UNIT V:

SUSTAINABLE
CROP
PRODUCTION
 LESSON 1. MAN AND
CROPS IN AN ECOSYSTEM
umans and crops are part of an ecosystem, and the relationship between them is
complex:

• Ecosystem services
Humans depend on ecosystems for many benefits, including food, water, clean
air, and raw materials. These benefits are known as ecosystem services, and they
can be categorized as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting.
 • Agricultural ecosystems
These are ecosystems where humans have deliberately selected
the crops and livestock that live there, replacing some or all of the
natural flora and fauna. They cover 30% of the Earth's surface.

• Ecological foundations
Agriculture is built on fertile soil, a favorable climate, freshwater,
and a variety of plant and animal species. These ecological
foundations are endangered by depletion, disruption, or disease.

• Threats to agricultural ecosystems

Agricultural ecosystems are threatened by urban development,
which can force farmers to move to upland areas and harm forest
ecosystems.
 • Preserving agricultural ecosystems
To preserve agricultural ecosystems, it's important to find ways to
better manage them. This includes considering the environmental and
human health risks of genetically modified organisms.

• Restoring ecosystems
Ecosystems can be restored by removing the causes of destruction
and allowing the ecosystem to recover on its own.
 Lesson 2. Production
System and Crop
Crop management and production systems are
Management
related in that crop management is a set of
practices that are used to improve the yield,
growth, and development of crops, which
are then produced in a production system.
 Here are some important aspects of crop management:
• Practices
Crop management practices include preparing the seedbed, sowing
seeds, maintaining crops, harvesting, storing, and marketing.

• Factors
The timing and sequence of practices depends on many factors,
including the type of crop, the soil, the climate, the weather, and the
age of the plants.

• Soil
The soil should be aerated and loosened properly, and the right
amount of fertilizer and manure should be added. Too much fertilizer
can damage the soil, while too little can make the crop deficient in
nutrients.
• Weeds
Unwanted plants should be removed from the fields because they
absorb nutrients and can obstruct the growth of crops.

• Harvest
Mature crops can be harvested manually or mechanically.

• Storage
Harvested grains should be dried and stored to protect them from
pathogens and pest.
 Lesson 3. Features of
Sustainable Crop
• Water management

Production
Conserving water is important for sustainable farming. This can be done by
ensuring irrigation systems are working properly, and by using cover crops and
mulch to reduce water evaporation.

• Integrated pest management (IPM)

IPM is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and socially acceptable way to
manage pests.

• Organic farming
• Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a key principle of sustainable agriculture.

• Cover crops
Cover crops are a low-cost, easy-to-maintain, and environmentally friendly way
to benefit the soil, crop, and grower.

• Crop rotation
Crop rotation involves changing the crops planted on a piece of land every
season, instead of planting the same crop year after year.

• Agroforestry
Agroforestry is a sustainable strategy that involves planting and managing
trees on agricultural land to improve crop productivity and water retention.
• Improved fallow
Improved fallow is a technique that involves tree planting
and fire control during fallow periods to help control soil
erosion and regenerate soil.

• Biodynamic agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture is a holistic system that uses natural
production methods and considers ecological principles and
all living systems.
Lesson 4. Biotechnology and other
recent advances in crop production
system; WTO and Conservation on
Crop Biodiversity; Patents and Farmers
Rights; Government Program on
Agriculture Climate- smart agriculture,
Urban Farming, Application of AI in
 Biotechnology and other recent
advances in crop production system
Biotechnology and other recent advances in crop production have
helped to increase crop yields, reduce production costs, and improve
the quality of life:

Genetic engineering
This technique alters a plant's genetic structure to give it new
characteristics, such as disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, or
drought tolerance. For example, researchers from the University of
Hawaii and Cornell University developed papaya varieties that are
resistant to papaya ringspot virus.
• Gene editing
This technique makes one or two nucleotide changes in a plant's
genome, without introducing new gene sequences. Gene editing is
exempt from the regulations that govern genetically modified
organisms.

• RNA interference
This technique designs a plant to produce an antisense RNA to a
particular gene, blocking its expression. For example, GM papaya are
resistant to Papaya ring spot virus.
• ELISA and PCR
These techniques are used to detect diseases transmitted by seed or
planting material. ELISA is an antibody-antigen reaction, while PCR
amplifies a specific piece of DNA.
• Cereal crops
Researchers from MIT are developing a technique for cereal crops to
absorb nitrogen directly from the soil, eliminating the need for
additional nitrogen fertilizers.

• Other recent advances in crop production include:

tissue culture, embryo rescue, somatic hybridization, molecular
marker-assisted selection, genome doubling, and omics technologies.
WTO and Conservation on Crop
Biodiversity
The World Trade Organization (WTO) can promote crop biodiversity
conservation in a number of ways, including:
• Trade policies
WTO members can use trade policies to promote biodiversity
conservation and restoration. For example, WTO members can create
laws to prevent the trade of endangered organisms or species that are
threatened.

