About sustainability... ORGANIC FARMING.

The common definition of organic farming is "farming without chemicals". 
As a matter of fact, all living or dead things are made up of chemical compounds. Therefore, organic farming does use chemicals, though naturally derived, in plant protection, fertilizing and livestock husbandry. 
It is a system which tries to avoid the routine use of chemicals and to exploit natural renewable resources. 

The principles of organic farming are: 
- work with natural systems rather than trying to dominate them;
- to encourage and enhance biological cycles within the farming system involving microorganisms, soil flora and fauna, plants and animals;
- to maintain and increase the long term fertility of soils: 
- to use, as far as possible, renewable resources;
- to give all livestock conditions of life that allow them to perform all aspects of their innate behaviour; 
- to avoid all forms of pollutions;
- to maintain the generic diversity of the agricultural system. 

It is the duty of humanity to fix the mess we've made and everyone have to do it in its own sector, beginning with agriculture. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

About sustainable agriculture...BIOPESTICIDES.

A growing number of farmers is realizing how important is to protect the environment, so they are starting to use biopesticides and biological control agents, such as plants, bacteria, fungi, predatory and parasitic insects. 

These methods allow to create a compendium between minimum crop losses and a greater protection of the environment. 

Of course, biopesticides are less harmful to humans and break down faster than typical agrochemicals. 

Some fungi are even good for the soil, as they liberate its nutrients which promote plant growth. 

Help the environment: eat 0 km!

From the very first moment a vegetable is picked, its natural sugars start converting into starch. 

Each day that those store-bought vegetables spend in transit from the fields to warehouses to store shelves, they lose their natural goodness that the earth and the sun gave them. 

It is very important, when you do the shopphing, to pay attention to the place where the food you buy comes from: you should always choose 0 km food and thus, consequently, seasonal food. 

It's preferable to buy fruit and vegetables in local market instead supermarkets: generally, they are fresher and they come from nearer places. 

0 km food is very good for the environment: it's glaringly obvious that the food that comes from the immediate vicinity requires a lower consumption of fuel that, as a consequence, provokes less pollution. 

It would be a great thing if everyone cultivated something (biologically, of course!) on their own: it would be a totally 0 km way of eating! It's not a difficult thing to do: sure, it would be better having a piece of land, but also who doesn't can cultivate some fruit or vegetables in pots (now my father has a vegetable garden, but when he didn't he grew tomatoes and Chinese mandarins on the balcony!). 

So, go and create your own vegetable garden! And then send me a photo to thenorthernlightsdiary@gmail.com , maybe. 

Towards sustainable agriculture...

A growing movement emerged during the past two decades whose aim is to promote practices that contribute to solve many environmental and social concerns. 
Sustainable agriculture consists in reducing (but not eliminating) the use of chemical products, developing integrated farming systems. This all received considerable attention from researchers, who see it as a compromise between conventional and organic farming. 

Sustainable agriculture has within it three main goals: 
- to improve agricultural production and systems;
- to fulfil farmers' needs and lifestyle choices;
- to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

"Sustainable rural development must become a key priority for the European Union. Public health must not be endangered. It is more important than commercial interests." (Franz Fischler, 1996)

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)