Can Sustainable Practices Replace Industrial Agriculture?
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Student Year and Major
1st year Graduate Student, Engineering Physics
Presentation Description/Abstract
Industrial agriculture is the dominate means of world food production. It is characterized by mono-culture growth, large-scale land use, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and promises of low costs. While industrial agriculture has been able to produce food which sustains a rapidly expanding human population; it does so in the short term, maximizing profit and production at the expense of soil, water, and other critical resources. The climate catastrophe is not only heavily attributed to the current decline in agricultural production but is fueled by the unsustainable practices that this industry relies on. Diminishing industrial returns and food shortages demand alternative practices that address the ecologic strain currently produced. Regenerative agriculture is an alternative approach which prioritizes topsoil health, biodiversity, and climate change resilience. While not formally defined, regenerative agriculture generally prioritizes the long term sustainability of the ecosystem over pure resource extraction. Regenerative agriculture, among other sustainable practices, may not only be sufficient in supplementing the food output of its industrial counterpart, but also make ecosystems and human populations more resilient to climate change. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the outputs of different agricultural methods: industrial and regenerative. To determine if regenerative methods can sustain current human populations, we compare gross caloric output and individual nutritional yield (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) per square foot to the average requirements to sustain current human activity.
Keywords
regenerative agriculture, industrial agriculture, climate change
Can Sustainable Practices Replace Industrial Agriculture?
Industrial agriculture is the dominate means of world food production. It is characterized by mono-culture growth, large-scale land use, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and promises of low costs. While industrial agriculture has been able to produce food which sustains a rapidly expanding human population; it does so in the short term, maximizing profit and production at the expense of soil, water, and other critical resources. The climate catastrophe is not only heavily attributed to the current decline in agricultural production but is fueled by the unsustainable practices that this industry relies on. Diminishing industrial returns and food shortages demand alternative practices that address the ecologic strain currently produced. Regenerative agriculture is an alternative approach which prioritizes topsoil health, biodiversity, and climate change resilience. While not formally defined, regenerative agriculture generally prioritizes the long term sustainability of the ecosystem over pure resource extraction. Regenerative agriculture, among other sustainable practices, may not only be sufficient in supplementing the food output of its industrial counterpart, but also make ecosystems and human populations more resilient to climate change. This study aims to quantitatively analyze the outputs of different agricultural methods: industrial and regenerative. To determine if regenerative methods can sustain current human populations, we compare gross caloric output and individual nutritional yield (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) per square foot to the average requirements to sustain current human activity.