Farm Management essay 1500 words

ARE 140 Farm Management

Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Lecture 19.2

How agriculture can change the world

没办法

méi bàn fǎ “It can’t be helped”

● Cynicism is an attitude characterized by a general distrust of others' motives. A cynic may have a general lack of faith or hope in the human species or people motivated by ambition, desire, greed, gratification, materialism, goals, and opinions that a cynic perceives as vain, unobtainable, or ultimately meaningless and therefore deserving of ridicule or admonishment. Wikipedia

Assumptions color everything

● An a priori argument, reason, or probability is based on an assumed principle or fact, not an established principle or fact.

● Millenarianism (from Latin mīllēnārius "containing a thousand") is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which all things will change

● Eschatology: study of the final end of the world

Rule of Thumb #1: there is always a way forward

What is the way forward? Apply the management control function:

1. Describe the scope and situation as you see it.

2. State your assumptions & your goal(s)

3. Make sure you have collected a sufficient quantity of data.

4. Assess, analyze the data (create a model)

5. Create the model, the plan of action

6. Test the model

7. Repeat as necessary

Example: the “feed the world” concern

● The situation: population growth will require more food than is currently produced.

● The scope: how many people, how much food, how will it be produced?

● Assumptions

– Which world are we talking about feeding? ● On same globalized trajectory supported by modern,

industrial, “conventional” agriculture? ● Something different?

Rule of thumb #2: Change is inevitable and uncertain

● Do your rational work of planning using the management control function

● But leave maximum flexibility for change

● Use your intuitive functions, too.

Contrasting assumptions

Column One:

1) World is a disaster; méi bàn fǎ

2) Only thing to do is stay on same course.

3) Maybe “they” will solve our problems.

Column 2:

1) Life creates opportunities. There is a lot we know that works well.

2) We can fix what doesn’t work.

3) We can use management control function to deal with risks & use intuitive means to deal with uncertainty

What a management plan that gives maximum flexibility might

look like

List 10 things that really concern you about the world

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)

Greg’s list, in random order

1) Climate change

2) Intellectual property: who owns the data, the seeds, etc.

3) Environmental destruction, loss of biodiversity

4) Disregard, disrespect of the commons

5) Human health

6) Energy descent

7) Feed the world

8) Economic justice: sharing the resources

9) Natural resource depletion: soil, water, minerals, etc.

10) Intellectual freedom, freedom of choice

Agricultural practices we have discussed in this class that address this list of concerns

1. Agroecology: “the application of ecological science to the study, design, and management of sustainable agro- ecosystems”

M. Altieri, 1995,

S. Gliessman, 2007

2. No-till farming practices

● No-till means not tilling the soil: no plowing, discing; plant material always left on soil surface and allowed to decompose in natural process.

3. Planned grazing

Rotational grazing takes into account carrying capacity of the land

4. Forestry management ● Managed

thinning, burning and other tools for maintaining healthy forests

5. Restoration of wetlands, riparian zones, and crop field edges

● Land restoration can be active, as in planting hedgerows, or relatively passive, as in changing grazing practices & allowing natural ecological succession

6. Local food systems ● Local food presents itself in urban

farms, small farms, farmers’ markets, food cooperatives, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) ventures, etc.

7. Conservation of open space

● “Open space means land in a predominantly natural state or altered for natural resources-based uses (i.e., farming) and may include, but is not limited to, riparian habitat, agricultural lands, grassland and upland habitat, wetlands, and agricultural buffers.”

8. Polyculture

● Polyculture: the growing of two or more crops on the same land at the same time

9. Avoid biocides

● A biocide is defined in the European legislation as a chemical substance or microorganism intended to destroy, deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses a slightly different definition for biocides as "a diverse group of poisonous substances including preservatives, insecticides, disinfectants, and pesticides used for the control of organisms that are harmful to human or animal health or that cause damage to natural or manufactured products".

10. Open Source Technology & Information Systems

How might these practices address the concerns?

Agricultural solutions: No till Polyculture

Concerns: 1 Climate change 2 Who owns data 3 Commons 4 Environmental destruction 5 Human health 6 Energy descent 7 Feed the world 8 Economic justice 9 Natural resource depletion 10 Freedom of choice

Agro- ecology

Planned grazing

Forest Manage ment

Habitat Restoration

Local food systems

Conserve Open Space

Avoid biocides

Open source info & tech

Addressing the concerns with agricultural practices

Agricultural solutions: No till Polyculture

Concerns: 1 Climate change x x x x x x x 2 Who owns data x x 3 Commons x x x x x x 4 Environmental destruction x x x x x x x x x 5 Human health x x x x x x x x x x 6 Energy descent x x x x x x x 7 Feed the world x x x x x x 8 Economic justice x x x x 9 Natural resource depletion x x x x x x x 10 Freedom of choice x x x x

Agro- ecology

Planned grazing

Forest Manage ment

Habitat Restoration

Local food systems

Conserve Open Space

Avoid biocides

Open source info & tech

Rules of thumb to live by

● There is always a way forward out of every predicament

● Change is inevitable and uncertain; use the combined tools of rationality and intuition

● It is okay to use resources and make our own space within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem in which we operate

● Excess resource use leads to problems

● We can control our consumption and decide on limits

● Frequently re-examine and re-state your assumptions

● Everything matters, everything is connected