Top 10 Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the World

In FY 2021, the global market size of Sustainable Agriculture was recorded at 12.09 Billion US Dollars. In FY 2022, this market increased to 13.32 billion dollars and is projected to become 28.91 USD by 2030.

In this article, we are going to learn about the Top 10 Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the World.

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to meet current agricultural needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Three primary goals are integrated into the work of sustainable agricultural practitioners: social and economic equality, economic profitability, and environmental health. All those involved in the food chain may ensure a sustainable agricultural system, including farmers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste managers.

Top 10 Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the World

Sustainable agriculture refers to a holistic farming and food production technique that seeks to meet the current needs for food and fiber while confirming the long-term viability of agricultural systems and conserving natural resources for future generations. The list of all the sustainable farming practices is listed below in the reverse order.

10. Mulching and Manual Weed Control

The growth of weeds and other unneeded plants around the crops can be reduced drastically by covering the soil around those plants using ground covers and mulching. This also helps in locking the moisture into the soil around the plants.

• This practice is primarily applied in Strawberry farming, where the plants are supposed to be sewn. Away from each other, leading to weeds growing between those spaces. 
• Organic mulch materials like grass clippings, straw, or wood chips improve nutrient retention in the soil and allow the organic soil microorganisms to increase the soil fertility and quality.
• This also decreases the need for tillage.

9. Natural Pest Management

One of the primary purposes of sustainable agricultural techniques is to prevent using artificial pesticides and other chemicals that should subdue pest infestations and pathogens.

• Infusing the soil with large amounts of chemicals to grow crops does not ensure a long-term solution and affects the consumers’ health.
• Therefore, the farmers who practice sustainable farming look for natural solutions to create a condition that does not help the pests grow. 
• Greater variety of crops, crop rotations and intercropping are some proven successful methods. Their success lies in spreading preferred food sources of pests by mixing crops they do not prefer.
• Also, various crops attract insects; some are natural predators of pests, allowing them to keep their populations within boundaries, thus simulating how the natural ecosystem balances itself out.

8. Natural Animal Raising

Sustainable animal farming is achievable and is better for everyone. It is suitable for the environment, our nutritional needs, and animals. Animals raised on the grazing or in their better environment live under less stress or strain, adjacent or closer to their natural way of living. They can manage social interactions with other animals and conduct themselves in a way that is natural to them.

• Sustainable animal farming is the management of animals in a way that fulfils current demands while not threatening the capacity of future generations to do the same.
• It strongly stresses sustainable practices, animal interest, and economic viability. 
• This approach is essential because it tackles food safety, limits resource insufficiency, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and supports animal moral treatment, all necessary for a healthy world and proportional ecosystems.

7. Growth of Heirloom and Older Varieties

Due to the industrialisation of the world food system, only a few variations of our food plants are grown commercially. This situation progresses to meet market demand for the survival of produce to travel long distances and to be stored for long periods.

• This reduced or lessened genetic variety in our food crop species reduces those species’ opportunity to adapt or adjust to changes in climate, diseases, and environmental irritant conditions.
• In the past 100 years, the world has failed almost 90 percent of the fruit and vegetable seed varieties that were once known.
• This decreased genetic type in our food crop species declines those species’ opportunity to adjust to changes in climate, diseases, and pest situations in the environment.

6. Polycultures and Crop Rotation

Polyculture farming is concerned with growing numerous crop species in one area. These species are frequently complementary to each other and direct at producing a greater variety of products from one plot while entirely making use of available resources.

• High biodiversity makes the structure resilient to weather fluctuations, encourages a balanced diet and applies natural procedures to protect soil fertility.
• Crop rotation is based on growing a sequence of different types of plants in the same area in all the coming seasons.
• The plant rotation may range from a growing season to a few years or extended periods.
• It is one of the most practical agricultural management techniques used in controlling soil fertility loss.

5. Agroforestry and Food Forests

Agroforestry requires the growth of trees and bushes amongst crops or feed the land. Agroforestry systems can merge both agriculture and forestry practices for “long-lasting”, “productive”, and “diverse land” use when speaking of sustainably.

• Trees generate a commendatory microclimate in agroforestry systems that maintains favourable temperature and soil humidity while saving crops from wind or heavy rain.
• Trees have one more critical part as they stabilise soils, minimise nutrient runoff, and improve soil structure.
• This is why agroforestry is one of the most potent tools farmers use in dry regions with soils susceptible to deforestation.

4. Urban Agriculture

Restricting our food system is essential to “get bigger or grow” food much closer to home, including in cities. Since most of the world’s population is forecast to live in towns in the future, there is an immense opportunity for urban agriculture to make a remarkable positive impact on how we produce our food around the globe.

• Many creative and sustainable farming practices are already being used in cities, including indoor hydroponic farms, backyard farms and gardens, rooftop farms, growing crops in urban greenhouses, community gardens, and perhaps even growing food inside urban farm towers someday.

3. Hydroponics and Aquaponics

These creative agriculture methods involve growing plants without soil and nourishing them through particular nutrients added to water. Crops are produced with the roots directly in a mineral solution or with the roots in an inert medium like gravel or perlite in hydroponic systems.

• The aquaponics and hydroponics systems and equipment market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +9.0%, resulting in a market size of ~USD 2141.7 million by 2028.
• Aquaponics merge the uplift of aquatic animals “such as fish” with the growing of hydroponic crops.
• In aquaponic systems, the water carrying the waste material from the aquaculture fish is used to maintain the hydroponic plants.
• After the plants use the water, the water is re-released back into the system to be recycled by the fish.

2. Biodynamic Farming

Biodynamics contains ecological and total growing practices constructed upon the philosophy of “anthroposophy.” Farmers are inspired to head their farm as one living organism where cultivated species interlace and support everyone’s health.

• One of the principles of biodynamic farming is diverse crop rotation, which is the practice of planting different crops on a particular parcel of land in different seasons.
• There are 9,131.89 hectares of certified biodynamic farms in India, but the uncertified area could be around 60,000-70,000 hectares.
• Germany accounts for 41.8% of the total global population, followed by Australia (20%) and France (6%).
• Around 15,000 ha of the Demeter-certified area are biodynamic vineyards, with about 760 BD wineries in Europe, led by France with 375 wineries.

1. Permaculture

Permaculture is a formatting system that uses natural principles to evolve human territories, allowing people to live in balance with the biological world. Permaculture principles and values can be applied to almost every living area, including energy systems, housing areas, local economies, water supplies, and food production.

• There is a particular focus on using yearly crops such as fruit trees, nut trees, and shrubs that all work together in an organised system that imitates how plants in a natural ecosystem perform.
• Permaculture design methods include hugelkultur garden beds, sheet mulching, herb spirals, keyhole and mandala gardens, growing grain without tillage, each plant serving multiple purposes and creating swales on outline to hold water high on the terrain.

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FAQs on Top 10 Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the World

How can sustainable agriculture be attained?

Regular practices of sustainable agriculture are crop rotation, integrated pest management (IPM), planting cover crops, uplifting heritage species, drip irrigation, and small-scale agriculture.

Why do we need to practise sustainable agriculture?

Embrace sustainable practices; farmers will lessen their reliance on nonrenewable energy, use fewer chemicals, and rescue scarce resources.

How does sustainable agriculture affect the economy?

Making farming more sustainable and profitable or earnable can generate jobs and tonic economic activity in rural areas.

What are the two parts of sustainable agriculture?

There are two main elements to sustainable agriculture: 

1. Conservation
2. Production