Sustainable agriculture
Big idea: Sustainable agriculture aims to produce food while maintaining soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem services for future generations.
Principles of sustainable agriculture
- Maintain soil health — prevent erosion, build organic matter
- Conserve water — efficient irrigation, reduce waste
- Protect biodiversity — maintain habitats, reduce pesticides
- Minimize pollution — reduce fertilizer and pesticide runoff
- Reduce emissions — lower fossil fuel use, sequester carbon
- Economic viability — must be profitable for farmers to adopt
Approaches to sustainable farming
- Organic farming — no synthetic chemicals, builds soil health
- Agroforestry — trees integrated with crops/livestock
- Permaculture — mimics natural ecosystems
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) — minimizes pesticide use through biological controls
- Precision agriculture — technology to apply inputs only where needed
- Regenerative agriculture — actively improves soil and ecosystem health
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Potential benefits
- Higher yields
- Pest/disease resistance (less pesticide)
- Drought tolerance
- Improved nutrition (e.g., Golden Rice)
Concerns
- Unknown long-term ecological effects
- Gene flow to wild relatives
- Corporate control of seeds
- Ethical objections
9-MARK ESSAY FAVOURITE: "Evaluate the sustainability of different agricultural practices." You must: define sustainable agriculture, compare industrial vs organic vs other approaches, discuss environmental AND socio-economic trade-offs, and reach a justified conclusion.
IB-style question — evaluating a sustainable strategy
Evaluate switching from chemical fertilisers to organic fertilisers as a way to make farming more sustainable. [4]
How the marks are earned
- Advantages & disadvantages
• for: improves soil structure, cuts runoff and eutrophication
• against: slow nutrient release, bulky, may reduce short-term yields - Conclusion — make a judgement
• e.g. good for long-term soil health, but intensive farms may still need some mineral fertiliser
Final answer
'Evaluate' must have advantages + disadvantages + a conclusion — all three are needed for full marks.
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