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There is a common belief that providing food for the global population includes the need for more agricultural land, which leads to deforestation. Although forests still cover 30% of the world's land area, about 7 million hectares of forest are lost each year, which is approximately equal to the size of Panama. According to the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), deforestation is one of the most widespread and important changes that people have made to the surface of the earth. The cumulative loss of forest land is followed with the global growth rate of human population. The trajectory of population growth and deforestation is shown in the picture below. The connection between deforestation and global population growth What Are the Main Causes of Forest Destruction? There are many reasons why forests are cut down, but the biggest driver of deforestation is farming. The lack of arable land together with the growing demand for food have resulted in the clearing forests in order to provide enough land for crops and livestock. Many small farmers in tropical areas use the cultivation method called 'slash-and-burn farming'. In this method, farmers clear forests by burning them and then in that 'burned' soil grow crops that are fertilized by the ashes. Soils managed with this practice produces only for a few years after which farmers move their crop production to new patches of forest. Other reasons for the high rate of deforestation include:forest fire, fuelwood harvesting, mining, infrastructure construction, and unsustainable logging practices. It is also caused by illegal practices and poor forest management. The following picture shows the main reasons for forest destruction. The main drivers of deforestation Dramatic Effects of Deforestation There are many negative effects of deforestation on the global level: Deforestation is one of the contributing factors to global climate change Felled trees can no longer assist in removing carbon dioxide from the atmospher Burned trees release their stored carbon, thus enhancing the greenhouse gasses The water cycle is disrupted; trees are a very important part of the water cycle because they are responsible for extracting the water from the soil and returning it into the atmosphere - when parts of the forest are cut down, global vapor flows are decreased, which can lead to a much drier climate Trees help to maintain the moisture of the soil, but without blocking the sun's rays soil can quickly dry out; blocking of sun's rays during the day also prevents extreme temperature swings. Another important fact about the forests is that they are complex ecosystem which affects other species on the planet. For example, about 70% of the world’s plants and animals live in forests and lose their habitats because of deforestation. Trees are also significant for soil erosion management. The roots hold the soil in place which washes out after the cutting. Despite all of these negative effects, there is a common belief that deforestation is necessary to feed the growing global population by providing more space for arable land. Scientists do not agree. They claim that deforestation has caused the loss of a third of the world’s arable land since 1960.   What Can Farmers Do to Increase Their Production Without Further Deforestation? The key answer to increasing farm production without further deforestation is a sustainable farm management. It’s very important for farmers to increase their yields, which can reduce dependence upon destructive slash-and-burn farming methods. Good farming practices like proper tillage, crop rotation, soil analysis, nutrient management, irrigation and pest control can increase farmer’s yields. Implementation of these practices can be facilitated with Agrivi farm management software. Agrivi ensures optimal usage level of every field with its field utilization overview. Farmers can also track all of their activities on the farm (crop rotation, irrigation, tillage, pest control, fertilization). The software gives farmers the best farm practices for the most significant crops – fruits, vegetables and arable crops, with smart pest alarms to notify farmers on time when to treat their crops. To feed the world without further deforestation, raise your yields by using Agrivi! TRY NOWfor free   Text sources: FAO || National Geographic || Live Science || Pachamama Alliance Image sources: FAO || WWF Global

The beginnings of agriculture reach far back into history. One of the oldest human activities, farming, developed long before the first written documents. However, the exact date of its origin is unknown. Although some archaeological findings confirm that farm production began to develop in the Neolithic period, the latest research by Israeli scientists suggests that agriculture began to develop much earlier, even more than 23,000 years ago. The change from the hunting and gatherer life to the cultivation of plants, domestication of animals, and food production led to the development of the first civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China and further expansion of farm production. Farm production through history – farming then and now Farm Production in the World The world’s land area totals 13.958 million hectares, of which 4.992 million hectares are classified as agricultural land. This accounts for about 36% of the total land area. The agricultural land is divided into 3 categories: arable land (28%), permanent crops (3%), and meadows and pastures (68%). The most common type of agricultural production is farming. Grains, such as wheat, rice, barley, and corn, make up the majority of the world's crop production. Some of the world's major crops and their production volumes are shown in the following table. The world's major crops with their global production and average yield (1 hg = 0.1 kg) Farm production poses a number of challenges for farmers around the world. Food production requires adjustments to rapid population growth, the expenditure of resources, soil degradation, reduced utilization of land and a growing lack of water. In order to meet current and future needs of a growing world population, it’s necessary to increase farm production. However, this must be done in a sustainable and qualitative way in order to respond the environmental and food safety requirements. Climate changes are yet another of the challenges for today's farmers, who are forced to adjust their production to increasing risks from weather extremes (such as hail, drought, heavy rain, and soil erosion). Climate changes are not only responsible for adverse weather conditions, they also cause the instability in