Introduction

In this unit we discuss traditional and sustainable best practices in conserving natural resources in specific places.

The majority of small-scale farmers do not have access to modern devices and rely instead on skills and knowledge that have been passed down from generation to generation. Many subsistence farmers are women who do not have the means to invest in modern agricultural technology and so they rely on traditional methods. They also tend to use hand-held tools like hoes and digging sticks instead of animal-driven or mechanised ploughs because these require less upper-body strength.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

• describe small-scale food processing at the household and community levels.
• recognise innovations in tools and techniques for food processing and preservation.

Terminology

Traditional:  Describes actions and practices from the past that have stood the test of time.

Sequestration:  The process of capturing, securing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere. Too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere can trap heat and contribute to climate change. Human efforts to increase sequestration are called reducing the human carbon footprint.

Organic fertilisers:  Fertilisers that come from animal waste manure, slurry or guano; decomposed plant waste, such as compost; and biosolids that can be added to soil or plants to provide nutrients and sustain growth.

Inorganic fertilisers:  Fertilisers that are made by humans and contain mineral or synthetic chemicals.

Microbe/ biological fertilisers:  Fertilisers that contain living micro-organisms (microbes) that do not supply nutrients directly to the plant but assist with root formation and nitrogen fixing.

Responsible land use has three dimensions: environmental, economic and social. Every individual can contribute to sustainability by choosing clothing and products that have been created in accordance with fair trading practices, buying regional and seasonal products, not wasting food and consuming less meat.

Watch the video Soil Protection: Soil Sustains Life by ELDInitiative. It gives an overview of how food production — especially the production of meat and of feed for livestock — leaves a “footprint” on the soil and can lead to large-scale soil degradation in developed countries.