Spring has sprung…
Well here we are again. Spring has sprung and the annual orgy to destroy our soil is in full swing.
The fleets of tractors are out with their ploughs turning the soil upside down. Not only does this allow the precious water stored in the soil to evaporate but it also destroys the organisms that help to build the soils structure. No wonder, then, that tractors are getting bigger, they have to in order to break up our ever compacting soils.
Not only do we expose the stored soil water to evaporation but we also loosen the crust so that our viscous African storms can wash away billions (should that be with a capital B!) of tons of our precious top-soil each rainy season.
Farmers generally believe they’re caretakers of the land for future generations. Why, then, do we insist on destroying the very lifeblood of agriculture – soil and water. If we do nothing to preserve these, then future generations may well be trying to feed the World from the subsoil.
Its time we looked at the way we do things. We need to farm with Nature not against it.
Too bad farming practices improve in spurts. There were dramatic changes that brought us to the all-till-and-chemicals club, then because production had increased greatly, things pretty much leveled out. It is encouraging, however, that many farmers are realizing that huge production and profit aren’t necessary proportional. In the US, government recognition of the important role agriculture plays in so many areas other than just the ag sector has prompted its economic intervention with an original emphasis solely on production. In recent years this influence has been tempered to include tying government support to farming practices that are more positive from a sustainability standpoint. Since farms are operated as for profit entities ultimately money talks. That’s not a bad thing, just the way it is and a point that must be recognized for any changes to occur.