farm commodity prices. Impact of climate change on crop production Farm Production in Croatia Unlike most countries, Croatia has a wealth of natural resources. Favorable agro-climatic conditions and the diversity of climate, relief, and soil are excellent for the growing of various crops. Croatia is is characterized by a large number of products in a variety of geographical locations in relation to its small area. A diversified rural landscape, natural beauty, and a great number of local products are also suitable for the development of rural tourism. Despite these advantages, Croatian agriculture is faced with problems such as the high rate of food product imports in relation to exports, inadequate farm size, fragmentation of farmland, technological backwardness, abandonment of villages and an aging rural population. Growing social inequality is also still one of the challenges of Croatian agriculture, making it difficult to achieve competitiveness for small family farmers. A Strategy to Enhance Farm Production Although agricultural production is facing serious global risks, solutions are possible within the framework of the monitoring and analysis of the risk themselves, and in the context of sustainable agricultural practices. Agrivi farm management software helps farmers to monitor complete farm production and also facilitates the management of potential farm risks. The software provides the best farm practices for over 100 different crops and allows farmers to monitor all field activities; from the consumption of fertilizers, pesticides, work hours of workers and machinery, to finance monitoring and the powerful analysis of the entire farm production. Enhance your farm production, start using Agrivi now! TRY NOWfor free   Text sources: FAO || Huron County View || Encyclopedia Britannica Image sources: Centery Farm || Tackk || Bell Banks || Farming First || Faostat

In a time when food production has flourished and developed countries produce more food than ever, there are almost 800 million people in the world who do not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life. This represents one in nine people on earth! The highest number of hungry people is in Asia (two-thirds of the total) while the highest prevalence of hunger is in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poor nutrition causes nearly half of deaths in children under five years old, and roughly 100 million children in developing countries are underweight. Since 1990, global hunger has been reduced by more than 34%. However, there are still many people who are facing hunger today. To reach the goal of all people having access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and sustainable food, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon launched the Zero Hunger Challenge. This is a call for action which presents the vision of the world free from hunger, where at the same time, it is possible to face the growing demand for food and meet new environmental challenges. The Zero Hunger Challenge set several goals to end hunger in our lifetime: No stunted children less than two years of age 100 percent access to adequate food all year round All food systems are sustainable 100 percent increase in smallholder productivity and income Zero loss or waste of food.   Zero Hunger Challenge In order to transform our food system and end hunger, the United Nations released the all new Agenda 2030 sustainable development plan: An End to Malnutrition in All Its Forms: Malnutrition is both a driver and an outcome of poverty and inequality. Undernutrition leading to stunting which causes irreversible damage to both individuals and society. Obesity in childhood is a growing problem in all regions. Ensuring universal access to nutritious food in the 1000-day window of opportunity between the start of pregnancy and a child’s second birthday is essential to prevent stunting. This should be supported by a multi-sectoral approach which includes nutrition-sensitive healthcare, water, sanitation, education, agriculture, social protection and specific nutrition interventions, coupled with initiatives that enable the empowerment of women. Access Adequate Food and Healthy Diets, for All People, All Year Round: Access to food that forms the basis of healthy and diverse diets is intricately linked to both rights– particularly equity and women’s rights. All food systems are sustainable: from production to consumption; Sustainable food systems deliver food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised. The effects of climate change require sustainable and climate-compatible farming practices. Adapt all food systems to eliminate loss or waste of food: Minimizing food losses during production, storage, and transport, and the waste of food by retailers and consumers; empowering consumer choice; commitments by producers, retailers and consumers within all nations. An end to rural poverty: double small scale producer incomes and productivity; Ending rural poverty requires a determined effort to increase the income of the small-scale farmers which holds the key to feeding sustainably a growing global population. This involves improving people’s well-being through sustainable livelihoods: increasing smallholders’ income and productivity and decent rural employment.   Zero Hunger Challenge In the world of plenty, no one should be hungry. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people in the world, so we must work together to ensure that everyone gets the food that they need. It is now up to everyone including: governments, businesses, civil society, farmers, and individuals to join together and eradicate hunger in our world. This is because when you zero out hunger, the possibilities become infinite.   Text sources: IFOAM || World Food Programme || UN.org Image source: UN Zero Hunger Video source: UN Zero Hunger Videos TRY NOWfor free

