Cosmos: A Journal of Geography

Sustainable Agriculture: Innovative Practices to Reduce Environmental Footprint

Organic farming has proven to be crucial in solving environmental problems associated with conventional farming. Modern agriculture, or more correctly, conventional agriculture, is highly dependent on resources in terms of optimum yields and is hence responsible for enhancing the greenhouse effect, soil erosion, water deferral, and even the extinction of varieties of seeds. This paper focusses on the role of practices in efforts to reduce apparent environmental impacts from agricultural practices while at the same time maintaining or increasing production. Some of these practices are rotation of crops, growing of trees among crops, minimum tillage, site-specific farming, and integrated pest control. Conservation tillage plays a crucial role in ensuring proper soil aggregation and reducing erosion, thereby preserving organic structures in the soil. Building from IoT and superimposing GPS, precision agriculture allows efficient use of agricultural inputs and slashing wastage. IPM, in turn, uses bio, cultural, and less chemical methods to control pests with the least amount of harm to the environment.