• Agricultural subsidies
The WTO can negotiate to improve farm subsidy rules to reduce
• Sustainable development
The WTO's fundamental goals include sustainable development and
environmental protection. WTO members can adopt trade-related
measures to protect the environment, as long as they avoid
protectionism.

• Dialogue and cooperation

The WTO can provide a forum for dialogue and cooperation among
members to address transboundary environmental challenges.

The WTO has a long-standing relationship with the Convention on

Biological Diversity (CBD), an international legal instrument that
focuses on the conservation of biological diversity.
 Patents and Farmers Rights

Patents and intellectual property

rights (IPRs) can conflict with
farmers' rights in several ways,
including:
 • Breeders’ rights
The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of
Plants (UPOV) protects plant breeders’ rights, which can limit
farmers’ flexibility. For example, the 1991 UPOV convention
allows breeders to prohibit farmers from saving or exchanging
seeds of protected varieties.
• Farmers’ livelihood
Farmers’ rights are considered livelihood rights, which means
they are prior to rights that reward or compensate. however,
patents on plants can threaten farmers’ livelihoods’. For example,
farmers may not know that there could be a property claim on
plants they have been using for years.
• Innovation
The patent system can force companies with adequate resources
to buy in and exclude the rest. For example, companies can trade
patents to access other essential traits for their breeding work.
 Government Program on
Agriculture Climate- smart
agriculture
 • Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture
(AMIA) Program
The flagship program of the Department of Agriculture (DA)
of the Philippines, the AMIA Program aims to create climate-
resilient agriculture by empowering local communities to
manage climate risks.
• Conservative Steward Program (CSP)
The CSP offers technical and financial assistance to help
agricultural and forest producers improve their conservation
efforts.
• Biden administration’s climate-smart agriculture
initiative
The Biden administration allocated $3.1 billion to hundreds
Urban Farming
 Urban Farming
Includes the cultivation, processing and
distribution of agricultural products in
urban and suburban areas. Community
gardens, rooftops farms, hydroponic,
aeroponic, and aquaponic facilities, and
vertical production are all examples of
urban agriculture.
 • Community gardens
emerged in large cities to combat economic and social issues. They have
positively impacted the ability of people to access healthy food, improved
nutrition, encouraged physical activity, and through real social interaction,
they have even strengthened participants’ health.
• Rooftops farms
is a garden on the roof of a building, the increased surface area of
vegetation, especially in urban settings, lowers the surrounding air
temperature, provides natural insulation, and can reduce a building’s
energy use.
• Hydroponics
is a method of growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution instead of
soil.
• Aeroponic
is a method of growing plants without soil, by suspending their roots in the
air and misting them with a nutrient-rich solution
 • Aquaponic Facilities
are systems that use a combination of fish, plants,
and bacteria to grow food in a way that mimics
natural aquatic ecosystems. Aquaponics can be useful
tool for agriculture in areas with limited water or soil,
and can help address challenge like climate change
and freshwater shortages.
• Vertical Production
also known as vertical integration, is when a company
controls one or more stages of the production process
of a product. The production process, also known as
the supply chain, is the series of steps that transform
raw materials into a finished product.
Application of AI in Crop Production
 Artificial intelligence (AI) has many applications in crop
production, including:
• Crop and soil monitoring
AI- enabled sensors and drones can monitor crop health, soil
moisture, and weather patterns. this information can be used to
provide specific recommendations for each field.
• Past and disease detection
AI can help detect weeds, pests, and disease. For example, BLUE
RIVER TECHNOLOGY developed the “See & Spray” technology,
which uses AI algorithms to identify weeds among crops.
• Precision farming
AI can help farmers use resources like water and fertilizers more
optimally.
• Predictive analytics
 • Robotics harvesting
Autonomous robots can harvest crops faster and at higher
volume than human laborers.
• Intelligent spraying
AI can help with intelligent spraying
• Livestock health monitoring
AI can help monitor livestock health, including feeding
chicks, milking cows, and spotting sick animals.
• Food Safety
AI- powered picture recognition technologies can detect
foodborne infections in food products.
Value- Adding
 VALUE- ADDING
Is a term that describes the practices that
increase the value of farm products. It can
involve changing the raw agricultural product
into something new through processing,
packaging, drying, cooling, or extracting. The
goal is to create a product that is more
appealing to consumers and that they willing
to pay more for.
 Some examples of value-added agriculture
include:
• Agritourism: Providing consumers with a value
by visiting a farm
• Large-scale processing: Creating mass-market
retail food products from commodity crops
• Products transformation: Changing a product
from its original state to a more valuable state
• Value addition in flowers: Creating fresh
flower products like products like bouquets,
baskets, and wreaths, or loose flower products
like garlands and floral jewelry