The world currently produces more food per person than ever before. However, there are still over 800 million people who are suffering from severe malnutrition worldwide. For example, in rich countries total per capita food production for human consumption is about 900 kg a year. Due to unequal food distribution and large quantities of food lost during production and wasted in more developed countries, it feels like there is not enough food to feed the entire world. Food waste represents a one third (amounting to over one trillion dollars) of all food produced globally and thus it has a negative impact on the environment, economy, food security and nutrition. Food waste is a more serious problem in industrialized countries. It is usually caused by both retailers and consumers throwing perfectly edible foodstuffs into the trash. Per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kg a year in Europe and North America, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia throw away only 6-11 kg a year each. Just one quarter of all wasted food could feed all of the undernourished people around the world who suffer from hunger. The most food loss occurs through the food supply chain, from farm crop production to processing, transport, storage and distribution management while it arrives to the end user. In broad terms, food losses are influenced by crop production choices and patterns, internal infrastructure and capacity, marketing chains and channels for distribution, and consumer purchasing and food use practices. Food losses also represent the waste of resources used in farm production such as land, water, energy and inputs. Stages of food waste in the world The issue of food losses is of critical importance in the efforts to combat hunger, raise income and improve food security in the world’s poorest countries. Food losses have an impact on food security for poor people, on food quality and safety, economic development and the environment. The exact causes of food losses vary throughout the world and are dependent on the specific conditions and local situation in a given country. Stages of food waste; North America, Oceania and Europe Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia have a high amount of food waste in the stages of storage and handling due to poor infrastructure for food preserving while rich countries in North America, Oceania and Europe have the most food waste in stages of consumption and production. Food waste in industrialized countries can be reduced by raising awareness among food industries, retailers and consumers. There is a need to find good and beneficial use for safe food that is currently thrown away. By learning how to reuse leftover food to feed humans and animals, and to produce energy and compost, food waste can become a valuable input to close nutrient cycles. In order to improve food production to reduce food loss, Agrivi farm management software gives farmers best farming practices in the form of tasks. For over 100 different crops, the system guides farmers on what to do during a specific season. They can also track all of their farm activities on fields, inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, work hours of workers and machinery. Using knowledge-intensive farm technologies, such as the Agrivi system for the tracking of crop production, farmers can make the right decisions at the farm level. In the end, the system gives them an insight into profitability and productivity of their farm with powerful Agrivi analytics and reports. Farmers are the managers of the most productive lands on the Earth. Using best farming practices they can reduce food loss and thus improve the food chain. Change the way food is produced – use Agrivi.   Text sources: Foodtank || Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Image source: World Food Clock TRY NOWfor free

Growing or farming season is a period of the year during which growing conditions, like temperature and moisture, are most favorable for cultivation of crops. Understanding when these periods of growth occur helps farmers better manage their farm production and better understand how variability in climate affects the ability of farmers to plant, grow and harvest specific crops. The growing periods are determined based on the start of the rainy season, potential evapotranspiration and temperature. It follows that some areas of the world are not suitable for crop growth at any time, some are suitable year round and some are defined by multiple growing seasons. Around the world, there are different growing seasons, depending on the distance of countries from the equator. Farming Season in Europe and North America Europe and North America belong to the temperate region, which has warm summers and cold winters and the length of the growing season depends mostly on temperature. This is typically from April until October or November, although this varies considerably with latitude and altitude, e.g. in most of the Portugal and Spain the growing season is almost year-round while in northern Finland and the higher Alps it may be only from June to September. Farming Season in South America and Indonesia Central and South America and Indonesia have a tropic climate, it's warm year-round and the growing season can last the entire year. In Indonesia, the growing season is sometimes interrupted by a rainy season, during which is too wet to grow crops. Farming Season in India Indian farming is dependent to a large extent on monsoons, soil and relief. The Indian farming season is classified into two main seasons based on the monsoon and one season based on irrigation practices: Kharif (autumn) farming season, from July –October during the south-west monsoon Rabi (spring) farming season, from October-March (winter) Zaid season, crops are grown throughout the year due to artificial irrigation. Farming Season in Africa Africa's seasons fall broadly into three periods: Rainy season (December–April): During these months is warm and wet, with temperatures generally at 20°C. Most yearly rainfall occurs at this time. Cool dry season (May–August): Temperatures drop, averaging around 16°C. July is usually the coldest month. Hot dry season (September–November): Temperatures rise rapidly and reach into 30°C with high humidity, making this season one of the least comfortable times of the year. Farming Season in East Asia The climate of East Asia is both similar to and different from the climate of Europe and North America. It's similar to cold winters and warm summers and different in that most of the rainfalls occur during the warm summer months, rather than during the winter months. This abundant water supply during the warm growing season allows intensive farming, with two and sometimes three crop cycles per year. Around the world, there are many growing seasons due to elevation or height above sea level and temperature of a given region. Accordingly, each region has its own unique crop production cycles, which require certain farming techniques to achieve higher yields. Now, when farmers have an insight into an abundance of farming seasons across the world, they are able to better manage their farm production. Not only knowledge of growing seasons helps farmers manage their production but also using modern farming tools such as farm management software Agrivi. With best practices processes for over 100 different crops, powerful analytics and reports, Agrivi helps farmers track their whole farm production and allows the complete overview of farm's productivity and profitability. The latitudes and longitudes dictate various growing seasons and farming activities, but you can manage your farm simply and easy with Agrivi system. TRY NOWfor free

