Here are my essentials of sustaining agricultural production:

Soil erosion. Photo: USDA-ARS

1. Protect the soil

By this, I primarily mean that we minimize erosion, as that is the greatest threat to the soil. This
is the top priority because erosion is not easily fixed. We minimize erosion by protecting the soil
surface from wind and rain. Here are the main practices used:

Maintain crop residues. This is the best way to keep the soil protected.
Minimize tillage. Tillage reduces soil cover leaving it more prone to erosion.
Avoid compaction. Fixing compaction requires deep tillage to fix, which increases the
potential for erosion.

2. Maintain soil fertility

The export of food from farm fields is the overriding goal of agriculture. However, this export,
especially with an increasing portion of our population concentrated in cities, is also an export of
nutrients from fields. These nutrients must be replaced by an equal import of nutrients, otherwise
agriculture becomes a mining operation. I have discussed this here.

The one exception to this export-import rule is nitrogen. By using legumes, we have replaced the
exported nitrogen with nitrogen fixed from the air. All other nutrients (phosphorus, potassium,
micronutrients) must be replaced through inputs. This is why low-input agriculture has never
made much sense to me, for it either means low yield, or that you are mining your soil.

There are two sides to soil fertility maintenance. First, replacing the nutrients that are exported in
food:
 Application of fertilizers. These can be organic, synthetic or a mix of both. Eventually,
we will have to figure out how to recycle nutrients that are exporting in food to cities,
especially for phosphorus, which we will not be able to mine forever as it is found in
limited amounts in a few locations on earth. This means we will have to use biosolids
(such a technical term for something so common and frequent I prefer humanure)

Second, we must improve the efficiency of our nutrient use:

Mustard cover crop. Photo: A. McGuire

Cover crops. These can scavenge nutrients and prevent them from leaching.
Slow-release fertilizers. Nutrients become available over time reducing the risk of
leaching from soils.
Precision farming. Here, nutrients are applied where they are needed, at the time they are
needed, and in the quantity needed.
Crop rotation. Some sequences of crops are more efficient that others in nutrient use.
Practices in #1 above. Erosion is the loss of soil, but also of nutrients

4. Protect the crop

This is last, because the above essentials are required first to produce a crop worthy of
protection, but once this is done, once we have a highly digestible, nutritious crop, the pests will
come, either to take advantage of the fertile soil (weeds), or to feed on our crop directly
(diseases, insects, and other pests).
Sweet corn harvester. Photo: A. McGuire

For various reasons, I place weed control above that of diseases and insects. Here are the main
practices used:

Crop rotation. A diverse crop rotation is hard to beat for benefits to the entire system.
Competitive crops. Anything that gets the crop growing quickly; variety choice, optimum
planting dates and methods, soil fertility immediately around the seed, stale seedbed
planting, etc.
Cultivation (tillage to kill weeds). Before herbicides, this was required, and although
there are no-till methods that do not use herbicides, they are difficult to manage in many
situations. So, the advantages of cultivation must be weighed against the disadvantages it
produces for #1 (protect the soil) and #3 (use water efficiently) above.
Herbicides. These have great benefits, not only for controlling weeds, but for both #1 and
#3 above. Again, the benefits should be weighed against possible water pollution, human
health effects, and effects on non-target organisms

1. We shouldn't just "accept" climate change

Just because climate change is happening and its effects are already being felt, we
shouldn't give up on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural GHG
emissions, make up about 25% of global GHG emissions, but there's a lot that can be
done to reduce this.
Richard Waite, associate, Food, Forests and Water Program, World Resources Institute
explains: "By intensifying agriculture on existing land and protecting the remaining
forests, we can eliminate emissions from land-use change. And by addressing key
emissions from agricultural production from cows and other ruminants, from fertilizers,
and from rice production practices, we can greatly reduce emissions from agricultural
production."

