Traditional Agriculture

Following the two world wars, traditional agriculture became the most common practice all over the world. Almost all countries practice this form of agriculture widely to date. It is during the second world war era the knowledge about chemistry hugely increased that has given rise to the traditional form of agriculture. Traditional agriculture refers to the treating of the soil and plants with matters that are non-toxic, non-noxious and not synthetically made in the laboratory. In order to prevent pests and diseases from blighting the plants, this method is preferred. 

Because of the presence of the products in the plants and soil, it is also transferred in the food, including the products that are used in organic agriculture. The level of such products in the food is higher for the vegetation done with traditional agriculture process as compared to the level of product present in the food grown by an organic process. It has been elaborated in the scientific studies that as the level of these products that are used in farming increases in the food content, more amount of the same accumulate in the fatty tissue that in turn cause severe illness, especially, the occurrence of cancerous growth in the body becomes high. 

The article “Traditional agriculture and its impact on the environment” deals with the topics like “what is traditional agriculture”, “ Characteristics of traditional agriculture” and “Impact of traditional agriculture on environment”.

Methods of Traditional Agriculture

There are five popular methods that are well known under traditional agriculture. These are:

1. Agroforestry: It is one of the oldest forms of agriculture. In agroforestry, deliberate planting of trees and then maintaining the trees on the same plot where the agricultural crops are grown. This results in the development of a microclimate unique to every vegetative land that practices agroforestry. Thus it helps in controlling variables that are vital for vegetation, such as temperature, wind, rain and exposure to sunlight. Hence agroforestry is the best method to protect crops.

Due to the practice of agroforestry in many lands, food, staple crops, timber, firewood all can be grown in the same field. Other than benefiting farmers with extra income, it helps to maintain the fertility of the land by improving soil texture and quality, reduce soil erosion, isolating the carbon content from the soil and much more. Besides the environmental benefits, it also provides a lot of social and economic benefits to the communities that practice agroforestry—for instance, some parts of the USA, Europe and Africa.

2. Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is a very useful method of growing different types of crops on the same land, depending on the seasons. It does not only help in preserving the soil productivity and increase the yield of the but also helps reducing pests, use of more toxin chemicals and dependency on one kind of nutrition. The main goal of practising crop rotation is to create a positive interrelationship between the crops that are cycling so that they together can create more healthy and fertile soil. It also prevents soil erosion due to the prevailing root system in the ground.

3. Intercropping: Intercropping or mixed cropping also refers to a technique where two or more different crops are grown together in the same field at the same time. It has been proven as one of the best techniques to maximise the yield and the use of resources, along with increasing the diversity of the harvest in a single plot of land. There are various types of intercropping that are known. Intercropping helps in fumigating the soil by increasing the level of organic matter in it and also inhibits the growth of weeds. It helps improve pest management and thus creates biodiversity. Thus intercropping is a local procedure of farming and is the most well-known version of traditional agriculture that is still popular among many communities.

4. Poly Culture: Polyculture is a traditional agriculture system where multiple crops or plants of various species can be grown in a single area. It not only increases the biodiversity of the land but also promotes diversified diet culture among the community. The various types of polyculture are broadly classified into aquaculture, cropping and permaculture. The major advantage of practising polyculture is that it helps in control weeds, diseases and pests without the need for any chemical treatments or toxic fertilisers. It provides a stable yield in a particular area as it restricts soil erosion. Thus even today, polyculture is still popular and is preferred over monoculture as it benefits economically, environmentally, and the health condition of the consumers of food grown by this particular traditional method.

5. Water harvesting: Water harvesting is one of the oldest methods of traditional agriculture, where the water was stored for irrigation purposes or for self-consumption. During the monsoon, the rainwater is collected that flows from different sources like cannel, rivers, rooftops to use for irrigation or for household purposes. Sometimes they are even stored for future irrigation purposes. During the rainy season, the water is collected by farmers from nearby water sources that are stored for later use during the time of drought or during the shortage of rainfall. As water harvesting provides potable water thus, this method reduces the need to built wells. Other than domestic purposes, the stored water is also used for livestock or watering gardens. They can also be seen in schools, universities and hospitals that are funded by the government. It is a simple methodology of agriculture that does not involve a lot of money. 

Characteristics of Traditional Agriculture

The Characteristics of traditional agriculture are listed below:-

1. Elaborative farming with the help of indigenous tools and knowledge.

2. The indigenous tools that are mostly used for traditional agriculture are axe, hoe, sticks etc.

3. The most frequently used methods are shifting cultivation and slash and burn method that results in depletion of the land fertility and yield and also results in soil erosion.

4. Raisin by the cattle helps in creating fallow land.  

5. The traditional methods do not consider the responsibility towards the environment.

6. Lag in surplus production.

Impact of Traditional Agriculture on Environment

The following are the impact of traditional agriculture on the environment:

1. Nutrition depletion: The primitive way of farming like slash and burn or shifting cultivation results in the massive depletion of the organic matter present in the soil, and soon enough, the leftover organic matter is taken up by the crops that ultimately leave the land barren and unfit for further cultivation. Thus the farmers then move to another land.

2. Deforestation: It is a process in which a large section of trees or stands of forests is cleared in order to either convert it into farmland, urban use or ranches. The most intensive deforestation takes place every year in tropical rainforests. The shifting cultivation demands a cut down of large chunks of forest areas that finally leads to the situation of deforestation.

3. Soil Erosion: Other than the natural cause like a heavy flood, rain, or heavy wind, another major reason for soil erosion is various farming activities such as tillage. As the roots of the trees hold the soil tightly as they penetrate deep into the soil, but heavy deforestation leads to loosening of the soil, and hence it results in erosion due to rain, wind, or storms. This also washes away the top layer and the sublayer that is considered most fertile for the crops.   

Issues with Traditional Agriculture and GMOs

The major issue that is faced with traditional agriculture is that it completely erodes the life that is existing in the topsoil layer and in the subsoil layer. But in order to be fertile, the top and sub-layers of the soil need both microflorae, that is, bacteria, fungi and actinobacteria as well as microfauna, that is, protozoa, arthropods and nematodes. The powerful chemicals that kill as well as inhibit the growth of harmful fungus or fungal spores or kill and inhibits the pests and other bacteria also kills the useful microbial life, that is, microflora and microfauna needed by the soil to get fertilized and hence a large number of fertilizers need to be sprayed to yield sufficient crops. This, in turn, results in making the soil barren that is not able to generate its own organic matter to yield sufficient crops. 

Though the scientists came up with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and many of the big corporations producing them in bulk think it is an apt solution, but it has its own drawbacks. In GM plants, the GMOs that are supposed to function as resistance becomes self-resistance towards anti-insect properties. Thus for genetically modified seeds, the farmers need to use even more toxic matters than before. Thus in terms of the environment and economically, GMOs are becoming a high risk for the future.

Thus to conclude, traditional agriculture has been preferred all over the world as it yields a large number of crops with minimum physical effort and thus satisfies the demand of the capitalist world. Mostly the tractors, fertilizers, synthetic treatments, and genetically modified seeds are used to increase production without giving much thought to the negative impact it creates on soil and plant biodiversity.