Look Inside
This book explains concepts and long-term benefits of
sustainability on farms. It covers systems such as permaculture, biodynamics,
organic farming, agroforestry, conservation tillage, and integrated
hydroculture. It examines important issues such as monoculture versus
polyculture, and problems such as land degradation and climatic change, acid
rain, salinity and chemical waste. The author looks at the everything from
socio economic considerations, robotics, drones and other technologies, to utilisation
of hybrids and selection criteria for plants and stock and preparing a farm for
droughts and floods.
Sustainable Agriculture 3rd Edition revises, updates, and
expands on what was explored in earlier editions.
1st Ed was published by Kangaroo Press; 1998, 160
pages, print
2nd Ed published by CSIRO Publishing (Landlinks
imprint), 2003, 2012 pages, print and ebook
Rated 4.08 stars (out of 5 by Good Reads (August 2019)
3rd Ed published by ACS Distance Education, 2019,
241 pages, ebook
Contents
Credits
Introduction
Why be sustainable?
Chapter 1 DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE
What to do
Know your land
A) Evaluating a site
B) Land carrying capacity
C) Assessing land capability
An indication of sustainability
Chapter 2 SUSTAINABLE CONCEPTS
Natural farming
Organic farming
Whole farm planning
Systems thinking in sustainable agriculture
Permaculture
Minimal cultivation
No dig techniques
Biodynamics
Crop rotation
Seed saving
Urban farming
Hydroponics
Aquaponics
Vertical farming
Environmentally friendly farming
Checklist of sustainability elements
Sustainable agriculture around the globe
Case study: target 10, a model for sustainable agricultural development
Chapter 3 SOILS
Introduction
Growing media
Soils
Problems with soils
Major types of soil problems
1) Loss of soil fertility
2) Erosion
3) Salinity
4) Soil sodicity
5) Soil structural decline
6) Soil acidification
7) Build-up of dangerous chemicals
Improving soils
Adding organic matter
Cultivation techniques
Conservation tillage
Plant nutrition
Soil ph
Choosing the right fertiliser
Nutrient deficiencies
Natural fertilisers
Types of natural fertilisers to use
A look at organic fertilisers
Soil life
Earthworms
Mycorrhiza
Nitrogen fixing
Composting
The composting process
Guidelines for using compost
Mulches
General rules for mulching
Chapter 4 WATER MANAGEMENT
Water usage
Methods of water storage
Rainwater collection & storage
Water tanks
Bore water
Farm dams
Livestock water requirement
Water quality
Problems with water
Mosquitoes
Willows and waterways
Algal blooms
Livestock contamination
Flood
Water quality
Salinity
Testing water salinity
Treating saline water
Management options
Long-term strategies
Tastes and odours
Reed beds
Water saving measures
Recycling household water
Using farm/waste water
Water wastage
Evaporation
Seepage
Runoff
Overspray
Scheduling
Recycling waste water
Swales and keylines
Swales
Keyline design
Irrigation systems
Irrigation system design
Steps in the design process
Maintenance procedures and scheduling
Periodic inspections
Routine upkeep
Contingent work
Scheduling work
Surface or flood irrigation
Border check system
Hillside flooding
Furrow irrigation
Sprinkler irrigation
A) wind velocity and wetting pattern
B) drop size
C) rotational speed
D) evaporation
Innovations in water management and precision agriculture procedures and scheduling
Chapter 5 PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL
Use of pesticides
Pest management and systems thinking
Integrated pest management
Biointensive integrated pest management
Pesticides: a vicious cycle
Controlling pests and diseases in plants
Cultural controls
Physical controls
Sprays and dusts
Pesticides
Fungicides
Chemical control of pests and diseases in plants
Insecticides
Fungicides
Chemical application techniques
Biological control
Antagonistic organisms
Advantages of bio-control methods
Disadvantages of biocontrol methods
Predators
Attracting parasites
Beneficial plants
Trap or decoy plants
Companion planting
Plants which affect the soil
Pest control plants
Legislation
Chemical use
Quarantine
Genetic engineering
Pest and disease control in animals
Chapter 6 SUSTAINABLE WEED CONTROL AND CULTIVATION
What is a weed?
Controlling weeds
Ways to control weeds without chemicals
Check soil condition
Minimise sources of weed seeds
Cultivation
Mulching
Biological weed control
Grazing
Goats
Other grazing animals
Chemical control of weeds
Herbicides
Contact herbicides
Woody weed herbicides
Residual herbicides
Pre-emergent herbicides
Selective herbicides
Herbicide additives
Plants which take over
Environmental weeds
Some plants to avoid
Noxious weeds
Chapter 7 FARM MANAGEMENT
Changing an existing farm to a sustainable property
The Rodale Institute Conversion Experiment
New farm products
Pre-planning
Considerations
Monitoring and reviewing the farm system
Socioeconomic considerations
Profitability
Social aspects
Production planning
Economy of scale
Materials
Equipment
Value adding
Organic certification schemes
Contingencies and seasonal variations
The expected
The unexpected
Types of problems
Planning for drought
Excessive water
What other planning do I need?
Chapter 8 GROWING AND HARVESTING PLANTS
Selection criteria for plants
Grain and other broad acre crops
Monoculture
Crop rotation
Row crops
Cover crops
Cover crop guidelines/principles
Legume cover crops
Types of cover crops
Ways of using a cover crop
Hay and silage
Silage production
Silage timing
Quality control
Hay
Hydroponic fodder
Chapter 9 TREES, FODDER AND OTHER PLANTS
Important reasons for having trees on farms
Agroforestry
Profitability
Design
Pruning/thinning
Harvesting
Timber trees
Paulownia
Pine plantations
Eucalyptus
Acacia
Fodder trees
Types of trees
Windbreaks
Windbreak design considerations
Windbreak plants
Firebreaks
Fire-prone areas
How to arrange plants
Maintenance of firebreak species
Habitat corridors for wildlife
Why create a wildlife corridor?
Benefits of wildlife corridors
Where to establish wildlife corridors
Types of wildlife corridors
Wildlife corridor design
Edge effects
Tree planting methods
Preparing the site
Planting seedlings
Direct seeding
Chapter 10 SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Possible problems of livestock production
Breed selection
Stocking rates
Fencing
Production systems
Land care practices
Pastures 203
Sustainable pasture varieties
Saltbush
How much grazing?
How long to graze?
Grazing methods
Other areas for grazing
Guidelines for raising different livestock
Alpacas
Aquaculture (freshwater)
Cattle
Emus
Goats
Horses
Ostriches and emus
Poultry (chickens)
Pigs
Sheep
Chapter 11 TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
Introduction
Precision agriculture
Machines and tools
Tractors
Drones
Wearable technology
Robotics
Computer technology
Fertilisers and soil conditioners
Seaweed extracts
Fish fertilisers
Rock dusts
Chemical pesticides and herbicides
Soil microbes
New plants & animals
Biotechnology & sustainable agriculture
Modifying organisms genetically
Cloning
Problems for biotechnology
Nuclear and isotopic techniques
FURTHER READING AND STUDY
More ebooks available
Courses available