Conventional farming

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Conventional agriculture is from the traditional agriculture resulting conventional farm shape, taking into account the regional conditions and using the by the Agricultural Science recommended production while maintaining the agricultural laws and EU regulations Food and feed produced and the cultural landscape care. It is by far the most common type of economy in agriculture in industrialized and emerging countries and thus the largest component of the primary economic sector . It is embedded in a complex system of supplier-customer relationships within the agribusiness system . Since the term “conventional agriculture” only emerged with the emergence of “alternative” forms of economy and is mostly used by their proponents, it has a negative connotation in some cases.

features

Conventional farming uses in agriculture besides the usual crop rotation approved by the competent authorities seed varieties , fertilizers and pesticides one. The possible harvest yields are largely achieved through the combined use of different crop cultivation systems and plant protection measures. The Integrated Crop with the consideration of economic thresholds to minimize input use is now standard in conventional agriculture.

There is an increasing tendency towards specialization and increasing herd size in livestock farming , particularly in the dairy industry . The trend towards specialization is more pronounced in conventional farms than in alternative agriculture. In addition, the animals in the organic farms are given more space, more movement and access to the open air. No preventive antibiotics may be administered in either conventional or organic animal husbandry . Mixed farms that practice both arable farming and cattle breeding usually buy in part of the concentrate (e.g. soy meal , grain).

In some of the factory farming specialized companies exclusively purchased, however, are feed fed. Such industrial agriculture is often assigned to conventional agriculture, but it is not typical for the majority of farms in Europe.

In Germany, around 92.5% of farms operate conventionally, in Austria and Switzerland it is around 85%.

Delimitation and principles

Integrated production or sustainable agriculture is a form of conventional agriculture that tries to reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Alternative farming methods are, for example, organic farming , biodynamic farming or permaculture . The alternative forms of agriculture rely on fixed guidelines, for example to classify the quality of their products.

Conventionally working farmers do not have to adhere to the guidelines of organic farming. However, the respective statutory regulations apply to the environmental compatibility of their production methods. In German agricultural law there is the term “good professional practice”, for example in the Fertilizer Act . In Switzerland, a so-called ecological performance certificate (ÖLN) applies as the minimum standard for agriculture.

Open system problems

The cycle of materials in agriculture can be broken down into five components: seeds , crop production , feed , animal husbandry and fertilization . In the ideal case, these components form a closed cycle, which essentially applies to the alternative forms of management. By cultivating forage plants, the required forage is produced in-house. Area-based animal husbandry and the use of farm manure complete the cycle.

In conventional agriculture, the closed cycle can be broken at various points, so that a partially "open system" is created. In crop production can artificial fertilizers and synthetic chemical pesticides are used. In conventional agriculture, the feed does not have to be produced in-house, but can be bought in as concentrated feed . Due to specialization in breeding and fattening, cattle are increasingly kept in large farms, which makes it difficult to use the farm manure that arises. The resulting surplus of liquid manure must be applied to the fields beyond the nutrient requirements of the soil, and in some cases additional areas have to be leased for liquid manure disposal.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Conventional Agriculture in the IMA Agricultural Lexicon ( Memento from April 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )