CRUELTY-FREE FARMING: Veganic farming may be the agricultural philosophy the world needs
As we usher in an era of cruelty-free living, adopting Veganic farming as our central agricultural philosophy is the way forward, not only is it a much more sustainable way to farm.
TANUVI JOE: With growing climate concerns, there is a constant need to change the way land is used for farming and other agricultural practices. Veganic farming, a mostly unknown yet vital new way of stewarding the Earth’s lands, can help preserve the environment, regenerate soil fertility, and replenish the biodiversity around it, which helps tackle greenhouse gas emissions and financially empower farmers across the globe. But what exactly is vegan farming?
Veganic farming also called ‘vegan organic’ and plant-based farming, is the organic cultivation and production of food crops that have minimal or zero amount of harm to animals and respect the interests of the environment as well as human health. This type of farming avoids the use of chemicals, pesticides, or fertilizers that are made using confined animals, in contrast with organic farming, which allows for animal-based fertilizers including things like bones and fish meal.
At the heart of veganic farming lies the idea that by feeding the living soil, microorganisms will be born which will then nourish the plants and prolong their longevity… Soil regeneration lies at the core of veganic farming. This method employs plant-based methods and solutions such as mulch, vegetable compost, green manure, and crop rotation, whilst also making use of composted organic matter like grass clippings, seaweed and nettles…
Currently, organic farmers are allowed to use animal products like blood meal and bone meal that are made in slaughterhouses where animals are confined, exposing them to several contaminants. The animal waste obtained from these factories emanate huge amounts of greenhouse gases responsible for around 14.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Apart from these increasing emissions, the continued use of industrial farming gives way for chemical compounds from pesticides to enter our soil and water systems, wreaking havoc in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Furthermore, crops can be contaminated by pathogens surviving in manure, ultimately transmitting bacteria to consumers… Further, industrial farming accounts for billions of land animals raised and slaughtered for food globally every year…
To battle these exploitations at various levels, veganic farming works to eliminate the link between these operations and the production of organic plant-foods by preserving the fertility only through plant-based methods… Most people today are not aware of veganic farming and how it can be an efficient and sustainable form of producing food. One of the challenges to growing the movement is that the system requires a fair amount of upfront knowledge, and to execute it the right way, farmers need regular support and guidance…
As we usher in an era of cruelty-free living, adopting veganic farming as our central agricultural philosophy is the way forward, not only is it a much more sustainable way to farm, the system and its techniques will help restore plant and wildlife biodiversity, as well as take care of the farmers and the global ecosystem that surrounds and supports all of us. SOURCE…
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