, they’re energy efficient, and a huge pro is that they use zero chemicals or pesticides.
There are also a few cons to indoor vertical farming, the main one being pollination. Since these operations are indoors, bees cannot naturally pollinate the crops. This is being tackled in a few ways. Some facilities release bees and recapture them once the crops have been pollinated. Others have found ways for artificial pollination. Another con to indoor vertical faring is that these facilities are technology dependent. This makes some question if our current technological state could handle holding entire communities. The last big concern is that these facilities have the ability to destabilize entire communities that are dependent on traditional farming. This is because these facilities can outproduce traditional farms per harvest and since they can produce all year round, where traditional farming is seasonal, indoor farms can greatly outproduce them. This can be solved with thoughtful incorporation into communities.
Hydroponics is a type of gardening that uses a nutrient rich mixture instead of conventional soil. Nutrients in this mixture include Phosphorus, Nitrogen, and Calcium. Not needing soil means that plants can be propagated indoors, all year long regardless of outside conditions. How does this work? Plants usually use energy to sift through soil to find the water, but in hydroponics, plants have direct contact with the nutrients they are looking for. This leads to the plants growing faster and more abundant. In some hydroponic systems, a growing medium is necessary to allow the plants to have more effective water absorption. One possible type of a growing medium commonly used is coconut coir. Coconut coir is a shredded fibrous product made from coconut husks.
Types of hydroponics system include:
Wick - plants grow down through a medium where an absorbent "wick" draws the nutrient rich mixture into the plants root system.
Air gap - plants roots are partially submerged in water while the top half is exposed to air.
Raft - plants are placed on a floating surface with their roots hanging in the nutrient-rich mixture, while an aquarium like pump supplies oxygen to the water which the plants then pick up via their roots.
Ebb and Flow - Plants grow through a medium where the nutrient-rich water is pumped every 30 minutes then the excess is drained through the reservoir.
Top feeder - very similar to the Ebb and Flow, plants grow in a medium but the growing medium allows for oxygen to reach its roots. The nutrient-rich waters is then pumped on top of the medium, allowing the water to penetrate the root system, and then fall into the reservoir.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) - plants are positioned on a floating tilted hanging surface, where the plants roots are partially exposed to air on the top half. The bottom half of the roots are exposed to the nutrient-rich solution where it gets pumped through the trough at the top, and flows down the root system, and then back into the water reservoir.
Aeroponics - plants are in an enclosed space where they are exposed to air where on a consistent basis the nutrient-rich solution is misted onto the plants roots.
Hydroponics compared to traditional farming saves almost 99% of the water needed for cultivation, while producing 12% more yield per square meter. Hydroponic plants produce greater yields because they are more densely packed together compared to a traditional commercial farm. In a hydroponic system there are a lot of factors that the farmer can change to produce the best yield. The elements that enhance plant growth could be the pH of the water, nutrient content of the water, and the amount of light, which all can be controlled easily. Hydroponics uses less water because the water is constantly being recycled and put back into the reservoir where it can be used again, rather than running off into the environment. Hydroponics allows fresh food to be locally grown all year long. Hydroponics systems also take up less space because this type of farming comes in a variety of designs, including vertical stacking systems. While there are a lot of advantages to hydroponics, there are also some disadvantages. Some disadvantages include the high start up costs required as well as the need for consistent daily monitoring.
Hydroponics can be the future of farming because most of the world's population lives in urban areas. One of the biggest problems for growing food in urban areas is finding nutritious soil. On top of this fresh water supply is at an all time low. Hydroponics farming fixes both of these issues. Blue Mitten Farms in Okemos Michigan is a great example of large scale hydroponics. Their goal is to provide the restaurants and people in their area with fresh year-long lettuce, herbs, and microgreens.
Stakeholder is any person, group, or entity that has a "stake" or interest in the future of something. Farmers are the main stakeholders because changing their farming method would change their lives dramatically. The federal government has a long history of subsidizing American farmers which significantly affects our food supply and what we eat. The federal government needs to give American farmers subsidizes to switch over from conventional farming to a sustainable farming method that we discussed above. Every person that shops at their local grocery store would be affected as well. The availability and cost of food all depends on what is being grown by your local farmers. People will need to support their local farmers by purchasing their crops versus farms across the world.
There are roughly 10 million acres of conventional farmland in Michigan. If we used that space for more sustainable farming practices, Michigan as a state could significantly reduce its environmental impact. However, we need to be careful with how we shift to different agricultural systems, because a lot of communities in Michigan are dependent on farming. For example, if we set up a mass indoor vertical farm in Isabella county (a farming dependent region), it could destroy their entire community. Now there is a farming system that can produce more in a single harvest but also produce all year round. These problems need to be considered when thinking about how to transition to better farming practices.
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