Sustainable Soil Structure Management

Sustainable agriculture is the secret to preserving the health of both the consumer and the environment.  For the consumer, sustainable agriculture produces crops that are free from chemicals. 

Indeed, there’s no shortage of reasons why farmers need to consider sustainability.  Yet, there’s just one problem… if you’re not already schooled in the ‘green’ train-of-though, how do you get started with this type of agriculture?  The answer involves sustainable soil structure management. 

What is sustainable soil structure management?  Basically, sustainable soil structure management involves ensuring that soil remains high-quality without the use of chemicals. 

With that being said, the easiest way to begin the process is to utilize a type of fertilizer that has been in existence since the beginning of time… manure. 

Granted, it may not be the most pleasant substance to work with, but environmentally it is very healthy.  Also, manure is very cheap. 

It contains more nutrients than manure by itself, making it a powerful fertilizer that is still very green.

The next area of concern in sustainable soil structure management involves what type of pesticide you use.  It is best to use ones that utilize organic ingredients for killing insects. 

Examples of some of these ingredients could be lemons, sesame oil, garlic or peppers.  That’s right… many organic pesticides contain ingredients that you often see in your refrigerator. 

There are even recipes available online that can teach you how to make your own organic pesticides.  This is good if you have a small farm with a limited insect infestation. 

But if you have a larger farm, you may want to get a higher grade of pesticide.  Remember, even though organic pesticides don’t contain man-made chemicals, most still use advanced science to help kill a larger number of insects. 

You may not be able to duplicate this type of science with a homemade pesticide recipe.

Finally, if farmers want to make sure their using appropriate sustainable soil structure management, they need to make sure their crops are protected against disease. 

This helps ensure they won’t have to use stronger chemicals in the future to kill whatever is infecting their plants. 

One of the best ways to suppress disease-causing organisms is to use mycorrhizal fungi.  This fungus helps protect plants from invading organisms by: providing a buffer zone that physically protects the crop, giving off pathogen-killing chemicals and increasing the amount of nutrients the roots can absorb.

In conclusion, sustainable agriculture isn’t difficult to obtain if a farmer ensures they are being green with their soil management. 

This includes using manure or compost as fertilizer, opting for organic pesticides and using natural methods for preventing crop disease, (such as mycorrhizal fungi). 

If farmers do all of these things, their reward will be twofold… chemical-free crops and a healthier Earth.