We have already written about growing food and nutrition demands. Top priority is a food security, due to increasing population growth and the fact that 1 billion people still go to bed hungry each day. Climate of the croplands has a great impact on farming. These conditions can't be changed, but farmers can adjust on it using proven farming techniques, such as mulching, intercropping, conservation agriculture, crop rotation, integrated crop-livestock management, agro-forestry, improved grazing, and improved water management, together with innovative practices, such as better weather forecasting, drought- and flood-tolerant crops, and crop and livestock insurance. On the following maps you'll see crop production across the world and how climate affects global farming. Current crop yields Agricultural yields vary widely around the world due to climate, management practices and the mix of crops grown. You can see this yield difference on a map, which shows average yields for few major crops, mainly cereals. Data were compiled by fusing agricultural census records with satellite images. Crop yields are very high throughout most of the Great Plains in North America, resulting from good soils, high fertilizer inputs, and irrigation (particularly in the western portion of the region). Throughout most of Eastern Europe and western Africa crop yields are moderate while throughout eastern and southern Africa Crop yields range from low to moderate. Climate, poor soils and limited nutrient and water management all contribute to low yields. Throughout most of Brazil, India, China and Indonesia crop yields range from moderate to high, due to more rainfall. The highest yields in Indonesia are where oil palm, a high-calorie crop, is abundant. Click on the map to enlarge Closing yield gaps A key way to meet increasing demand for food is to make croplands more productive. Many croplands, however, fall well short of their full yield potential for their climate. Boosting yields to 95% of their potential--largely through improving nutrient and water management--would increase crop production by 58%. You can see this yield gap on a map which illustrates the potential calorie gains by closing yield gaps for few major crops, mainly cereals. Crop yields vary from moderate in Brazil and western Europe, moderate to high across western Africa, in the Great Plains in North America and India, to very high in eastern and southern Africa, where improvements in nutrient and water management could potentially double (even quadruple) yields. In China yield gaps range from low to high, with most of the potential calorie gains in northern China. In Indonesia yield gaps are low, largely influenced by strong production of oil palm. Click on the map to enlarge Increasing water use efficiency 70 % of humanity's freshwater withdrawals are for irrigating crops. Nearly a quarter of all croplands are irrigated; these lands provide a third of global crop production. Although this production is critical for food security, more efficient methods are needed to ensure a sustainable supply of water for other human and natural uses. This map shows patterns of irrigation use. Note that 'zero' values indicate that one or more of the major crops are grown in these areas, but are not irrigated. In Great Plains, India, China and semi-arid and Mediterranean regions irrigation is used extensively, mainly where rainfall is insufficient for regular crop growth. The water is used from surface water sources, as well as non-renewable sources like groundwater. Brazil has sufficient amount of rainfall to grow crops during the wet season. Crops grown in the dry season typically have lower yields, but provide additional income and reduce soil erosion. On the other hand, in Africa irrigation is necessary, but water sources are limited, as well as in Indonesia, where irrigation is largely limited to rice producing areas. Click on the map to enlarge Changing crop use & diet About 62% of crop production is for food; 35% is used for animal feed and 3% is harvested for fuel and other industrial uses. Shifting more crop production toward food use could potentially add about 50% more calories to the global food supply. Although a complete shift may be impractical, reducing meat consumption can have a strong influence on food security. This map depicts the proportion of crop production that is used for food. Nearly all crops produced in Africa, India and China are used directly as food while in Indonesia is used only 2/3 of the crop production. In recent years, demand for animal feed (domestically produced and imported) has increased as meat consumption has increased. In North and South America majority of the crop production is used for feed and fuel, while in Europe only half of the crop production is allocated to feed and fuel. As a result, only a small fraction of the calories produced reach the dinner table. Click on the map to enlarge Crop production will have to double by 2050 to fulfill the needs of a growing and increasingly affluent population. Meeting this challenge will be difficult but not impossible.   Source: Esri TRY NOWfor free

Agricultural or farm land is land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. According to the FAO, farm land is the land under temporary agricultural crops, temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow (less than five years). Other sources counted land under permanent crops also into farm land. This is the land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines. The land area of the world is 13.003 million ha, from which 4.889 million ha are classified as ‘agricultural area’ by the FAO (this is 37.6% of the land area). The agricultural area use is divided into 3 categories: arable land (28% of the global agricultural area), permanent crops (3%) and permanent meadows and pastures (69%) which account for the largest share of the world’s agricultural area. Reasons for loss of arable land Population growth and changing consumption habits will create a considerable degree of additional demand which will turn place pressure on arable land resources Arable land scarcity is the result of a range of human and climatic factors including degradation, climate change, soil constraints, urban encroachment and unequal land distribution There currently remains some 2.7 billion hectares of land with potential for crop production in the world, concentrated in South and Central American and Sub-Saharan Africa The solutions to addressing the availability of arable land are three-fold: the production of more arable land, increase in the productive capacity of existing arable land and the conservation of arable land in order to prevent degradation Despite more than an adequate supply of arable land to meet future demand, land availability will continue to be a major factor in meeting future food security because of the need to find a balance between competing interests and uses and finite resources.   