Alternative Farming Methods

In the Last 40 years, almost 1/3 of the worlds topsoil has been lost to erosion. This has reduced food production in some places to ZERO. (ACK!)

Contour Plowing Plowing perpendicular to the slope of the land to help prevent soil erosion. This preventive measure is most important in areas which are prone to violent storms or heavy rains. Not only is the topsoil kept in place, minerals like salt or additives such as fertilizers, insecticides or weed control agents, as well as bacteria from animal waste are not swept away to pollute bodies of potable water. Demonstrations showed that contour farming, under ideal conditions, will increase yields of row crops by up to 50%, with increases of between 5 and 10% being common. Importantly, the technique also significantly reduces soil erosion.

No Till Agriculture Growing crops from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage. Crop residues or other organic amenities are retained on the soil surface and sowing/fertilizing is done with minimal soil disturbance.

Tilling Soil To have a comparison tilling is a way of preparing the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Basically you’re losening the soil normally by turning it over on itself so seeds can get their roots out and add air to the soil. 

No Till also helps to sequester Carbon in the soil because it maintains a more natural soil structure with a larger O horizon.

Terraces Terracing is the building of graduated steps on hilly or mountainous terrain. Terraced fields decrease erosion and  runoff because it creates level areas that water can not pick up speed traveling down a slope.

Terraces Terracing is common with rice paddy fields are used widely in rice farming in Asia, as well as other places. Drier-climate terrace farming is common throughout the Mediterranean Basin, where they were used for vineyards, olive trees, cork oak, etc.

Crop Rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Crop rotation has various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nutrients to the soil by using certain plants in the rotation like legumes (ex. Soybean) that add those nutrients to the soil. Crop rotation also helps keep the build-up of pathogens and pests from occuring that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped It can also improve soil structure and fertility (mostly aeration) by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.

Strip cropping & crop rotation:

Strip Cropping Strip cropping is a method of farming used when a slope is too steep or too long. Strip cropping alternates strips of closely sown crops such as hay, wheat, or other small grains with strips of row crops, such as corn, soybeans, cotton, or sugar beets. Strip cropping helps to stop soil erosion by creating natural dams for water, helping to preserve the strength of the soil,

Windbreaks A windbreak or shelterbelt is a made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner to provide shelter from wind and protect soil from wind erosion. They are commonly planted around the edges of fields on farms.

Cover Crops Cover crops are crops planted primarily to manage soil fertility or quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in agriculture. Referred to as "green manure." They are used to manage a soil nutrients frequently nitrogen because nitrogen is often the most limiting nutrient in crop production. Green manure crops are commonly leguminous, meaning they are part of the Fabaceae (pea) family. This family is unique in that it produces a pod, such as beans, lentils, lupins and alfalfa. Leguminous cover crops are typically high in nitrogen and can often provide the required quantity of nitrogen for crop production by plowing them under the soil. In conventional farming, this nitrogen is typically applied in chemical fertilizer form.