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The following list was compiled to offer general guidelines and observations
about the farming with the wild movement. Rather than attempting to establish
a rigid template that landowners could follow to design a wild farm, per
se, included below are general principles that can help to frame the broader
concept of establishing agricultural systems that are compatible with
healthy ecosystems. This may mean rethinking old boundaries, striving
to make new connections, and even rethinking some of the very foundations
of agriculture and its place in the ecological community. Every farm,
and every farming region, will find its own solutions.
- Farming with the wild is dependent upon place. A wild farm exhibits
a sense of beauty and uniqueness of place. On arable lands, farm systems
attempt to mimic the surrounding natural systems, such as pasture operations
in grasslands and forest-type cropping in forested areas. Marginally
productive lands are restored to the wild, with an emphasis on native
habitat.
- Attempts are made to limit long-term negative impacts or tendencies.
Through place-adapted strategies, measures are taken to limit soil erosion,
protect native habitat, and avoid depletion of local resources through
excessive watering, overgrazing, or the use of off-farm synthetic inputs.
Farm and ranch operations revolve around cycles of activity and rest,
with working areas that are frequently rotated and allowed to recover.
- The presence of wildlife on the farm is encouraged. At their best,
farms and ranches function as buffers, corridors, and even key habitat
for certain species. By limiting productive areas only to what is necessary,
by respecting seasonal nesting and brooding cycles, by optimizing wild
habitat, agricultural operations can accommodate resident and migratory
wildlife. Outside citizen monitoring groups can provide essential assistance
and skills in mapping, observing, and documenting on-farm biodiversity.
- Farms should be viewed within the broader context of adjoining lands
and ultimately connected to the larger landscape. Farms working in isolation
may not be enough to restore fully functioning ecosystems. Connecting
habitat patches and corridors within farming regions is an essential
goal.
- Agricultural operations should be viewed within the context of pre-settlement
conditions. Developing place-appropriate agricultural systems that work
with rather than against Nature requires an understanding of native
species and local ecosystem processes prior to European settlement and
agriculture. Baseline studies, remnants and fragments of native habitat,
and other specific linkages can provide invaluable inputs for restoring
wild habitats in farming areas.
- Farming with the wild moves away from an eradication ethic. Rather
than attempting to eliminate undesirable species in order to conduct
agriculture, landowners work in partnership with native species. Nonlethal
controls are favored to prevent predator losses. Native habitat corridors
are established to reduce weed pressures or attract pollinators and
beneficial insects. Other disturbance regimes, such as flooding or fire,
are sometimes incorporated into the agricultural operation.
- Farming with the wild begins with conservation-minded communities.
The most effective and impressive examples of farming with the wild
have begun with communities talking together in search of common solutions
to common problems. Inclusive meetings, farm tours, and other gatherings
lead to the formation of management teams, the establishment of best
practices and science-based monitoring procedures, and the commitment
to a better quality of life.
- Farming with the wild represents a leading-edge consciousness. Farming
with the wild requires extreme dedication, courage, and altruism. Embracing
rather than vilifying endangered species and relinquishing a sense of
historical agricultural entitlement represent acts of true leadership
in society that require both an open heart and an open mind.
- Farming with the wild is not static, but a continual work in progress.
Restoring wild habitats requires an ongoing interplay between the landscape,
farm, and the local community. The reestablishment of native plantings
requires an active farming approach at least in the short term, to be
adapted and evolved as time passes. A wild farm is engaged in a continual
effort to develop ever more profound ways to become “naturalized.”
- Farming with the wild requires an interdisciplinary approach. Successes
at the farming region level will require the collaboration between sustainable
agriculture practitioners, conservation biologists, restorationists,
and others. Research and on-the-ground models are urgently needed to
explore the values and possibilities for integrating wild habitats in
production areas.
- Consumers and citizens have key roles to play in determining the food
system. Our food choices reflect our values and directly impact our
visions and expectations for agriculture and the land. Everyday purchases
can be used to bring land stewardship issues to the home, restaurant,
workplace, and conference center. This can include supporting producers
for protecting biodiversity as well as actively avoiding products that
threaten native species or habitat. Voting power, particularly toward
influencing the outcome of Farm Bill conservation and agricultural subsidy
policies, has a critical bearing on private land use in the United States.
- We have the resources to leave a legacy of conservation-based agriculture.
There are many viable alternatives to the present model of industrial
monoculture which dominates world food and fiber production at increasing
costs to the natural world. While it will not be easy in any way, and
this occurs at a time when many farmers, ranchers, and others are struggling
to survive economically in rural communities, we still have the chance
to devote the resources and establish the systems necessary to develop
an agriculture that is compatible with wild Nature. Our future, and
the future of biodiversity, depends on our ability to fundamentally
change the way we perceive agriculture and its place in the ecological
community.
Excerpted from Farming with the Wild:
Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches, by Daniel Imhoff, A
Watershed Media Book published by Sierra Club Books
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