Sustainable Agriculture - what it is and how you can support it

When most people think of sustainable agriculture they think of agriculture that is less harmful to the environment - while you can’t have sustainable agriculture that isn’t environmentally sustainable, there can certainly be much more to it.  Sustainable agriculture is agriculture that is practiced in a way that doesn’t impact future generations’ ability to grow food.  In order for this to happen, practices used must be sustainable in all of three categories:  Environmental, Social, and Economic. 

Environmental Sustainability

Agriculture is heavily reliant on the environment in order to be productive - a healthy environment will produce more food as well as maintaining reserves of wildlife and native plant species. 

There are endless opportunities for improving environmental sustainability in agriculture.  Innovation continues to improve upon unsustainable methods, replacing them with newer, sounder practices – or, in some cases, leading us to old methods that can be adapted for modern agriculture.

Here are a few ways that agricultural facilities can improve their environmental sustainability:

Soil amendments and cover crops: Healthy soil doesn’t require as many chemical inputs.  Adding organic matter to soil, such as compost or manure, adds nutrients and roughage without the chemicals.  As well, certain cover crops can add nutrients to the soil, such as nitrogen-fixing clover.

Wildlife habitat: Preserving sensitive habitats (such as fish-bearing streams) and breaking up cultivated areas with wildlife reserves can help to minimize farming’s effects on wildlife populations.  Protecting habitat can be as simple as setting up a fence to keep cattle out of a stream. Hedgerows can provide valuable bird habitat.

Non-renewable energy inputs: Sometimes it’s unavoidable to use non-renewable energy sources or other non-farm inputs, but whenever possible, farming should be a closed energy loop.  Everything used on the farm should be from the farm.  For example, manure from dairy cows can be used to fertilize the corn that the same animals will be eating. 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Integrated pest management is a different way of looking at controlling agricultural pests.  Instead of using a pesticide, farmers seek out other, often inventive, ways of dealing with pests.  The best known IPM strategy is the use of ladybugs to control aphids.  Native ladybug species are purchased and released into fields, where they prey upon plant-destroying aphids.  No pesticides are necessary.

In British Columbia, farmers can create an Environmental Farm Plan with the help of the BC Agricultural Council and the BC Agricultural Research and Development Corporation.  Farmers that complete the program can even be eligible for funding to help implement the plan on their farms.

Social Sustainability

Social sustainability refers to how easily a farmer coexists with their neighbours and other stakeholders in the area.  Simple consideration of neighbours and socially sustainable farming practices will help to ensure the farmer will be able to stay farming.

Light pollution: Greenhouse facilities and other practices can produce a lot of light, and can keep neighbours up at night.  Usually, the solution is as simple as blinds for the interior of the greenhouse.

Noise pollution: Certain agricultural practices can be very noisy, such as propane sound cannons for bird control in blueberry fields.  Using sound-free methods is best when it’s possible.

Visual Pollution: A tidy farm enterprise is more pleasant for everyone involved!  Sometimes this means keeping the farm property clear, and sometimes it means keeping shellfish aquaculture floats out of sightlines from the ritzy hotel.

Cultural Sensitivity:  When agricultural endeavors are near to or on top of land that may be culturally sensitive, extra care should be taken.  For example, in certain areas Canadian First Nations People may forage for certain plants on Crown land.  Cattle should be excluded from grazing in areas where culturally sensitive plants are growing at prime foraging times.

Animal ethics: Animal welfare is becoming a priority for many people.  Farmers who wish to ensure their animals are treated in an ethical way can now enroll in programs such as the BCSPCA Certified Program.

Economic Sustainability

Farmers must make money to keep farming -it’s as simple as that.  Any business that doesn’t make money is one that won’t last long.  Sometimes sustainability is a balancing act between social or environmental sustainability and economic sustainability.  In order to maintain high standards in other categories of sustainability,

Secondary sources of income: A secondary source of income will give farmers the padding they need in order to make the right decisions for environmental and social sustainability on their farm.  The income source could be another job, renting out portions of the property, agritourism, anything!

Labour costs: Unfortunately, labour costs for a lot of sustainable practices are higher than their unsustainable counterparts.  Farmers can help to offset these costs by using Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOFers.  WWOOFers travel from all over the world to work on organic farms in return for room and board while they are working.  It’s a great opportunity to see new countries and meet new people.

Marketing costs:  Marketing costs can seem daunting, especially for a small enterprise.  Forming a farm co-operative and sharing costs can help the small farmer get ahead.  A farm co-operative could even help share other costs, if all the farms in it work together!

Organics and Sustainability

Just because a food is labeled “Organic” doesn’t mean it’s sustainable.  Organic crops can still be produced in an unsustainable manner, or shipped in from unsustainable distances.  Here are a few things you can do to help make sure your produce is as sustainable as possible:

Buy local and seasonal.  Produce that is grown in your area requires lower inputs to get to the store/farmers’ market/restaurant, and by buying seasonal produce you’re more likely to get produce that’s local.

Know your certifying bodies.  Each piece of organic produce is certified, and each certifying body has different regulations about what makes the produce organic.  By having a general idea which bodies have regulations to ensure sustainable and ethical practices, you can make educated decisions while shopping.  In British Columbia, check out the Certified Organic Association of BC.

