Learning from the Present and Past: A Review of Agricultural Impacts on Soil Fertility

L. Campbell and M. E. Isaac

Abstract
Conventional agriculture involves the use of synthetic pesticides and chemicals, which boost short term soil productivity at the expense of long term fertility. The recent rise of the alternative agriculture movement is thought to have been a response to an increasing awareness of these long term detrimental effects in an attempt to promote better managed soils and healthier agro-ecological environments. Despite this, alternative techniques have yet to be adequately integrated as a popular agricultural technique and remain, as their name implies, an alternative to other methods that degrade the soil.

We undertook a review of the literature on conventional and alternative agriculture techniques in terms of their effects on soil nutrient levels. In doing so, this review demonstrates the long term beneficial effects of alternative farming practices on soil health and fertility and highlights the need for more research on the topic.

In an effort to properly contextualize contemporary views and the burgeoning popularity of alternatives to conventional agricultural systems, our study also includes a historical exploration of ideas concerning the detrimental impacts of agriculture extending back to the 1920s. This involves a thorough examination of historical findings related to long term soil fertility in the Canadian Journal of Soil Science (then known as The Canadian Journal of Agronomy). Sections of the literature are analyzed in order to capture the general environmental narrative regarding alternative agriculture at the time. These findings have the ability to help explain various aspects of today’s organic movement and to place contemporary agricultural ideologies within a historical framework.

We suggest that future research should explore the modifications to conventional agriculture that incorporate the environmentally beneficial aspects of alternative systems. This would be a promising first step toward a hybrid agricultural system focused on maximizing yield while maintaining soil fertility and minimizing environmental damage.


Source
Proceedings of the Joint Conference of the Canadian Society of Soil Science and the Canadian Society of Agronomy, Beyond Organics session. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. 20-24 June 2010.


Author Locations and Affiliations
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences and Department of Social Sciences, Scarborough Campus, University of Toronto


Posted July 2010