Assignment

Sustainable solutions:
With an environmental lens, sustainability is about managing and protecting Earth’s natural resources,
ecosystems, climate and atmosphere so that current generations and future generations will have the
things they need to live a decent life. In doing so, the millions of other species with whom we share the
planet will also benefit.

Organic agricultural technology: Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques
such as crop rotation, green manuring compost and biological pest control.

Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators such as hormones,
livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), human sewage sludge and
nano particles.

Sustainable organic farming is the farming based on sustainable ways and on an understanding of
ecosystem services. Sustainable agriculture is a system of crop cultivation which doesn’t impair the
manure or humus content of the soil and water.

 Controlling soil –water regimes

 Rain harvesting & irrational methods
 Soil Fertility management
 Organic residue management

History:

The phrase ‘sustainable agriculture’ was reportedly coined by the Australian agricultural scientist
Gordon Myclymont & Wes Jackson are credited with the first publication of the expression in his 1980
book New Roots for Agriculture. The term became popular in the late 1980.

Methods:

1. Crop rotation:

Rotation breaks the reproduction cycles of pests. During rotation, farmers can plant certain crops, which
replenish plant nutrients. These crops reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

2. Cover crops:
By planting cover crops, such as clover or oats, the farmer can achieve his goals of preventing soil
erosion, suppressing the growth of weeds, and enhancing the quality of the soil. The use of cover crops
also reduces the need for chemicals such as fertilizers.

3. Soil Enrichment:

By process of crop rotation and cover crops

Integrated pest management (IPM):

This is an approach, which really relies on biological as opposed to chemical methods. IMP also
emphasizes the importance of crop rotation to combat pest management.

Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture:

1. Environmental Conservation

Sustainable agriculture helps to replenish the land as well as other natural resources such as water and
air. This replenishment ensures that these natural resources will be able for future generations to
sustain life.

2. Public Health Safety

Sustainable agriculture avoids hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. As a result, farmers can produce
fruits, vegetables and other crops that are safer for consumers, workers, and surrounding communities.

3. Prevents Pollution

Sustainable agriculture means that any waste a farm produces remains inside the farms ecosystem. In
this way the waste cannot cause pollution.

4. Reduce cost

The use of sustainable agriculture reduces the need of fertilizers, resulting in significant cost savings in
terms of purchasing as well as transporting them. This in turn lessens the overall costs involved in
farming.

Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of living species on Earth – plants, animals and microorganisms –
and the ecosystems they form. An ecosystem is the name given to all living species that live together in a
stable community, interacting with one another and their physical environment. Biodiversity includes
the diversity within species and between different species within terrestrial, freshwater and marine
ecosystems. Ecosystems need a balanced and diverse number of species to thrive.

When people think of conserving biodiversity, they often think of efforts to save animals such as the
polar bear or the tiger. While protecting single species is important, it is equally important to protect
ecosystems. When there is a shift in the balance of an ecosystem, such as the loss of a plant or an animal
or an introduction of new species, this shift can lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore, it is
important to understand what makes an ecosystem thrive.

Biodiversity plays a critical role in sustaining human populations across the globe. We depend on it for
sustained food growth, for clean air and water and for medicine and shelter. It is no surprise then that
ecosystem degradation threatens our most basic necessity – a healthy environment to live and thrive in.
This is especially true of biodiversity hotspots, which house some of the largest diversity of species in the
world and provide important life-support services to the people who live in and around them.

In addition, biodiversity is embedded in human cultures and is fundamental for our understanding of the
world. Biodiversity enriches our lives – it has economic, cultural, recreational, religious and aesthetic
importance across the world. We have celebrated it in art, music and literature throughout history.
More than 190 countries acknowledge its importance to human populations through a show of support
for the Convention on Biological Society.

Waste disposal: Sustainable waste management refers to the collection, transportation, valorization and
disposal of the various types of waste, in a manner that does not jeopardize the environment, human
health or future generations. It includes any activity involved in the organization of waste management,
from production to the final treatment.

It is important to note that there are various types of wastes, such as municipal, which includes
household, commercial and demolition waste; electronic or e-waste, which includes computer parts;
and radioactive waste, among many other forms of waste.

Sustainable waste management is a key concept of the circular economy and offers many opportunities
and benefits to both the economy, the society and the environment. Sustainable waste management
involves collecting, sorting, treating, recycling, and when properly facilitated providing a source of
energy and resources. It, therefore, creates jobs, improves waste management methods, and lessens
the impact of human activities on the environment, thereby, improving the air and water quality. It also
reduces food wastage, keeps heavy environmental costs at bay, and prevents some human health
conditions, thereby improving the overall human life.

Alternative fuels: As the demand for energy increases, reserves of fossil fuels are steadily declining. The
growing consumption of energy is responsible for the world’s dependence on non-renewable energy
sources, such as petroleum, gas, and coal. The burning of fossil fuels increases greenhouse gases,
resulting in increasing global temperatures. To overcome these problems, there is an urgent need for
alternative and advanced fuels. Bioethanol, biodiesel, and biogas are the best fuels generated from
biomass, and there are also emerging fuels that could minimize the overloading of non-renewable fuels
and decrease pollution levels. Bioethanol is a plentiful new source of fuel for the future and has the
capacity to conserve petroleum resources. Biodiesel is also clean and is generated from renewable
sources. It can be used in diesel engines either directly or as an additive in diesel fuel. It has the capacity
to replace petro-diesel fuel and to reduce pollution levels. Apart from biodiesel, hydrogen is also a clean
source of energy and has huge potential to minimize the load of imported energy sources. Alternative
fuel production and use play major roles in economic growth, biomass waste management, producing a
cleaner environment, decreasing gaseous pollutants, and ultimately developing sustainability.