SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE By: Christal Luna

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE? Sustainable agriculture means that we increase or maintain production of goods such as plant and animal goods by using techniques to protect and preserve the environment and human health. This is a hard goal to obtain in today’s society because of the high demand for meats, fruits and vegetables, this means everything is mass produced Farmers have to keep up just to keep making money, resolving to pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and hormones speeds up the lengthy process of waiting for things to grow naturally. We see the horrible outcomes of these practices everyday.

EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis spray is linked to sneezing, sunny nose, asthma, red watery eyes, itching and burning, swelling of the skin. It can even cause people a trip to the hospital. Pesticides that cause such reactions in humans are supposed to not be used, there are safety tests that these pesticides have to pass before being used but often times they fail and are used anyway. Like this Bt protein. These are just what happens to humans, the environment takes a toll as well Rachel Carson discusses what happens to environment in her book Silent spring. The name says it all.

SILENT SPRING, SILENT PLANET Once small groups of insects and other animals start dying off because of pesticide and herbicide use as well as GMO’s we will have no more biodiversity. No more animals on this planet, that means we will soon follow their foot steps to death

HOW DO WE FIX THIS? The Use of “Prairie Crops” This means that you convert 10% of your crops to natural crops found in your area (prairie crops) you can reduce soil loss and nutrient loss up to 95% Biodiversity also quadruples This method is not expensive Less soil and nutrient loss means fuller, more nutrient packed crops the natural way IPM: Integrated Pest Management Instead of using pesticides we can limit the use of them by using natural predators. This is called integrated pest management. Using natural predators (wasps, lady bugs) is a great way to not use any GMO’s or pesticides It’s a little more expensive but the cost of buying predators is nothing compared to having a healthy life

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Buy non GMO foods, this will hurt the producers because no one is buying their product We will make the biggest change, yes we have to eat, but make the right choices If we choose to buy organic, non GMO foods, or even foods from a local farmer we will change the fate of this planet We will bring back biodiversity, be healthier and so will the planet

OUR PART AND THEIR PART We make up the food industry, we can change it if we want to simply by buying non GMO products and supporting local farms Once we make that change Monsanto and other companies will not stand a chance, they will be the ones to struggle to keep up with the times. As for some farmers, they need to invest in things that will be better for the land. Natural is always better Whether it is buying natural predators, prairie crops, or both they will see dramatic improvement in the way their crops grow. No more Monsanto, No more silent spring.

WORKS CITED Carson, Rachel, Lois Darling, and Louis Darling, Silent Spring, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962, Print. Bowler, Ian, “Developing Sustainable Agriculture”. Geography 87.3 (2002): Web U. (2013, January). Rachel Carson's Legacy: The Silent Spring Series - Exploring Ethics. Retrieved November 23, 2015 Smith, J. M. (2007, June). Genetically engineered foods may cause rising food allergies genetically modified corn. Retrieved November 23, 2015.