Colorado Reader Feb. 2020: Soil, Water, and Air Stewardship | Page 6

Climate Smart
Agriculture
Farmers and ranchers use
many climate smart agriculture
practices. These practices reduce
the negative impact on the
environment. They keep the soil
healthy, conserve water use, and
reduce air pollution. The goals
of climate smart agriculture are:
Increase Productivity:
Producing food, fuel, and fiber for
our world requires the use of natural
resources and comes at a cost to
our environment. If we can increase
the productivity and efficiency of
our farming practices, the overall
environmental impact of producing
food (per calorie) will be less.
Enhance Resilience: Although
lessening climate change is important,
our climate is changing. Measures to
enhance the resilience of livestock
and crops to climate change are
necessary to continue to produce
food for a growing population.
Reduce Emissions: Science and
technology are helping us identify
ways we can change farming practices
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Photo by Jennifer Nichols
Take a look at these climate smart
agriculture practices Colorado
farmers and ranchers are using.
6 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
Minimum Tillage or No-Till – Farmers
till their fields to loosen soil and make
it better for seeds to start growing.
Loose soil is more at risk to wind and
water erosion. Tilling turns the soil
over allowing carbon that was stored
in the soil to be released into the
atmosphere. Depending on the soil
type, many farmers are able to reduce
(minimum till) or eliminate (no-till)
the number of times they disturb
the soil before seeds are planted.
Minimum or no tillage helps preserve
the microorganisms that live in the
soil. The organic matter from previous
years helps hold the soil in place. It
also helps preserve the moisture in the
soil and decrease carbon emissions.
Precision agriculture – Farmers and
ranchers use technology to be more
productive while using fewer inputs.
This is called precision agriculture.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
technology allows farmers to vary the
amount of water and fertilizer added to
a field depending on the needs of the
plants in each area of the field. Drones
are also used to treat specific areas of
the field for weeds, pests, and apply
nutrients. This technology increases
productivity and efficiency of crop
production leading to a higher yield.