Next+to+High+Agricultural+Yields

=High Agricultural Yields Can Be Sustained with Proper Practices= ====﻿Over the past several decades, there have been strong movements toward developing methods and technologies that will sustain agricultural resources over the long term. **Mocroirrigation**, which is any method of delivering water directly to plant roots, can solve the problems associated with irrigation. It not only prevents topsoil erosion but can also minimize the loss of water through //evaporation//, which in turn can minimize the //salinization// of farmland.====

====The method of farming is known as **organic farming** where the term //organic// is used to indicate a concern for the environment and a commitment to using only chemicals that occur in nature. To protect against pests, organic farmers alternate the crops planted on a particular plot of land. Crop rotation works fairly well because different crops are damaged by different pests. They also include nitrogen-fixing plants in their crop-rotation schedules.====



====Organic farming tends to be benevolent to the environment. Organic farming is energy-efficient, using only about 40 percent as much energy as conventional farming. Each year in the United States, about 300 million barrels of oil is consumed for the production of nitrogen fertilizers.====

====To meet concerns about sustaining agricultural resources over the long term groups from industry, government, and academia have identified a whole-farm strategy called **intergrated crop management** (ICM). This method of farming involves managing crops profitably and with respect for the environment in ways that suit local soil, clomatic, and economic conditions.====

====An important component of ICM is **integrated pest management** (IPM), one of the aims of which is to reduce the initial severity of pest infestation. This can be accomplished through a number of routes. Crops should be rotated as much as possible to reduce pest and weed problems. Another strategy is growing tree crops or hedges either around the perimeter of a farm or interspersed throughout the farm. Also, another strategy would be to breed and cultivate plants that have a natural resistance to pests.====

====Another way to control the //prolieferation// of insects is to modify their behavior through the use of **pheromones,** which are volatile organic molecules that insects release to communicate with one another.====



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