Managing Crops for Climate Change
Helps Deal With Pests
Many of the agricultural practices recommended to mitigate
climate change also can help reduce the impact of insect pests
on crops. Reducing the amount of tillage in cropping systems can
help increase the abundance and evenness of important ground-
dwelling pest predators, such as spiders, ground beetles, and rove
beetles. When rotating crops, planting a perennial crop species
can increase pest predators not only in the perennial crop, but also
in the annual crop planted after the perennial species. Fertilizing
crops with manure can also reduce pest populations, or slow their
growth, in comparison to fields in which synthetic fertilizers are
used. The system of rice intensification, a planting strategy for rice
fields that spaces plants more widely and reduces the number of
times the field
is flooded, not
only lessens
methane
emissions from the
fields, but also
reduces infestation
by multiple insect
pest species.
—sciencetrends.com
Baltimore Blooming with Urban Farms
With a new zoning code allowing urban farms and farm stands in
all of Baltimore’s residential neighborhoods, no doubt many in
that city are tending their farms and keeping them going in the
summer heat. The benefits of urban farms include bringing fresh,
locally produced food to the city, more jobs, more greenspace,
and community building, which is sorely needed in Baltimore’s
stressed areas. Today, there are more than 100 community and
school gardens in Baltimore, as well as more than 20 urban farms
and several organizations working to support urban producers.
The 12-member sites of the Farm Alliance of Baltimore and more
than a dozen other farms are growing and selling fresh fruits and
vegetables. Farm Alliance members share a website and pool
resources to sell their goods at locations around town.
—baltimoresun.com
24
Maximum Yield