Meet your farmer.  The best way to educate your self is to talk to the farmer!  Buy farm-gate produce or shop at farmers’ markets whenever it’s possible.  Ask the farmer how they grow their crops.  The farmers that are passionate about sustainable practices will enthusiastically share their knowledge.

Sources: EPA, Hobby Farms, Hume Seeds, Friday Design,Ban The Cannons, NRCS, Agritourism, Farmers Market, Local Farming, Market Vegetables, Agroecology: Ecological Processes in Sustainable Agriculture.  Stephen R. Gliessman, Eric Engles, Robin Krieger, Ann Arbor Press, 2000

Farm-To-Table: Local Sustainability

Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) is a food movement that promotes the traditional use of that which is closest to you. Farm-to-table advocates utilize as many local ingredients as possible, often directly from farmers in their areas or from businesses that carry local products. This sustainable approach not only results in fresher, more natural products but also helps to support local communities and economies.

This season on Top Chef Canada, 26-year old Carl Heinrich of Sooke, BC won the renowned title of Top Chef with his farm-to-table approach.

"Heinrich is deeply committed to the farm-to-table culinary philosophy. And in Top Chef Canada's final episode, Heinrich cashed in: the competitors were able to raid the garden of Hockley Valley for fresh ingredients with which they would prepare their final meal. 'Being from Toronto, I was also at an advantage in that I was able to say exactly which producer I wanted my product from.'" - Calgary Herald

Earth Friendly Farm-to-Fork Living

A low carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by energy use. It is estimated that the U.S. food system is responsible for at least 20 percent of greenhouse gases. But the 20 percent only counts from direct sources of GHG emissions. Indirect sources, such as demand for products from other countries, are often not counted, so an accurate percentage would be much higher than 20 percent. A low carbon diet minimizes the emissions released from the production, packaging, processing, preparation, and waste of food. A low carbon diet includes eating less industrial produced food in general, eating food grown locally and seasonally, eating less processed and packaged foods and reducing waste from food by proper portion size, recycling or composting.

Farm-to-table refers to, in the food safety field, the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption. Farm-to-table also refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurants communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported.

Many farm-to-table advocates work hard to spread the word and to show others the importance of finding the freshest ingredients, while attempting to educate their customers about the link between farmers, farm communities, ancient food-production practices, and the food we eat. The public backlash against genetically-modified organisms in our food supply has added a note of political activism to what had been, until recently, a largely aesthetic movement. Farm-to-table restaurants may buy their produce directly from farmers, usually local. In a few cases, the restaurants and farms may be owned and operated by the same people. Restaurants who choose to buy from local food producers regularly yield healthier, better quality meals for their customers. 

This movement has arisen somewhat simultaneously with the increased knowledge and recent changes in attitude about food safety, food freshness, food seasonality, and small-farm economics. Advocates and practitioners of the farm-to-table model frequently cite as their motivations the scarcity of fresh, local ingredients; the poor flavor of ingredients shipped from afar; the poor nutritional integrity of shipped ingredients; the encroachment of genetically modified foods into the food economy; the disappearance of small family farms; the disappearance of heirloom and open-pollinated fruits and vegetables; and the dangers of a highly-centralized food-growing and -distribution system.

In the last few years the number of farm-to-table operations has grown rapidly. Recently, some food and agriculture writers have begun to describe a philosophical divide among chefs: the "food-as-art", or, in some cases, "molecular gastronomy” camp have increasingly focused on "food made strange", in which the ingredients are so transformed as to be surprising and even unrecognizable in the final food product. The farm-to-table chefs, on the other hand, have increasingly come to rely upon extremely fresh ingredients that have been barely modified, sometimes presented raw just a few feet from where they grew. Generally, the farm-to-table chefs rely on traditional farmhouse cooking with its emphasis on freshness, seasonality, local availability, and simple preparations.

Do your part and support local farmers! It is not only beneficial to the earth, it is also beneficial for the health of your families. 

xo ginny

Carl Heinrich:

Hailing from the small town of Sooke, BC, Carl Heinrich is the 26-year-old executive chef at Marben restaurant in Toronto. Although young, he has been working in kitchens since he was 13 years old and is extremely driven and accomplished for his age. Strong support from family and early mentors encouraged Carl to enter the culinary world. During his time at Stratford Chef School, Carl worked at a restaurant as a chef de partie and completed a summer stage for Daniel Boulud in New York City. After graduating, he took up an offer to return to New York and work at Daniel’s busy bistro in Midtown for nearly four years. Motivated by a desire to move back to Canada and be closer to family, Carl accepted a position at db Bistro Moderne in Vancouver where he worked alongside Top Chef Canada season one winner Dale MacKay. Carl's stages over the years include time at Camille's West Coast Fine Dining in Victoria, Marron Bistro in Toronto, Gramercy Tavern and Daniel in New York, Georges Blanc, La Regalade, and Le Comptoir in France and Alain Ducasse' Le Louis XV in Monaco. Carl now lives in Toronto, a city and a culinary scene he loves, where he learned the benefits of farm-to-table and nose-to-tail cooking. Inspired by ingredients and driven by French technique, Carl aims to make approachable but refined food. - Food Network

Sources: Ginny Blogs, Post City, Hockley Valley Resort, Calgary Herald, Farm-to-table, Vancouver Sun