Despite the ever increasing number of people who decide to move from the rural to have a taste of the urban life, it cannot be denied that farming is something that will not be a total threat to urbanization.

More or less our main concern is on the fact that a considerable number of the population decided to leave their jobs as farmers to try their luck in finding non-farming jobs. If this goes on, would there be adequate food to feed everybody?

Even if the world is constantly developing or progressing, it will not make any sense if food, healthy food at that, will no longer be accessible to all. Because of progress, the world may be able to afford to pay for the food they are going to eat but if the farmers gradually start to lose interest in farming or agriculture, then people might have to endure the consequences of modernization and urbanization. Our hope lies on the rest of the farmers who weren’t thinking about switching to a different career. Fortunately, because of progress and modernization, technology has made way for efficient forestry and agriculture equipment such as farm tractors (john deere, caterpillar and other famous brands), plows, tillers, loaders and other farming related innovations to help them deliver the best of their production.

Even rich people who decide to move out of the city because they want to live in a peaceful, healthy and stress-free suburb would also know the importance of eating healthy food that they are also into farming themselves. Some of them are buying large hectares of land and devote a large area for farming and agriculture, both for consumption and commercial purposes. Soon enough, we will already solve shortage of food production if we ourselves will put an effort to produce our own food, even if our planting or farming be limited only to growing selected vegetables, crops and fruit-bearing trees in our backyard.

If it’s any consolation, statistics has it that there are quite an incredible number of forestry and agriculture equipment purchase online. The sales of tractors, plows, loaders, tillers, other farm implements and attachments have increased lately to a good extent. It is a good sign that farming still has a future.

A wide variety of agriculture jobs exist, ranging from hands-on field work to complex positions in agricultural engineering. Specific job categories include agribusiness, agricultural inspection, agriscience, and farm work. Some positions are learned on the job, while others will require a college degree and specialized training.

Agriculture jobs in the business sector involve working with companies that grow and sell crops and livestock. The distribution, buying, and trading of produce may be supervised. The work typically includes marketing, price analysis, drafting contracts, and farm management. Most of these positions will require a four-year degree or higher, as well as good communication and people skills.
Agricultural inspectors often work for government offices that establish and enforce health and safety regulations regarding the food supply. These inspectors make sure that farms and processing plants are following the proper procedures where food safety is concerned. This usually involves testing livestock for harmful diseases and inspecting food for dangerous microbes and other contaminants.

An agricultural scientist works to improve the quality and safety of both farm animals and crops. These positions are often found in universities and research labs. The agricultural jobs may include improving farm equipment technology to increase the quantity and quality of goods, finding cures for diseases that affect livestock and crops, and discovering more effective methods of pest control. A strong background in science, math, and engineering is necessary for this position.
Farming was likely the very first agriculture job; in addition to crops and livestock, it may also involve specialized animal breeding. To ensure healthy crops, the art of plowing, planting, and fertilization must be learned for each crop type. The responsible use of pesticides is also important, as well as the routine maintenance of facilities and equipment. A production manager may be employed to oversee progress, while also finding ways to increase production using less time and money. Many farm positions are seasonal, employing extra workers during certain months to pick fruits and vegetables.

Animal breeders must be well educated in animal health and genetics. They must know the proper foods to feed an animal for ensuring healthy offspring, and will study the various traits of different animals to determine the best breeding specimens. Breeders will often use artificial insemination and must therefore understand how the procedure works. This agriculture job, as with all farm work, is ideal for those who love animals and working outdoors.

With the current buzz regarding sustainability, here’s the big query: Sustainable agriculture — Is it in your future?

These are tumultuous times. World warming and environmental degradation are serious threats to the long run of our world. This economic state of affairs is somewhat bleak and recovery is slow. Worry of the future is ever gift in several minds. The matter is that whether or not we have a tendency to acknowledge the environmental seriousness, the monetary concerns and therefore the reservation we have a tendency to feel hold us back from creating significant movement toward positive change. On the other hand, to try and do nothing spells bound disaster in our future.

Sustainability has many definitions depending upon who is defining it! I outline it as agricultural practices which consider, address, and improve the environmental, social, and economic aspects of the operation. It’s like a 3 legged stool. There should be three legs of the identical length and in some cheap configuration in order to possess balance and stability. To neglect one leg or to place it in the wrong place means the business is possible to collapse.

Keeping that balance has several benefits. If anyone ought to be an environmentalist, it should be the farmer. If farmers use the land and water without regard to the results of management, it means that that those resources can doubtless become degraded and/or depleted. It’s like using a car to induce to figure, however never checking the tires, changing the oil nor putting gas in it. It will not be long before you’re looking at alternative transportation. On the other hand, being proactive, considering the consequences, monitoring, and planning ahead can get you there more quickly and with reliability!

