How do we encourage more biodiversity-friendly farms in the age of monoculture?
One of the greatest threats to ecosystems and biodiversity remains to be unsustainable agriculture. Cultivating monocultures are what modern agricultural practices are based on. Those vast fields of wheat or barley, plantations of a single species of fruit tree, or fields of a single vegetable crop. Modern commercial agriculture often seeks to increase yield – and so profits – by cultivating a single type of plant. However, there are significant negative impacts with this type of monoculture agriculture on our ecological systems that must be alleviated before the damage is irreversible.
This lack of diversity in a monoculture system eliminates the biological controls nature provided to plants and soil. Let’s say for example if there are no range of insect species in a location how do we ensure that a single population does not get too large and damage many plants? If there are not varieties of plants there will be nothing that naturally provides nutrients to the soil, such as nitrogen-fixing legumes, or ground cover crops improving the nutrient content of the topsoil. This means we are leaving fewer species of microorganism and bacteria on the soil as there are fewer nutrients available for them to survive on. All of this undermines the soil integrity by not having different root depths by a variety of plants, eliminating the natural checks and balances that a diverse ecosystem provides.
Chihuahuan Desert Charities and the DYGUP/Sustain Program address these issues through the lens of regenerative agriculture and using 21st Century STEM skills.
One gram of moss from the forest floor, a piece about the size of a muffin, would harbour 150,000 protozoa, 132,000 tardigrades, 3,000 springtails, 800 rotifers, 500 nematodes, 400 mites, and 200 fly larvae. These numbers tell us something about the astounding quantity of life in a handful of moss.” ― Robin Wall Kimmerer
It just goes to show that every single itty bitty thing matters. If you remove one of those itty bitty things, you change the entire ecosystem around it and generally not for the better. That is why it is so important that we work together and take care of our land. We can teach our children how to turn soil lacking nutrients into rich soil full of nutrients ready to produce bountifully! It is necessary that children have agricultural skills. We need to get these corporations out of our way and take matters into our own hands, quite literally.
Check out this video about Human Impacts on Biodiversity.
Nearly every historic fruit and vegetable variety once found in the United States has disappeared.” ― Preeti Simran Sethi
The DYGUP & SUSTAIN Program is a non-profit dedicated to regenerative organic agricultural practices to teach the benefits of land stewardship in the Paso del Norte Region. DYGUP, an acronym for Developing Youth from the Ground Up, is available to youth ages 14-17. The SUSTAIN program targets adults over 18 and combines "Roots Of Success" Environmental Literacy Curriculum with intensive farmer training. The DYGUP/ Sustain Program has many partnerships in the community including Taylor Hood Farms, Backyard Farms LC, First Christian Church, and Las Cruces High-School. Chihuahuan Desert Charities is proud to be the fiscal sponsor for DYGUP & Sustain and support their important work in the Las Cruces community.
Support the DYGUP & Sustain Program at Legacy Farm in Las Cruces by visiting ChihuahuanDesertCharities.org