Pages

2016-06-17

Useful Information On Sustainable Agriculture Omaha

By Henry Thomas


In order to attain food security, farmers need to continually produce more food using the same parcel of land without rendering it useless. To achieve sustainable agriculture Omaha agriculturists must adopt farming methods that preserve the fertility of their farms. This is not a hard thing to do but must be driven by commitment and a sense of responsibility to protect the environment.

Successful farmers must plan in advance and decide what crops to grow and when to do so. They must have the end user in mind as they start their venture. This means that they must do a thorough market survey before starting their venture. It is also important to find affordable skilled labor and professional agronomic support to help them manage the farm. Farmers must also get proper estimates of farm input costs before they can start any farming project to find out whether the venture will be profitable or not.

It is wise to protect your farm as a farmer and make sure that it retains its fertility. Besides the application of fertilizers, you can adopt crop rotation. This helps you to replenish nutrients utilized by one type of crop. For example, legumes are known to fix Nitrogen to the soil whereas cereals utilize the same nutrients. Growing these crops on the same parcel of land in alternate seasons will ensure that the soil retains its fertility.

Another way to utilize this symbiotic relationship between legumes and cereals is intercropping. This is grow two or more varieties of crops on the same piece of land at the same time. Besides maintaining the fertility of the farm, this method of farming maximizes the farm yield as it prevents wastage of space.It also helps farmers save on fertilizers.

Runoff water, when not controlled, often spells doom to soil fertility. With heavy rainfall, the top soil rich in humus is easily washed away leaving behind barren earth. To avoid this, you must have a way to control runoff water. You can dig terraces to check the flow of water. Also, plant trees around your farm to make sure that the soil is compactly held together. At given intervals, plant cover crops that will hold surface water and avoid soil erosion.

For a farmer to continually produce crops for years, they need money. This means that the farming venture should continually generate income. To maximize profits, the agriculturist can consider adding value to their products. This can be done by processing raw farm produce to final products for sale. Such products will fetch better prices in the market and thus ensure that the farmer has enough capital to support farming.

Minimize the use of pesticides by using natural predators. This may not be an easy thing to achieve as it requires deploying organisms on your farm to feed on the pests and not breed. There are firms that provide such services so you will need to find out whether they operate in your area.

Be open to opinions of experts and work closely with scientists in your area. It is important to know which crops do well in your region so as to maximize your farm yields. Also, strive to have current information on pest and disease control.




About the Author:



0 add comment::

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More