Here are ten basic steps to include sustainability into your farm operation:

1. Assess your current scenario

2. Outline specifically what it is that you’re managing

3. Confirm what resources you have offered

4. Write down what you wish to achieve — obtaining to your core principles

5. Arrange your strategy to deal with the setting, finances, and social aspects

6. Check your choices and actions

7. Monitor your progress — think about that you could are wrong

8. Retreat to not off course if you’re off course

9. Completely re-plan when necessary

10. Revisit your goal and your set up

The clock is ticking, however there is still time to form a difference. Each epic journey starts with one small step,and then another. Agriculture is the foundation of civilizations. If agriculture fails, thus does everything else. What are some steps you can take to move toward additional sustainable agriculture? Is it in your future?

Our current agricultural practices are a major contributor to climate change. A whopping 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the way we grow, process, distribute and consume food, and an additional 18% are due to deforestation largely driven by the clearing of forests for agricultural land. This problem can only intensify as our population grows. Imagine how many more greenhouse gasses will be pumped into our atmosphere in 2050 when the estimated world population reaches 9.1 billion. Without a drastic change to the way we produce food, we simply wont survive.

Traditional agriculture, and even organic agriculture, relies heavily on tilling the soil to prepare the ground for planting. Tilling, however, has a number of undesirable side-effects, such as: soil erosion, loss of organic matter, destruction of living soil microbes, dependence on heavy machinery, loss of soil structure, loss of nutrients and soil compaction. However, there is another negative side-effect of tilling that many people may be unaware of, and that is carbon oxidization. Tilling causes the carbon in the soil to be oxidized which releases it (the carbon) into the atmosphere. This, of course, increases greenhouse gasses and contributes to climate change.

Over the past 30 -40 years there have been people experimenting with no-till agriculture. No-till agriculture uses a range of practices so that tilling is rarely or never used, resulting in the following advantages: improved soil structure, better water and nutrient holding capacity and less use of machinery. However, one of the biggest advantages of no-till agriculture is that the soil can store much more carbon. This means that there will be more carbon in the plants and soil and less in the atmosphere. In other words, agriculture has the potential to become a fighter against climate change. Wouldnt that be a turnaround?

So far, no-till agriculture has been heavily dependent on herbicides. When I attended agricultural college in the late eighties, no-till agriculture was in its early developmental stages. It was seen as unorthodox and alternative a little way out. We were taught that paddocks needed to be sprayed out with herbicide first. The dead plants, which were called stubble, were left standing. Then seed was sown through the stubble, using a direct-drilling method. The stubble offered soil protection and increased biomass, which is great. However, the method was completely dependant on chemical herbicides.

The organic industry, which is generally seen as an environmentally positive industry, does things quite differently. They use a combination of green-manure crops and tilling. Green-manure crops, such as oats, millet, clover, and many more, are commonly used and sown into a paddock prior to planting the target species. For example, lets say our target species is corn. Prior to the corn being planted in spring, a green-manure crop, such as oats, is planted out in autumn and allowed to grow through winter. In spring, the oats are tilled into the soil and the corn is sown. This is an excellent way of building soil biomass and soil nutrients; however, you still have the negative effects of soil tillage, mainly the release of carbon into the atmosphere.

As you can see, both no-till and organic agriculture have their pros and cons. No-till methods store carbon but rely on chemicals. Organic farming uses no chemicals but relies on tilling.

A method that combined the soil protection of no-till farming and the non-toxicity of organic farming would be ideal agricultural heaven. There are people around the world who are working towards this ideal. These pioneers, referred to as no-till organic farmers, are still working out a few bugs.

With this revolutionary method, a green-manure cover crop is planted out prior to the target crop. However, when the time comes to plant the target species, the green-manure crop is not tilled into the soil, and neither is it killed with herbicide. Rather than being tilled or sprayed, the green-manure crop is killed using a mechanical method called crinking. A large roller with blunt blades set at intervals is rolled over the green-manure crop. The blades crink, but not cut, the stems of the cover crop. It also flattens the cover crop so that it becomes a dense, dead organic matt covering the soil. Then seed is sown using a direct-drilling method through the dead matt. The dead green-manure crop is still attached to the soil via its dying roots. This offers excellent soil protection and the dense matt offers weed suppression and moisture retention. It also increases soil biomass and builds nutrients.

The beauty of this method is the fact that agricultural land can act as a giant carbon sink. This is a complete turnaround as agriculture is presently a major producer of greenhouse gasses. It is believed that no-till farming has the potential to store a staggering 3000 pounds (1360 kilograms) of carbon per acre. No-till organic farming has the potential to become a major fighter against climate change, and provide healthy, chemical-free food at the same time.

On a small scale, no-till organic food production is actually very easy. Food4wealth is an ideal example of this revolutionary way of producing food. Food4wealth is a small-scale, easy-to-follow, organic food-growing method that retains a dense coverage of plants and uses no tilling. A food4wealth plot is just like a mini-carbon sink. It takes carbon from the atmosphere and turns it into healthy, organic food.

For more information go to: Food4Wealth

by Jonathan White B.App.Sci. Assoc. Dip.App. Sci.