FarmStart

We recognize that farmers are important stewards of our environment and we encourage new farmers to use ecological farming practices.

A hand full of compost can go a long way.

Ecological agriculture practices are a holistic approach to agriculture encompassing the biological, social, animal and human aspects of the farm enterprise. Ecological farming is contrasted with industrial agriculture which relies on a wide range of off farm inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. In a time of rising oil costs and decreasing fossil fuel supplies industrial farming is becoming less environmentally and economically sustainable.

Ecological farming generally involves a diversity of crops, animals and methods. Management techniques include cover crops, green manures, composting, mulching, crop rotation, no till cropping and the use of animal waste to maintain fertility. Properly managed soils can capture nutrients and energy from the air and sun to replenish fertility and make it available for an indefinite number of crop cycles.

While we are not exclusively supportive of certified organic agriculture, the rigorous standards in organic certification can prove an effective way for a farmer to convey their ecological management practices to the end consumer. The National Strategic Plan for the Canadian Organic Food and Farming Sector <pdf> was completed in 2002. The Plan argues that “existing studies have concluded that significant benefits would result from the shift [to organic agriculture], including improved food quality, enhanced environmental and human health, higher net farm income and lower government subsidy payments and crop storage costs”.

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