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Livescience_2013 05413.txt

#Planting the Seed of Sustainable Farming: Op-Ed Suzy Friedman sustainable agriculture director for the Environmental Defense Fundâ contributed this article to Livescience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. oelake Erie is sick. A thick and growing coat of toxic algae appears each summer so vast that in 2011 it covered a sixth of its waters contributing to an expanding dead zone on its bottom reducing fish populations fouling beaches and crippling a tourism industry that generates more than $10 billion in revenue annually. March 15 the New york times. The environmental devastation of Lake erie is a tragedy. But it s one that can be reversed. For a decade the Environmental Defense Fund has been working with farmers and other partners in the Western Lake erie Basin to reduce fertilizer and sediment runoff. We count on farmers to produce safe and abundant supplies of food but it s runoff from farmland that finds its way into the lake and is largely responsible for the devastating algae bloomsâ describedâ by the New york times. Why Lake erie is Under attack from Algae Blooms The key question is: How do we get enough farmers to practice sustainable agriculture so that algal blooms and dead zones whether in Lake erie or the Gulf of mexico become a thing of the past? How do we actuallyâ win? The answer lies in convincing farmers that sustainable agriculture is not at odds with high yields and profitability. Â In fact practices like more efficient use of fertilizer and the creation (or maintenance) of wetlands and buffer strips which filter runoff before it can reach streams and rivers can save farmers money and help improve the quality of their soil. We call this combination of higher efficiency and filtering practices Growing Returns. It is part of EDF s larger effort to advance a new era in conservation one that rewards private landowners for protecting our natural resources. We want farmers and ranchers to be paid for providing benefits healthy food clean air and water and wildlife habitat to all of society. Meeting this challenge is not optional. We must have highly productive agricultureâ andâ healthy natural resources because quite simply we all need to eat and we all need clean and abundant water. The power of the market The power of the marketplace can help us reach that goal. Farmers need to know that the market will buy or even prefer ustainably grown crops. And who dominates the market? It s the processors and brand-name companies like Kellogg s Coca-cola General mills Walmart and Mcdonald's. Should You Buy Organic? With that in mind the EDF has begun a three-part campaign for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices which includes: None of this will be easy. For example it will take time and plenty of trial and error before big companies farmers and all the middlemen between them learn how to work together. But the payoff the size of the environmental win in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing algal blooms linked to agriculture is huge. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher l

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