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3 Everyday Activities in the Green World
3.2 Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the major form of agriculture that plays a crucial role
in the Green World and is defined as the production of animal or plant products,
including fiber and food, using farm methods that conserve and protect the
environment, human communities as well as the animal welfare (Altieri 2018).
The main objective of sustainable agriculture is to meet the food and textile
needs of the present society without necessarily compromising the capacity of
future generations (Definition adapted from the Brundtland Commission 1987).
Sustainable agriculture practitioners strive to incorporate three primary objectives
in their practices: economic profitability, healthy environment, and socioeconomic
equity. All stakeholders within the food system, including food processors, growers,
distributors, consumers, retailers, and waste managers, play a crucial role in making
sure that there is a sustainable agricultural system.
There are many Green practices utilized by people who work in sustainable
agriculture. Growers can utilize methods for promoting soil health, minimizing
water usage, and lowering the levels of pollution on the farm. Similarly, retailers
and consumers who value sustainability can use values-based foods that are
typically grown through methods that promote the well-being of farm-workers,
protect the environment, or enhance the local economy (Altieri 2018). Today, the
sustainable agriculture movement has increasingly gained support in mainstream
agriculture, which has been welcomed by the Green movement that has advocated
for sustainable practices. This is because sustainable or Green agriculture tackles
numerous social and environmental issues, and provides innovative as well as
economically viable opportunities for the consumers, growers, and laborers.
As the Fig. 3.1 above shows, sustainable agriculture embeds three fundamental
objectives which can be viewed as more significant roles in enhancing Greenness:
environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity. An example of
such sustainable agriculture is vertical farming, which involves the production of
medicinal plants and food in stacked layers as well as inclined surfaces. Many
modern concepts of vertical farming tend to utilize indoor farming methods and
controlled environment agriculture. The main benefits of vertical farming are better
human health and urban growth. The other benefits are weather disruption, energy
sustainability, mass extinction, conservation, and reduction of poverty (Benke and
Tomkins 2017). Some of the renowned case studies of vertical farming are Food
Field (Detroit, Michigan), The Distributed Urban Farming Initiative (Bryan, Texas),
and Sky Greens (Singapore). A case study of Sky Greens is presented towards the
end of the chapter to offer more insight on vertical farming. In Africa, Kenya and
Uganda are some of the states that practice vertical farming. In Uganda, the lack
of adequate financial resources for building a modern vertical farm and the limited
access to water and land have made farmers venture into vertically stacked wooden
crate units. These units are made of a vermicomposting chamber and use water
bottles to irrigate crops continuously. The advantage of these stacks is that they
consume less water and enable urban farmers to plant crops such as kale. Kampala
3 Everyday Activities in the Green World
3.2 Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the major form of agriculture that plays a crucial role
in the Green World and is defined as the production of animal or plant products,
including fiber and food, using farm methods that conserve and protect the
environment, human communities as well as the animal welfare (Altieri 2018).
The main objective of sustainable agriculture is to meet the food and textile
needs of the present society without necessarily compromising the capacity of
future generations (Definition adapted from the Brundtland Commission 1987).
Sustainable agriculture practitioners strive to incorporate three primary objectives
in their practices: economic profitability, healthy environment, and socioeconomic
equity. All stakeholders within the food system, including food processors, growers,
distributors, consumers, retailers, and waste managers, play a crucial role in making
sure that there is a sustainable agricultural system.
There are many Green practices utilized by people who work in sustainable
agriculture. Growers can utilize methods for promoting soil health, minimizing
water usage, and lowering the levels of pollution on the farm. Similarly, retailers
and consumers who value sustainability can use values-based foods that are
typically grown through methods that promote the well-being of farm-workers,
protect the environment, or enhance the local economy (Altieri 2018). Today, the
sustainable agriculture movement has increasingly gained support in mainstream
agriculture, which has been welcomed by the Green movement that has advocated
for sustainable practices. This is because sustainable or Green agriculture tackles
numerous social and environmental issues, and provides innovative as well as
economically viable opportunities for the consumers, growers, and laborers.
As the Fig. 3.1 above shows, sustainable agriculture embeds three fundamental
objectives which can be viewed as more significant roles in enhancing Greenness:
environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity. An example of
such sustainable agriculture is vertical farming, which involves the production of
medicinal plants and food in stacked layers as well as inclined surfaces. Many
modern concepts of vertical farming tend to utilize indoor farming methods and
controlled environment agriculture. The main benefits of vertical farming are better
human health and urban growth. The other benefits are weather disruption, energy
sustainability, mass extinction, conservation, and reduction of poverty (Benke and
Tomkins 2017). Some of the renowned case studies of vertical farming are Food
Field (Detroit, Michigan), The Distributed Urban Farming Initiative (Bryan, Texas),
and Sky Greens (Singapore). A case study of Sky Greens is presented towards the
end of the chapter to offer more insight on vertical farming. In Africa, Kenya and
Uganda are some of the states that practice vertical farming. In Uganda, the lack
of adequate financial resources for building a modern vertical farm and the limited
access to water and land have made farmers venture into vertically stacked wooden
crate units. These units are made of a vermicomposting chamber and use water
bottles to irrigate crops continuously. The advantage of these stacks is that they
consume less water and enable urban farmers to plant crops such as kale. Kampala