Global arable land per person According to the Global Land Assessment of Degradation, nearly two billion hectares worldwide has been degraded since the 1950s. These two billion hectares represent 22% of the world’s cropland, pastures, forests and woodlands. In particular, Africa and Latin America have the highest proportion of degraded agricultural land. Asia has the largest proportion of degraded forest land, as revenue-poor national governments pursue lucrative policies of deforestation. Degradation is not the only reason for declining levels of arable land. There are a variety of climatic, environmental and human factors all of which have an effect on available arable land resources. At present some 12% (over 1.5 billion hectares) of the world’s land surface is used in crop production. This area represents over a third (36%) of the land estimated to be suitable for crop production to some degree. There remains some 2.7 billion hectares of land with potential for crop production. Global arable land will decrease This land, however, while plentiful, is unevenly distributed between regions and countries. An estimated 1.8 billion hectares of the potential crop land is located in developing countries, where rapid projected population growth means that demand pressures in the future will be significant. Yet 90% of that 1.8 billion is in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa and half of the total is concentrated in just seven countries (Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Sudan, Argentina, Colombia and Bolivia). There is virtually no spare land available for expansion in South Asia, the Near East and North Africa. Global land area in numbers The alternative to creating more arable land is to improve the yield and productivity of land currently being cultivated. These technologies include high-yielding varieties, management of fertilizers and pesticides, mechanization, irrigation management and use of new farming techniques such as farm software Agrivi. It helps farmers manage whole farm production, from tracking of activities on all fields, consumption of fertilizers, pesticides, work hours of workers and mechanization, to tracking of finances and complete farm analysis and reports.   Source: Future Directions TRY NOWfor free

Soil degradation, a decline in soil quality caused by human activities, has been a major global issue during the 20th century and will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century. The importance of soil degradation among global issues is enhanced because of its impact on world food security and quality of the environment. High population density is not necessarily related to soil degradation; it is what a population does to the soil that determines the extent of degradation. People can be a major asset in reversing a trend towards degradation. However, they need to be healthy and politically and economically motivated to care for the soil, as subsistence agriculture, poverty and illiteracy can be important causes of soil and environmental degradation. Land degradation can be considered in terms of the loss of actual or potential productivity or utility as a result of natural or anthropic factors (water and wind erosion, salinization, and crusting or compaction); it is the decline in land quality or reduction in its productivity. In the context of productivity, soil degradation results from a mismatch between soil quality and soil use. Mechanisms that initiate soil degradation include physical, chemical, and biological processes. Important among physical processes are a decline in soil structure leading to crusting, compaction, erosion, desertification, anaerobism, environmental pollution, and unsustainable use of natural resources. Significant chemical processes include acidification, leaching, salinization, decrease in cation retention capacity, and fertility depletion. Biological processes include reduction in total and biomass carbon, and decline in land biodiversity. Soil structure is the important property that affects all three degradative processes. Thus, soil degradation is a biophysical process driven by socioeconomic and political causes.   What are the causes of soil degradation? The loss of farm land has been caused by a number of factors, many or most of which are tied to human development. The primary causes are: Deforestation Overgrazing Overexploitation for fuelwood Agricultural activities Increased flooding Industrialization. The following figure illustrates the relative sizes of the causal mechanisms as a function of region. On the global basis, the soil degradation is caused primarily by overgrazing (35%), agricultural activities (28%), deforestation (30%), overexploitation of land to produce fuelwood (7%), and industrialization (4%). 6.2 million sq. mi (16 million sq. km) are currently used to grow crops — an amount of land about equal to the size of South America — while 11.6 million sq. mi (30 million sq. km) has been set aside for pastureland, an area equal to the entire African continent. Altogether that's more than 40% of the dry land on the planet. We use 60 times more land to grow and raise food than we do to live on. Farming takes half the world's available freshwater, much of which is used for irrigation. And all that activity — plus the deforestation and degradation that tends to go hand in hand with farming — helps make agriculture the single biggest source of manmade greenhouse gasses, more than industry or transportation or electricity generation. Will the topsoil run out? Some experts fear the world, at its current pace of consumption, is running out of useable topsoil. A rough calculation of current rates of soil degradation suggests we have about 60 years of topsoil left. Some 40% of soil used for agriculture around the world is classed as either degraded or seriously degraded - 70% of the topsoil, the layer allowing plants to grow, is gone. Because of various farming methods that strip the soil of carbon and make it less robust as well as weaker in nutrients, soil is being lost at between 10 and 40 times the rate at which it can be naturally replenished. Even the well-maintained farming land in Europe, which may look idyllic, is being lost at