Beyond Barn Doors

So often we drive past farms without giving a second glance beyond the superficial barn, animals, and tractors working the fields. We need to begin to question the level of sustainability of these farms. 

In order to look beyond, we can use SAFA (sustainability assessment of food and agriculture systems) which outlines the main measurements of sustainability. These include topics such as good governance, environmental integrity, social wellbeing, and economic resilience. 

Lets Investigate & Learn to Question . . . 

Take, for example, a typical small 
scale pig and chicken farm that grew various grains. I would look into how the farm was using their water sources. This would include topics such as chemical run off, the type of pesticides used on the fields, whether they encourage natural pest control or not, and what their carbon output measure was. The ratio of water used and the quantity of meat and eggs produced would also be worth considering. 
I would further question whether the small scale farm was an extensive operation that was giving back to and bettering the land. This would include questioning what farming techniques they were using; such a conservation tillage, cover cropping and, rotating crops to protect the land from soil erosion and maintain adequate soil composition. 

As an animal lover, how the farm treated its animals would also be key to my assessment. I would look into whether the pigs and chickens were housed in clean stables with fresh air and access to pastures. Free range chicken can be a deceiving label. Also, whether the animals were handled with respect, including the method in which they are slaughtered would be important. 

There are countless ways of measuring the sustainability of a farm. 

The above mentioned are simply a few key points to keep in mind as a customer deciding which farms to purchase goods from.