The Common Sense Environmental Fund

Sustainable Agriculture
The environmental costs incurred through modern, chemical- intensive farming are no longer acceptable. Rampant pesticide use, soil depletion and genetic homogenization of crops threaten the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we and other depend on for food and habitat. Organic, sustainable agriculture is a realistic and necessary alternative to those practices.Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is an urgent problem because new soil forms very slowly; 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) of topsoil may take anywhere from 20 to 1200 years to form. Soil erosion also has a number of serious environmental impacts. For instance, soil particles attach to pesticides. Transported to nearby waterways, these pesticide-laden particles may contaminate fish and other aquatic organisms, which, in turn, may be passed to birds and human consumers in the food chain. Sediment deposited in waterways also increases flooding, destroys breeding grounds of fish and other wildlife, and increases the need for dredging harbors and rivers. The World Resources Institute estimates the offsite damage from soil erosion in the United States is over $10 billion a year.
Since 1880 one third of the top soil in the United States has been lost to erosion, according to the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Unfortunately, soil erosion continues today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates about 1 billion metric tons of topsoil were lost from U.S. farmland in 2000. Although, that is less than the 1.45 billion metric tons lost in 1985, the current rate of erosion remains too high. The average rate of erosion on U.S. farmland is approximately seven times greater than soil formation, a situation that is clearly unsustainable. Should erosion continue, the U.S. agricultural system could experience substantial declines in productivity.
Unfortunately, little information is available on soil erosion rates throughout the world. Scientists currently estimate that approximately one-third of the world's cropland topsoil is being eroded faster than it is being regenerated.
Soil erosion is especially rapid in many developing nations. In China, for example, the Yellow River annually transports 1.6 billion metric tons of soil from badly eroded farmland to the sea. In India, the Ganges carries two times that amount. Overall, the Worldwatch Institute estimates that 24 billion metric tons of topsoil are eroded from the world's cropland each year. At this rate, the world loses about 7% of its cropland topsoil every ten years.


Livestock

In many countries, cattle and other livestock are raised in confined quarters for at least a part of their life cycle. Although this does not affect grasslands directly, it does have a tremendous environmental impact. For example, pen-raised cattle produce incredible amounts of manure in limited spaces and at one time, farmers applied the
mountains of manure their animals produced to nearby cropland. Today, however, many livestock operations are specialized, that is, not combined with crop production. Thus, their manure creates a huge waste disposal problem. Often after rainstorms the waste washes into nearby streams and rivers causing serious environmental problems. Ironically, farmers who now supply grain to feed cattle use artificial fertilizer on their land. This linear system disrupts one of nature's vital loops - nutrient cycles - and is clearly unsustainable


Another problem with livestock raised in enclosures is that they require enormous quantities of grain, mostly corn and sorghum. In developing nations, meat primarily feeds the wealthy class. Because livestock are fed grains or are sometimes produced on land that could grow food crops, meat production reduces overall
supplies and makes food more costly for the poor. In Egypt, for example, corn to feed animals is now grown on cropland previously used to grow staple grains, such as wheat and rice. The percentage of that nation's grain fed to livestock has increased from 5% in 1960 to 36% over the past quarter century. In Mexico, the share of grain fed to livestock has increased from 5% in 1960 to 30% today, despite the fact that 22% of the nation's people are malnourished.

Livestock production on rangeland and in confined spaces can be sustainable, but it must be scaled back, according to the Worldwatch Institute. To downsize this activity, rich countries have to reduce their meat consumption. A sustainable system also requires a reintegration of livestock and crop production. Rangelands need to be managed with an ecosystem approach, one that adjusts herd size to the carrying capacity of the land. Efforts are also needed to restore damaged grasslands.