unsustainable rates. Degraded soil Degraded soil mean that we will produce 30% less food over the next 20-50 years. This is against a background of projected demand requiring us to grow 50% more food, as the population grows and wealthier people in countries like China and India eat more meat, which takes more land to produce weight-for-weight than, say, rice. This figure illustrates how pervasive is the problem of soil degradation. No continent is free from the problem. Areas of serious concern include zones where up to 75% of the topsoil has been lost already. Soil degradation will remain an important global issue for the 21st century because of its adverse impact on farm productivity, the environment, its effect on food security and the quality of life. There’s a lot we can do, we just have to choose to do it and provide the right support where it is needed. First-off is getting of carbon back into the soil, by reversing bad farming practices like tillage, nutrient mismanagement, removing stubble and over-grazing. We can add manure and consider using human waste from cities as fertilizer, instead of just flushing it all out to sea. Another important thing is crop breeding, which needs to focus more on human nutrition as well as productivity and on traits that improve the soil. Modern wheat varieties, for example, have half the micronutrients of older strains, and it’s pretty much the same for fruit and vegetables. The focus has been on breeding high-yield crops which can survive on degraded soil, so it’s hardly surprising that 60% of the world’s population is deficient in nutrients like iron. If it’s not in the soil, it’s not in our food.   Sources: USDA, TIME || University of Michigan TRY NOWfor free

Soil is one of the marvelous products of nature and the most precious resources to humans, without which there would be no life. Increased demand for agriculture commodities generates incentives to convert forests and grasslands to farm fields. The transition to agriculture from natural vegetation often cannot hold onto the soil and many of these plants can actually increase soil erosion beyond the soil’s ability to maintain itself. Causes of soil erosion Soil erosion refers to the wearing away of a field's topsoil by the natural physical forces of water, wind or through farming activities such as tillage (depth, direction and timing of plowing, the type of tillage equipment and the number of passes) and the clearing of vegetation. Clearing vegetation removes the protection of plants and roots needed to lock soil in place. Basically, the more exposed or heavily tilled soil is, the more likely it is to erode during rain or windstorms. Wind can damage young seedlings by blasting them with sand and other small particles. It distributes topsoil, which might uncover and expose some seedlings, while at the same time, burying other seedlings too deep. Erosion, whether it is by water, wind or tillage, involves three distinct actions – soil detachment, movement and deposition. Soil erosion can be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed, causing serious loss of topsoil. Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems are other serious soil degradation conditions that can accelerate the soil erosion process. Soil erosion reduces cropland productivity and contributes to the pollution of adjacent watercourses, wetlands and lakes. When soil is carried away from a farmer's field by water, it carries with it contaminants, such as fertilizers and pesticides. This runoff can cause water pollution that contaminates drinking water and disrupts ecosystems of lakes and wetlands. This negatively impacts the fish and wildlife that depend on these downstream waters for food and habitat. How to reduce soil erosion? Various soil conservation measures reduces soil erosion by water, wind and tillage. Tillage and cropping practices, as well as land management practices, directly affect the overall soil erosion problem and solutions on a farm. When crop rotations or changing tillage practices are not enough to control erosion on a field, a combination of approaches or more extreme measures might be necessary, like contour plowing, strip-cropping or terracing. In more serious cases where concentrated runoff occurs, it is necessary to include structural controls as part of the overall solution – grassed waterways, drop pipe and grade control structures, rock chutes and water and sediment control basins. One of the best ways to prevent soil erosion is to increase vegetation, crops that provide a full protective cover for a major portion of the year (e.g., alfalfa or winter cover crops), or various plants and trees. Half of the farm topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years. In addition to erosion, soil quality is affected by other aspects of agriculture. These impacts include compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and soil salinity. These are very real and at times severe issues. Soil erosion remains a key challenge for farming around the world. Many farmers have already made significant progress in dealing with soil erosion problems on their farms. The health of soil is a primary concern to farmers and the global community whose livelihoods depend on well managed agriculture. The increase in extreme weather events predicted with climate change will magnify the existing water and wind erosion situations and create new areas of concern. Farmland must be protected as much as possible, with special attention to higher risk situations that leave the soil vulnerable to erosion. TRY NOWfor free

Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of which take place on a global scale. Climate change affects farming in a number of ways, including through changes in average temperatures, rainfall, and climate extremes (e.g. heat waves), changes in pests and diseases, changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide and ground-level ozone concentrations, changes in the nutritional quality of some foods and changes in sea level. Climate change is already affecting agriculture, with effects unevenly distributed across the world. Future climate change will likely negatively affect crop production in low latitude countries, while effects in northern latitudes may be positive or negative. Climate change will probably increase the risk of food insecurity for some vulnerable groups, such as the poor. For example, South America may lose 1–21% of its arable land area, Africa 1–18%, Europe 11–17%, and India 20–40%. Climate change will impair farm production in many poor countries and regions The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, threatens food security everywhere. Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and pest proliferation. Pests management become less effective, meaning that higher rates of pesticides will be necessary to achieve the same levels of control. Heat waves can cause extreme heat stress in crops, which can limit yields if they occur during certain times of the plants' life-cycle (pollination, pod or fruit set). Also, heat waves can result in wilted plants (due to elevated transpiration rates) which can cause yield loss if not counteracted by irrigation. Heavy rains that often result in flooding can also be detrimental to crops and to soil structure. Most plants cannot survive in prolonged waterlogged conditions because the roots need to breathe. The overall impacts of climate change on farming are expected to be negative, threatening global food security. Consequences of 1°C rise in worlds temperature A number of countries in Africa already face semi-arid conditions that make agriculture challenging, and climate change will be likely to reduce the length of growing season as well as force large regions of marginal agriculture out of production. Projected reductions in yield in some countries could be as much as 50% by 2020, and crop net revenues could fall by as much as 90% by 2100, with small-scale farmers being the most affected. Farming in a warmer world Changes in climate may also impact the water availability and water needs for farming. If temperature increases and more sporadic rainfall events result from global warming, it is possible that irrigation needs could increase in the future. In anticipation of these changes, plant breeders are currently working to develop new varieties of crops that are considered to be drought tolerant, and more adaptable to varying levels of temperature and moisture. Effects of global warning on agriculture Agriculture contributes to climate change by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and by the conversion of non-farm land (e.g., forests) into farm land. Agriculture, forestry and land-use change contributed around 20 to 25% to global annual emissions in 2010. Food production in vulnerable areas can remain viable, but investments in the appropriate agriculture innovations are needed now, because some of the most effective ways to deal with climate change, like more resilient crop varieties and livestock breeds, can take up to 20 years to develop. Our efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, urgent as they are, will have little effect over the next 50 years. Changes during this period have already been set in motion by past greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting greenhouse gas emissions will only affect climate change in the long-term (beyond 50 years). So we must learn to adapt to the changes in climate that will occur over the next 50 years. The future of food and farming infographic- 2030s TRY NOWfor free

You have probably heard that humus is an important part of your soil, but few people know what it is and why it is important. The best way to understand humus is to understand how it is formed. Dead plant and animal material consists of organic matter (a wide range of molecules including starches, proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, amino acids). When organic matter starts to decompose, these molecules are broken down into smaller molecules by the micro-organisms in the soil (mostly bacteria and fungi). This is a complex process called humification. Components of soil organic matter At some point, all of the good stuff in the organic matter is used up and some molecules remain that can’t be used by micro-organisms or plants. This remaining material is called humus. It consists mostly of carbon and so it is still organic, but micro-organisms just can decompose it any further. Humus is so stable that it can persist in the soil for hundreds of years. Humification affects the development of the soil by determining its color. Soils with a dark brown to black color are usually high in humus content. The dark color of humus helps to warm up cold soils in the spring. Content of organic matter in the soil Humus is like a big sponge that can hold up to 90% of it’s weight in water. This water holding capacity of humus is why humus rich soil will remain moist for weeks longer than soil without humus. Humus has a negative charge which means that many of the nutrients plants require stick to humus, including ammonium (source of nitrogen), calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and other positive charged elements. The humus sponge holds onto these nutrients and prevents rain from washing them away. When a plant root comes in contact with it, the plant root is able to remove the nutrients from the humus sponge. The process is a bit more complicated than this, but you can think of humus as being a slow release source of fertilizer for your plants. Perhaps the most important reason for having humus is that it's responsible for aggregation. Aggregation is what makes soil loose and very friable, improving the structure of soil. Better soil structure found in humus rich soil makes it easier for plant roots to grow by providing them with better access to nutrients, water and most importantly oxygen. Importance of humus for soil Soils that have a high humus content, have abundant living biological activity to convert plant residues, leaf litter, animal dung and various biomass into stable humus Humus gives the soil the ability to absorb and retain moisture. Such soils do not dry out and require significantly less irrigation. Humus provides a reservoir for the plant nutrients available in the soil for balanced plant growth. Humus plays a part in supporting soil bacteria, such as Rhizobacteria, important for all legume nodulation and other well known bacteria, such as the phosphate solubilizing bacteria An exudate from bacterial activity results in polysaccharides (a sticky substance) being released, which helps bind the small soil particles into a nutty crumb structure to a depth of 30 cm or more Humus also supports the all important mycorrhizal fungi, which form a symbiosis with many plants and are an important factor in the soil food web. Humus is not just soil, it is a community of living things. Organic matter is a farming ground for many types of microbes and other microorganisms that help plants roots absorb necessary nutrients. The aim of every farmer is to increase organic matter content in the soil. This is done through compost, green manure crops, crop rotation, perennial forage crops, zero or reduced tillage and agroforestry farming. Trying to meet the food needs of a growing population, more and more farmers are switching to intensive farming. This way of farming adversely affects the humus, thus enhancing the processes of humus mineralization. Therefore is necessary to continuously add organic matter (organic fertilizer) into the soil and with appropriate crop rotation and regulation of soil reaction maintain optimal humus content. These organic fertilizers can be cattle, chicken, horse or some other manure. Each crop has different requirement for manure and the exact amount for each you can find in Agrivi farm management system. The system guides you for more than 100 different crops when to apply the manure and in which amount. Since humus is a product of organic matter decomposition, each time you add organic matter to the soil, it will increase the amount of humus. This is a slow process, but if organic matter is added each year, the amount of humus will continue to increase.   Source: Garden Myths: What is humus? TRY NOW for free

