The Guide to Sustainable Agriculture

A farm is a kind of enterprise that is most dependent on its farmer’s own decisions, both present and future, weather events, as well as soil and climate conditions, the supply markets of the farm and the sales of its products.

The level and quality of yield primarily depends on the genetic features of crops, their yielding potential and specific quality characteristics that manifest under specific production conditions.

Soil is formed on the surface of the Earth’s crust. It is a natural, biologically active, three-phased system formed by weathered rocks, as well as dead and living organic matter. Soil is formed and changed as a result of climate conditions, time, and living organisms, including microorganisms and humans.

The management of soil nutrients requires knowledge on their contents (soil richness), change dynamics and availability. It also requires knowledge on the functions of the fundamental factors determining the effectiveness of crop nutrition (water, pH, organic matter) and their mutual relationships.

Crop protection is an element of crop production aimed at preventing the loss of yield caused by agrophages and securing the agricultural produce during its storage. Crop protection does not directly influence a higher yield, but is a guarantee that such a yield will be obtained and ensures stability of its quantity and sustainability.

The most significant factors affecting crop yields include the amount of available water and the quantity of solar radiation. Proper water management is possible and necessary. Agriculture utilises approximately 70% of the water used in worldwide human economy.

Our environment contains an abundance of living organisms, only some of which are visible to the human eye, yet all of them influence one another and us. Thanks to the multitude and diversity of the life forms around us, we have food and enjoy the beauty of nature. On the other hand, however, we need to protect our health, crops and homes.

Local community – it is a group of people living within a relatively small, designated area, including for example a parish, or a village, in which there are strong ties resulting from common interests and needs, as well as a sense of being rooted and belonging to the place they live in.