Small Farms Research Center
Contact Information
The Small Farms Research Center at
Alabama A & M University (AAMU)
was first conceived in
funding
2000
from USDA’s
with
Office of
Outreach authorized under section 2501
of the 1990 Farm Bill. The mission of
the center and
the
Outreach and
Technical
Program is to assist
Small
all
agricultural
Dr. Duncan M. Chembezi
Director & Professor
(256) 372-4970
Email: duncan.chembezi@aamu.edu
Ms. E’licia L. Chaverest
Assistant Director
(256) 372–4958
Email: elicia.chaverest@aamu.edu
Farmers
Assistance
small and
limited resources farmers effectively
dealing with
SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE
risk, food
safety, and overall farm management
issues.
Mr. JaMarkus C. Crowell
Program Assistant
(256) 372-4424
Email: jamarkus.crowell@aamu.edu
Ms. Bhargavi K. Pucchakayala
Program Assistant
(256)372-4424
Email: bpucchak@bulldogs.aamu.edu
Learn more about us by visiting our
website and Facebook page provided
through the link below
Website:
http://www.aamu.edu/sfrc
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/smallfarmsres
earchcenter
Small Farms Research Center
Alabama A & M University
4900 Meridian Street
P.O. Box 700
Normal, AL 35762-0700
Sustainable Agriculture
Protecting soil healthy and maintaining its
Sustainable Agriculture is one that produces
abundant food without exhausting the earth’s
resources or polluting its environment. It
follows the principles of nature to
develop
systems for raising crops and livestock. The
overall goal of sustainability is to maintain soil
and human health.
Main objectives of sustainable agriculture:
Economic profit: sustainable agriculture increases family income by reducing the constant
purchase of feed and fertilizers from off farm.
Social benefits to the farm family and the
community: farm supports other businesses and
families in the community. It circulates money in
local community.
Environmental conservation: The farmland in
sustainable agriculture is diverse in vegetation
and provides habitation to the wildlife.
However all of above three objectives are
constantly overlapped on each other.
How do we achieve sustainability?
Based on stewardship and economic justice
farmers and agricultural thinkers developed
some fundamentals of sustainability.
fertility: The dead and decaying plant materials
on the soil, maintains soil temperature increases
water storage capacity in soils, and improves soil
aeration. Maintaining nutrients in soil is an
important factor or plant growth and production.
Replacement of lost nutrients is cost effective
management. It is better to grow crops on land
rather than leaving them barren.
Follow different farming systems like multiple
farming, agroforestry, converting cropland into
perennial grassland and woodlot enterprise.
Identifying niche marketing and preparing
value - added products: Forming
cooperative markets with other local farmers.
Emphasizing direct marketing and local marketing areas.
Planning and Decision making
Protecting water quality at the farm:
Planning, monitoring,
Managing irrigation systems in the fields reduces
nutrient leaching. Crops like cover crops and catch
crops can also uptake nutrients from the soil.
Creating buffer areas between fields and water
bodies can protect nutrients from leaching.
Protecting crops from pests with minimal or no
pesticide application: Avoid pest attack to the
crops by providing habitat for beneficial
organisms. Before applying chemicals, identify the
pest species and study about the different life
cycle stages of the pest. It is better to follow
biological and cultural control methods to keep
pest population below the threshold level.
Increasing biodiversity an the farm: A
combination of integrate crop and livestock
production will
reduce pest and
weed
population. To attract beneficial insects, birds and
bats, grow hedgerows, insectary plants and cover
crops.
controlling and
replanning are the essential characteristics to
achieve the main objectives of sustainable
agriculture . It is important to develops new
plans for determining if
anyone of them
doesn’t work. The ultimate goal of sustainability is to preserve the social, water, and soil capital.
Some ways to practice sustainable agriculture:
Contour planting, minimal tillage systems, cover crops, crop rotation and perennial grasses
can reduce soil erosion and improves soil nutrient quality.
Substitute on - farm resources with crop
rotations, animal manures and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil fertility and productivity.
Developing profitable strategies like diversified farming . Diversified farming may be obtained by integrating both crops and livestock
in the same farming operation.