Pollination is a keystone process in both human managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems. It is critical for food production and human livelihoods and directly links wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems. Is an essential service that depends to a large extent on the symbiosis between species, the pollinated and the pollinator. Pollinators include bees, insects, birds and other animals that move pollen from one flower to another, thereby fertilizing plants and allowing them to reproduce. Though bees are the most common group of pollinators, other insects and animals, including wasps, butterflies, flies, beetles, bats, and hummingbirds, are significant pollinators as well. Native and wild pollinators In agro-ecosystems, pollinators are essential for orchard, horticultural and forage production, as well as the production of seed for many root and fiber crops. Pollinators such as bees, birds and bats affect 35% of the world's crop production, increasing outputs of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines. For human nutrition the benefits of pollination include not just abundance of fruits, nuts and seeds, but also their variety and quality; the contribution of animal-pollinated foodstuffs to human nutritional diversity, vitamin sufficiency and food quality is substantial. The size and shape of apples, the oil content of rapeseed and the marketable shape and shelf life of strawberries are all improved by insect pollination. Photo by Kristine Krewenka, Agroecology, Göttingen, Germany Photo by Jim Cane, Bee Research Institute, Longan, USA Example how pollinators affect fruit size and shape. In both pictures pollinated fruit is on the left side. Why are pollinators important? Pollinators can increase yield and improve the quality of many crops. Good pollination can increase the stability of crop production, reducing year to year and place to place variability in yield, by buffering effects of climate change and changing land use. If there are not enough appropriate insects available to pollinate crops that need it, then they will not yield to their full potential. Many insect pollinated crops are high yielding, nutritious (packed with vitamins and minerals) and of high economic value. Pollination services are provided by both managed and native pollinators. Native pollinators play a critical role in the production of certain fruits, vegetables, and forage crops. Native bees, including the blue orchard bee, numerous bumble bees and other native bees, are significant pollinators, and on a bee-per-bee basis, can be more effective than honey bees. Honey bee hives in canola field. Honeybees are used widely to supplement wild pollinators and improve crop production, but there are not enough honeybees to pollinate all the crops that require pollination. Commercial honey bee producers providing pollination services manage several hundred to as many as 80,000 hives. The annual almond crop in California alone requires 1.3 million colonies of honey bees to pollinate over 615,000 acres of almond plantations. Further, honeybees are not the best pollinators for many crops. It is important, therefore, to support both honeybees and wild pollinators. Different crops rely on different insect pollinators. Some crops depend on specialist pollinators, for example beans are heavily reliant on bumblebees. Other crops like oilseed rape, apples and strawberries are pollinated by many different insects including solitary bees, honeybees, bumblebees, hoverflies and other flies. The insects important for pollinating crops can vary from year to year and from place to place and are affected by the climate, weather and local farm management. Human activity, based on the assumption that pollination is a free and abundantly available ecological service, has put a large pressure on pollinators by both increasing their demand and removing their habitat. Horticulture has rapidly expanded over the last decades, while the landscape has become more uniform due to intensive farming. Lack of pollination has increased awareness of the value and management requirements of this service. Insect pollinators are essential for food production, improving the yield and quality of crops. Multiple pressures threaten pollinator populations and the pollination services they provide, including changing farm land use, disease, climate change and agrochemicals. This has resulted in declining abundance and species richness in both managed and wild pollinator populations and threatens the stability of crop pollination services. It is therefore essential to conserve and manage insect pollinators as demands on food production increase. To maintain or improve crop pollination growers and land managers need to: Establish flower-rich field margins and reduce the frequency and intensity of hedgerow cutting on farmland to increase floral and nesting resources for pollinators Reduce the input and improve the targeting of agrochemicals such as insecticides and herbicides to reduce the risk of negative impacts on pollinators and the flowering plants on which they forage Increase the diversity of flowering crops, or rotate beneficial crops such as clover, beans and oilseed, to increase the floral resources available to pollinators in arable landscapes Protect semi-natural habitats such as woodlands, heaths and meadows, which provide essential nesting and feeding habitats for diverse pollinator communities Establish and/or maintain low-input grasslands which are high quality habitats for a wide range of wild pollinators Consider introducing managed pollinators such as honeybees or bumblebees if the pollination demands of flowering crops are not being met in the short term by wild pollinator populations.   Sources: LWEC | Agpollinators | FAO TRY NOWfor free