Introduction to Farming
Farming is one of the oldest occupations known to mankind, in which plants and livestock are carefully tended for, in order to provide the population's food requirements. As our planet's climate possesses the characteristics necessary for the rapid development of every type of greenery, the profession of farming shows evidence of having been practiced for 10,000 years, sustainably.
Source - PlasticsEurope.com
However, with the industrialization that occurred rapidly in the 20th century, many countries employed different forms of nitrogen-based fertilizers and different sorts of pesticides, trying to enhance their agricultural output, which then incorporated with plant breeding, where genetically improved flora have been introduced in place of conventional breeds. This was a very favourable aspect since the farmers' yields increased and their products became more
attractive, causing other countries to adopt chemical. Source – nationalgeographic.com
Fertilizers mainly address the requirements of the Phosphate, Ammonium, Nitrate and Potassium minerals in the soil, which provides a growth advantage for the considered plants. On the other hand, pesticides guarantee that harmful effects on crops caused by insects and weeds are mitigated/minimized, since they repel and restrict their growth, respectively.
Subsequently, focusing on economic gains while disregarding the environment, caused the globe to face detrimental ecological impacts within a short period of a decade. Over time, chemical fertilizers and pesticides ended up contaminating the ground and soil with these heavy metals: Nickel, Cadmium, Mercury, Arsenic, Lead, and Copper as well as radionuclides such as Uranium, Thorium, and Polonium. This resulted in grave negative consequences for humanity's health since these heavy metals and compounds were shown to be extremely toxic to living beings in almost every way.
Adverse Effect of Chemical Fertilizers and Pesticides
Water Pollution
- Any plantation absorbs only about 50% from the utilized fertilizers and (2-10) % get evaporated while another (2 - 10) % directly contaminates surface and groundwater sources.
- In addition, a much bigger portion of pesticides contaminates the surface water sources as they get washed up with rain and watering.
Source – NRDC.com
-This leads to many sources being declared unusable while impacting both the terrestrial and aquatic organisms, significantly.
Soil Pollution
- The chemical utilizations have a detrimental effect on the soils over time, as the soil has an intrinsic buffering capacity.
- With continuous fertilizer usage, the structure of the soil tends to break down as it led to a drop in pH levels.
Source – Conserve Energy Future. com
- When the soil poses such acidic behaviour, the crop yield starts to decrease as it slowly loses the capability to sustain any kind of vegetation.
Air Pollution
- Since crops do not absorb all the utilized fertilizer, apart from the remanence conceive gases of nitrogen oxides.
- As the rate of production grows by 0.2–0.4 percent yearly, these generated gases considerably contribute to the growth of the greenhouse effect.
Source – National Park Service .com
- Mostly as a result of evaporation, nitrogen oxides accumulate, resulting in acid showers, which have a multitude of adverse repercussions on species and structures a like.
Conversion to Organic Farming
Organic farming pertains to utilizing biological fertilizers and ecological pesticides in crop growth. These fertilizers are usually derived from animal waste, plant waste and the growth of cover crops, which improves the nitrogen concentration in soil. Any person would arrive at the conclusion that organic farming depends on thought, which requires a high accumulation of swine and plant waste and allowing for anaerobic bacteria to take charge and produce rich Nitrogen-based compounds.
Source – Wordanimalprotection.org
However, this thought process does not interpret or address the requirements of contemporary farming communities accurately, as the said proceedings take 3-4 months to produce a firm set of fertilizers, not to mention with reduced efficiency. Simply put, this is also the perception of the Sri Lankan general community, which has prevented us from pursuing advanced organic agricultural methods during the last two decades.
Modern Organic Farming emerged as a viable alternative to chemically synthesized fertilizers and pesticides, owing to their detrimental impact on the earth's ecological and biological sectors. The origins of the factored concepts run back to the 1900s, where Sir Albert Howard introduced organic agricultural concepts in India addressing the aspects of health and sustainability. At present, several researchers and industry pioneers have developed fairly effective ways for bringing organic fertilizers to farming communities through the use of technology.
Technics Exploited in Organic Farming
1. Delta D Technology
One of the most efficient and productive methods of producing organic fertilizer is presented by Sri Lankan Professor Anul Perera (Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa) where he developed and patented a technique for producing fertilizer from any type of organic waste, including unsorted municipal solid waste, which the technology divides into recyclables and non-recyclables during the process, eventually providing the product in 24 - 72 hours.
