Soil Sustainability Essay

The earth’s population is currently 7.7 billion and rising. Population levels are expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019). The greatest population growth is occurring in developing countries where extreme poverty and a lack of the most basic needs exist. This coupled with excessive consumption in the developed countries puts enormous pressure on an already fragile environment. To sustain this rapid population growth, change is required in the area of agriculture.

The concept of sustainability was first coined in the 1980’s in the World Conservation Strategy although it failed to get full recognition at the time. This changed in 1987 when ‘Our Common Future’, commonly known as the Brundtland report was published by the World Commission on Environment and Development. The report highlighted the need to equalize wealth amongst the rich and poor and the need for regard for current and future generations. Sustainable development was defined in the Brundtland report as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (WCED, 1987). Some thirty years later a set of reports have been published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports. These aim to:

• Highlight the key challenges facing our planet
• Point out emerging environmental issues that require policy change
• Give recommendations for decision-makers to act

Each GEO report builds on the findings of its predecessor and draws from lessons learned. GEO-6, published in 2019, outlines the current state of the environment, demonstrates potential future environmental trends, and analyses the effectiveness of policies. It also emphasizes the need to take immediate action to achieve the 17 Sustainability Goals (United Nations Environment, 2019).

Intensive agriculture has resulted in environmental impacts in several areas such as atmospheric changes, land degradation, water quality & quantity, and biodiversity. Global climate change is a major atmospheric challenge faced in today’s world. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector in Ireland account for 29.1% of the total national GHG emissions (Teagasc, 2011). Food Harvest 2020 is a strategy published in 2010 that sets ambitious targets in the Irish agricultural sector to be achieved by 2020. The dairy output target is to increase milk production by 50% based on average milk production outputs over the period 2007-2009. A 20% increase in the output value of the beef and sheep sector is outlined. While the output value of pig production is set to increase by 50%. (DAFM, 2011). Analysis of the targets set out in Food Harvest 2020 shows that if targets are met the sector could see an increase of 16,500 jobs (Miller et al, 2014) and an increased agricultural income of just over €1000 million (Teagasc, 2011). While this brings economic benefits to Ireland one of the downfalls that needs to be examined is the resulting environmental effects. In an analysis completed by Teagasc projections show that if the agricultural sector is to meet the targets set out in Food Harvest 2020, GHG emissions are projected to increase by c.3% compared to 2009 (Teagasc, 2011). This is primarily a result of an increase in the national dairy herd size. This will have implications for Ireland’s target to reduce overall GHG emissions by 20% by 2020 (relative to 2005 levels) as set out in the EU’s Effort Sharing Decision (Decision No 406/2009/EC) (EPA, 2019).

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Sustainability in agriculture means to meet our current food needs without impacting future generations. Strategies employed to achieve sustainability include reducing soil erosion using agronomic measures, soil management, or mechanical methods. Soil erosion is a serious challenge in agriculture as it leads to the loss of productive soil in large quantities every year. Soil erosion is a natural process, and while its prevention is impossible, soil conservation strategies aim to reduce the rate at which it occurs. Agronomic measures involve the planting of vegetation to protect the land from erosion such as crop/livestock rotation, cover cropping, strip cropping, and mulching. Crop rotation is a method whereby erosion-prone crops and erosion-protective crops are grown on alternate years, for example alternating a row crop such as maize with a protection-effective crop such as legumes or grasses. Livestock rotation is practiced on grazing lands where livestock is moved to avoid overgrazing and the risk of erosion, or undergrazing and a loss of nutrition in the grass. In Ireland, overgrazing of land by sheep in commonages in upland areas of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Galway, Kerry, and Wicklow has resulted in increased rates of soil erosion due to the removal of vegetative cover and the compacting of soil. Economic incentives such as the EU’s Single Farm Payment Scheme and Ireland’s Commonage Framework Plan have been implemented to encourage better land management and reduce overstocking in areas of environmental concern.

An example of sustainable agriculture in Ireland can be seen in the Burren region in county Clare. Covering an area of approximately 360 km2, the Burren is internationally famous for its landscape, flora, and fauna. The Burren is a karst region, a limestone area formed millions of years ago and eroded by glaciers during the last ice age to form the unique landscape we see today. Home to three-quarters of Ireland’s plant species, the characteristic features of the Burren allow Mediterranean species to exist alongside alpine species (Burren Geopark, 2019). The Burren is also home to a wide array of land snails, butterflies, bats, and mammals such as the peregrine falcon. The continued existence of this unique area of such biodiversity would not be possible without the use of sustainable agriculture techniques. The Burren Programme is a pioneering agri-environmental program that aims to conserve and support the heritage, environment, and communities of the Burren region. The program’s objectives are:

• to ensure the sustainable agricultural management of high nature value farmland in the Burren
• contribute to the positive management of the Burren’s landscape and cultural heritage
• contribute to improvements in water quality and water usage efficiency in the Burren region (Burren Programme, 2015b).

The Burren Programme gives farmers financial incentives to undertake work that will improve the site’s conservation condition. The farmers are also rewarded for the results of their work based on a scoring system. The farmer’s land is assessed annually using a habitat health checklist and given a score from 1 to 10. The financial reward given is incremental based on this score. Some of the actions carried out under this program include scrub control, stone wall repair, water provision, installing new or upgrading existing access tracks, new gates, new livestock feeding systems, and habitat restoration (Burren Programme, 2015a). Scrub is a natural part of the Burren landscape, however, due to both anthropogenic factors and natural reasons this scrub is now spreading resulting in a loss of habitat. With support from the program, farmers have removed 35 hectares of scrub (Burren Programme, 2015a). To date nearly 1km of traditional stone walls have been repaired, alongside the addition of new gates this contributes to more targeted and efficient grazing of livestock (Burren Programme, 2015a). Additional drinking troughs and rainwater harvesters have been installed to reduce the pressure on insufficient water sources which were prone to pollution from overuse by livestock. 10km of new or upgraded access tracks were funded, these have been carefully planned to ensure the least possible damage to habitats and archaeology while providing benefits to farmers and visitors alike. Silage, when fed excessively, on grazing land in the Burren can cause water pollution and soil damage. The Burren LIFE project developed a new concentrate ration to meet the animal’s needs and reduce the dependence on silage. Alongside the Burren Programme’s funding to purchase feed silos and troughs has resulted in a 61% reduction in the amount of silage consumed (Teagasc, 2017). The program has also funded the control of non-native plant species, rubbish removal, and the cleaning out and walling-off of sensitive springs.

One of the more traditional sustainable farming methods in the Burren is a method of farming called transhumance. Livestock is moved from the lowlands to graze the uplands (called Winterages) in the winter months, this is the reverse of practices in areas outside the Burren. Livestock graze Winterages from approximately October to April. They remove the scrub and graze the grass short. When livestock is removed in Spring, before the first flowers start to emerge, the flora emerges without having to compete for space, light, and resources. The flora can then thrive until late autumn un-trampled and un-grazed.

To summarise, to cater to the increasing pressures placed on the environment from the agricultural sector a shift is required from intensive farming methods to more sustainable farming methods. As can be seen in the Burren this is possible using a multi-faceted approach involving financial incentives.