2. We don't need to "accept" a world with 9.6 billion people by 2050

The world population is growing, but fertility rates have fallen rapidly over the last few
decades as girls gain better access to education and reproductive health services. African
 governments have made health and education a priority but greater investment could
reduce the population challenge and the demand for food.
This is especially important in sub-Saharan Africa where half of population growth
between now and 2050 will occur. A recent report from WRI estimates that achieving
replacement level fertility (the rate of fertility at which a population exactly replaces
itself from one generation to the next) in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050 would reduce food
demand by around 600tn kilocalories (kcal) per year by the mid-century. This would
close 9% of the 6,500tn kcal per year global gap between food available in 2006 and food
needed in 2050.

3. Switching crops is the future

Emphasis will be on climate smart agriculture in the short-term, but in 10 to 20 years
time, the focus will be on switching crops, says Jason Clay, senior vice president, market
transformation, WWF. As climate change affects commercial crops, alternatives will
have to be sought out. Clay points that sorghum is already being substituted for corn and
maize because it can be used in feed and produce like beer. In Mexico, the government is
looking to varieties of cocoa to replace coffee crops, which may not be suitable to grow
by 2025 due to blight and heat as a consequence of climate change.
With the right technical assistance and packages of better genetics, management practice
and inputs, switching crops could be an opportunity for smaller farmers struggling with
current crops to leapfrog previous performance and become more productive.

4. Research breakthroughs need more investment

Moving to adapted crop varieties that are more resilient to climate change is feasible,
says Chris Brown, general manager for environmental sustainability, at agri-business
Olam International. But for the next wave of research breakthroughs, the FAO has
estimated that we will need $45-$50bn annual spending globally. It's currently at $4bn.

5. Cultivating trees on farms can boost crop yields

According to Waite, over the last few decades, farmers in Niger have managed the
natural regrowth of native Faidherbia trees across 5m hectares. The Faidherbia fixes
nitrogen in the soil, protects fields from wind and water erosion and contributes organic
matter to soils when its leaves drop. Compared to conventional farms in the country,
yields of maize in these agroforestry systems can be doubled and farmers in Ethiopia,
Kenya, and Zambia are taking note.

6. Small-scale farmers are vital to domestic food security

Small-scale farmers have a guaranteed and growing market for staple crops, but the UK
produces 24% less food than it consumes, says Charles Tassell, farmer and co-founder of
AgriChatUK. This comes today, as MPs warn that the UK's ability to feed itself is
threatened by complacency. Over the last 20 years, the UK's self-sufficiency for
domestically-grown food has fallen from 87% to 68%, while yields of its most important
staple crop, wheat, have not increased for at least the last 15 years.
Brown argues that governments, banks and companies must coordinate to support the
500m global smallholders to scale-up agri-production enterprises. This support should
include legal land tenure, global policies for a level playing field, access to capital and
 markets, structured training (both agriculture and business development), and investment
in technology and infrastructure.

7. Urban farms suit tomatoes, not cows

If urban farmers reduce the need for transport, refrigeration and packaging, and source
inputs from local waste streams, then city farms could offer a sustainable alternative for
growing fruit and vegetables, says Oscar Rodriguez, director of Architecture and Food.
However, livestock farming and urban living make a less practical combination.

8. Meat is off the menu

Achieving replacement level fertility, reducing food loss and waste, reducing biofuel
demand for food crops and shifting our diets, will all go some way to closing the gap
between food available and food required. Any meaningful change to consumption
patterns and the environmental impacts of food production though, will have to involve
knocking animal products off the menu, especially beef. Chris Hunt, director of
GRACE's food program, points to consumer campaigns like Meatless Monday as
evidence of trending in the right direction.

9. The definition of a "good" farmer is culturally complex

What is good criteria for one person, may be shocking for another, says Louise Manning,
senior lecturer in food production management, Royal Agricultural University. In terms
of animal welfare, stocking density might be considered an indicator of negative
performance but in terms of resource management, a positive one.

10. Everyone has a role to play

The WRI report on Creating a Sustainable Food Future estimates that we need about 70%
more food in 2050 than we have today in order to provide every one of the 9.6 billion
world population with a daily intake of 3,000 calories. It's a huge challenge, but unlike
other sustainability challenges, everyone can play a part in the solution.
Everyone needs to eat, so be it reducing food loss and waste, eating lower-impact diets or
investing in sustainable production - countries, companies, and