In the aforementioned procedure, a fluid (Delta – D fluid) is introduced to the waste, which rapidly digests the lipids, cellulose, and proteins contained inside, which then followed by the addition of multiple mineral substances to the mixture, in order to guarantee that the fertilizer has an adequate amount of Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium, while diluting the Delta D concentration in the compound.
2. Fertilization by Animal Manure
Fertilizing croplands with livestock manure is a classic organic farming technique that is still extensively used due to the abundance of Feces, farmyard manure, and liquid manure produced by animals. However, the regulations implemented by authorities such as USDA (United States Department of Agri Culture) stipulate that, in order to produce usable animal manure, the selected animals (eg: - Sheep Manure – High Nitrogen composition, Pig’s Manure – No nutrition) need to be fed organic, throughout their lives, without providing any kind of drugs to promote their growth.
3. Weed Control
Unlike conventional farming, which eliminates weeds, organic farming inhibits weed development through crop competition combined with mechanical methods. Due to the fact that the soil supplies nourishment on its own, organic farming faces the constraint of not being able to cultivate the same set of crops continually. Hence farmers grow cover crops that suppress the growth of weeds, which then disrupt the life cycle of weeds, promoting to have a less effect on the primary crop growth. Additionally, growing diverse crops on the same soil tends to give genetic protection for crops against plant diseases.
Mechanical methods to control weeds consist of Mowing, Cutting, Tillage, Flame Wedding, Thermal Weeding and Mulching. Due to the fact that many of these procedures employ a variety of different pieces of machinery, the emission and destruction of nests, worms, and invertebrates do occur. Numerous environmentalists and ecologists have questioned this, noting that it is not sustainable. However, as compared to typical agricultural practices, the adverse impacts on faceted worms, insects, and customers are considerably lower.
4. Pest Control
Pest controlling in organic farming is conducted through 2 major aspects, organic pesticides and biological controls.
Organic pesticides are derived from naturally occurring organisms such as pyrethrins. Non-harmful mineral pesticides are utilized as well, following the governing conditions.
Biological controlling measures pertains to breeding/supporting the growth of natural predators of pests such as ladybugs, and wasps. Source – Britannica.com
Additionally, organic farmers' crop rotation practices disrupt pest cycles, resulting in a favourable influence on main crop development.
Role of the Engineer
Educating the Public
The severe usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides over the past few decades in Sri Lanka has poisoned the soil along with our natural water sources of rivers, canals, streams, groundwater supplies and accumulations such as tanks, and reservoirs. Health officials have stated unequivocally that these substances have significantly increased the incidence of non-communicable diseases in the country. Government restrictions on faceted are about time, as the health of the population needs to be affirmed along with the purity of the natural resources.
Source – azcentral.com
It is our responsibility as engineers to help publicize this information to the general public and farming communities, because organic farming does not rely on old, non-efficient techniques such as using composting, but instead employs new technologies such as Delta D, and it is through our transmission of these new technologies that we help to maintain a robust growth of crops while also benefiting society, the environment, and future generations.
Setting the Standards
Many developed countries such as United States, Canada, and organizations such as European Union have established different sets of regulations and standards, for a product to be certified as organic.
These regulations tend to differ from region to region as they address the local factors affecting the farming industry along with the availability of resources. For instance, the United States forbids farmers from using chemically produced fertilizers, insecticides, and animal feed, genetically engineered crops, sewage sludge and ionizing radiation, in producing organic foods.
Source – USDA.Gov
References
1. Perera, S. A. S. (n.d.). DELTA-D TECHNOLOGY - A GREEN SOLUTION TO UNSORTED URBAN SOLID WASTE (USW) DISPOSAL PROBLEMS IN SRI LANKA. 15.
2. Rigby, D., & Cáceres, D. (2001). Organic farming and the sustainability of agricultural systems. Agricultural Systems, 68(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-521X(00)00060-
3. Savci, S. (2012). Investigation of Effect of Chemical Fertilizers on Environment. APCBEE Procedia, 1, 287–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcbee.2012.03.047
4. Trewavas, A. (2001). Urban myths of organic farming. Nature, 410(6827), 409–410. https://doi.org/10.1038/35068639
5. Organic farming | Definition, History, Methods, & Benefits. (2021). Retrieved 19 July 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/organic-farming
6. (2021). Retrieved 19 July 2021, from https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2016/02/05/mcc-introduces-new-degree-budding-urban-farmers/79023148/
7. Manthe, C. (2021). What Does USDA Certified Organic Mean? - Examining Food. Retrieved 19 July 2021, from https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/food/what-does-usda-certified-organic-mean
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