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Paving the Way To a Peaceful, Healthy Future with Sustainable Agriculture

Why are we at NP Nutra^® such strong supporters of sustainable agriculture? Sustainable agriculture offers a harmonious and efficient way to provide food, herbs and other necessities both in the present and in the future. Modern agribusiness practices focus on getting as much goods out of the land as quickly as possible. These businesses focus on heavy use of fertilizers, pesticides, mechanization, biotechnology (GMOs) and other industrial techniques to turn a quick profit.

However, the problem with modern, industrial agriculture is that it exacts a heavy toll on our health and the environment. There are also large economic costs involved with these burdens that are often not calculated or recognized. Jules Petty, professor and director of the Centre for Environment and Society at the University of Essex in England, points out, “Those who support industrialized agriculture measure its success in narrow economic terms of food price and availability and tend to ignore its costly unintended consequences to society and the environment.”

For example, some of the harmful consequences of industrial agricultural practices include:

water pollution from waste
soil depletion
soil erosion
pesticide pollution
loss of landscape and biodiversity
increase of food-borne diseases
added transportation costs for food
air pollution
decline of rural communities
unhealthy diets
cost of government subsidies

On the other hand, sustainable agriculture offers many benefits to individuals, society and the environment as a whole. Sustainable agriculture utilizes intelligent, complementary agriculture practices to produce food and medicine in a way that doesn’t cause harm to people or the environment.

For example, in fruit orchards or vineyards, farmers with expertise in sustainable agriculture will plant cover crops to increase the population of beneficial insects and reduce the number of harmful pests. The cover crops reduce the need for harmful (and expensive) pesticides as well as aiding in the nutrient and water content of the soil.

Crop rotation is another simple technique that protects and enhances the soil that our food is grown in. Varying crops protects the land and insures maximally nutritious food. Unlike the “slash and burn” practices of modern agriculture, sustainable agriculture translates into thoughtful use of our natural resource.

Sustainable agriculture takes into account the big picture; commercial agribusiness looks at one thing: short-term profits. Sustainable agriculture means healthy, rural communities, healthier workers, healthier foods and medicines, less impact to the environment, fair wages and humane treatment towards animals.

NP Nutra^® works closely with all of our contracted farmers to ensure that sustainable growing and harvesting practices are used. Our farmers never use pesticides, GMO ingredients or chemical fertilizers and they engage in practices to increase the soil productivity and biodiversity. By supporting and encouraging sustainable practices at all stages of our supply chain, we recognize our role of environmental stewardship and fulfill our responsibilities to our farmers, our workers, our customers and our planet.