Jumat, 15 Juni 2012

Tugas Tambahan

Sustainable Agriculture

Photo: Barn in a field


What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Some terms defy definition. “Sustainable agriculture” has become one of them. In such a quickly changing world, can anything be sustainable? What do we want to sustain? How can we implement such a nebulous goal? Is it too late? With the contradictions and questions have come a hard look at our present food production system and thoughtful evaluations of its future. If nothing else, the term “sustainable agriculture” has provided “talking points,” a sense of direction, and an urgency, that has sparked much excitement and innovative thinking in the agricultural world.
The word “sustain,” from the Latin sustinere (sus-, from below and tenere, to hold), to keep in existence or maintain, implies long-term support or permanence. As it pertains to agriculture, sustainable describes farming systems that are “capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems... must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound.” [John Ikerd, as quoted by Richard Duesterhaus in "Sustainability's Promise," Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Jan.-Feb. 1990) 45(1): p.4. NAL Call # 56.8 J822]
Sustainable agriculture was addressed by Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill [Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (FACTA), Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1603 (Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1990) NAL Call # KF1692.A31 1990]. Under that law, “the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
  • satisfy human food and fiber needs
  • enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
  • make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
  • sustain the economic viability of farm operations
  • enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”
As more parties sign on to the sustainable agriculture effort, perceptions about what defines sustainability in agriculture have multiplied. AFSIC's publication, Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms, http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/terms/srb9902.shtml strives to illustrate the commonality and some of the controversy that defining such a goal entails, and it includes brief descriptions of the methodologies and practices currently associated with sustainable agriculture.
“In popular literature, sustainable agriculture generally is presented as a new phenomenon. Wes Jackson is credited with the first publication of the expression in his New Roots for Agriculture (1980), and the term didn’t emerge in popular usage until the late 1980s.” (“A Brief History of Sustainable Agriculture,” by Fred Kirschenmann, in The Networker, vol. 9, no. 2, March 2004.) However, the idea of agricultural sustainability – stewarding the food production resource base for use of future generations – is not a new phenomenon
Sustainable agriculture takes many forms, but at its core is a rejection of the industrial approach to food production developed during the 20th century.
This system, with its reliance on monoculture, mechanization, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, biotechnology, and government subsidies, has made food abundant and affordable. However, the ecological and social price has been steep: erosion; depleted and contaminated soil and water resources; loss of biodiversity; deforestation; labor abuses; and the decline of the family farm.
The concept of sustainable agriculture embraces a wide range of techniques, including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic, and biodynamic.
The common thread among these methods is an embrace of farming practices that mimic natural ecological processes. Farmers minimize tilling and water use; encourage healthy soil by planting fields with different crops year after year and integrating croplands with livestock grazing; and avoid pesticide use by nurturing the presence of organisms that control crop-destroying pests.
Beyond growing food, the philosophy of sustainability also espouses broader principles that support the just treatment of farm workers and food pricing that provides the farmer with a livable income.
Critics of sustainable agriculture claim, among other things, that its methods result in lower crop yields and higher land use. They add that a wholesale commitment to its practices will mean inevitable food shortages for a world population expected to exceed 8 billion by the year 2030. There's recent evidence, though, suggesting that over time, sustainably farmed lands can be as productive as conventional industrial farms.


Curriculum Vitae
1.    Personal Detail
Full Name                           :           Ganda Arief Sujendro
Sex                                      :           Male
Place, Date of Birth            :           Jember, 26 Agustus
1993
Nationality                          :           Indonesian
Marital Status                     :           Single
Height, Weight                   :           1
70 cm, 65 kg
Health                                 :           Perfect
Religion                              :           Moslem
Address                              :           Jl.
Kyai Mojo II/40
Mobile                                :           083848205957
Phone                                 :           0331 - 410074
E-mail                                :           thesujendro@gmail.com
2.    Educational Background
 2001–  2007                      :           SDN Kepatihan 01
 2007 – 2009                      :           SMPN 1 Jember
 2009 – 2011                      :           SMAN
4 Jember
 2011 – now                       :           Student in Agricultural Department at the
University of Jember, East Java, Indonesia
3.    Appreciation
  1. 2nd champion of tournament tennis in East of Java (Single)
    3rd champion of tournasment tennis in East Java (Double)
  2. 2nd champion of Embu in Shorinji Kempo in Bojonegoro, East Java (Self Defense)  
4.    Qualifications
  1. Agricultural Management,
  2. Agronomy Fundamental Management,
  3. Soil Fundamental Management,
  4. Quality Controling (Good Laboratory Practice, HACCP),
  5. Post Harvest Management,
  6. Computer Literate (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point),
  7. Internet Literate,
  8. English Languange
  9. Statistic
  10. biochemistry and pure chemistry
  11. livestock management