Another Earth Week has come and gone. Like its predecessors, it de-livered many suggestions for improving the planet and many gloomy forecasts about a world fraught with problems.
Observations about the progress made in our level of care for this planet were far less evident. So during this Earth Week-plus one, consider the strides agriculture has made in earth care.
It takes half as much land per person to produce our meat, dairy and poultry supply than it did 45 years ago, reports Farmers Feed Cities.
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That speaks to higher productivity made possible through improvements in land stewardship, soil management, plant breeding, scientific research, mechanical improvement, technological application, animal health and economic efficiency.
It takes less than 24 months to produce an 840-pound beef carcass in today’s agricultural world, reports the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. One hundred years ago, it took two to three years, during which the animal consumed more resources and emitted more methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Improvements in feed and feed conversion have made this possible.
Livestock production makes use of land unsuitable for cultivation, while maintaining wildlife habitat and fostering biodiversity. Grasslands subject to responsible grazing are also sustainable carbon sinks.
Even bigger strides have been made on the crop side. Reduced tillage has contributed to improved soil health, reduced erosion, increased carbon sequestration and superior water retention, filtration and use.
Productivity per acre has risen markedly in the last 20 years and the higher it is, the less land must be converted from native prairie and forests to produce food for a growing global population.
Ever greater attention is paid to water quantity, quality, movement and use. Irrigation is steadily becoming more efficient, primarily through use of improved water delivery technology.
Research constantly adds to the body of knowledge on ground water, infiltration and use by plants, animals and people.
Agriculture has also responded to calls for reduced reliance on fossil fuels by diversifying into biofuel production. Globally, that production increased by more than 500 percent between 2000 and 2011 because of higher oil prices and biofuel mandates.
Like so many aspects of agriculture, biofuel production is a two-edged sword, having fostered the food versus fuel debate. The fact that fewer acres are needed to produce meat generates criticism about intensive livestock operations, manure use and animal husbandry.
Each change has its tradeoffs.
The point is, agriculture is able to react in a responsible way to challenges imposed by changing conditions, a changing environment and changing demands of the public.
“While world population has increased more than fourfold since 1900, other things have increased, too: the area of crops by 30 percent, harvests by 600 percent,” writes author Matt Ridley in his book, The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves.
“This generation has experienced more peace, freedom, leisure time, education, medicine and travel than any in history. Yet it laps up gloom at every opportunity.”
So let’s not buy into doom and gloom.
Our concerns for our planet’s health should not supersede recognition of the strides we have made in its protection and the use we’ve made of resources for its inhabitants. Understanding our progress helps guide future improvement.
There are challenges ahead. We need to acknowledge and plan for them. The record shows that the agricultural sector is willing to meet those challenges as best it can.
