VEGANIC AGRICULTURE

PREVIOUS ANALYSIS

 

Ecology and veganism are two movements that, despite being confluent, address different issues. Veganism has nothing to do with the defense of the environment but is an ethical and political movement that defends the abolition of animal exploitation and that defends that animals are not here for us but with us. Veganism advocates stopping considering animals as beings that are at our service, therefore we must remove them from any production and consumption equation.

 

In most organic farms, the use of fertilizers of animal origin is very common, such as cow, pig, horse, chicken manure, etc., or fertilizers derived from the meat industry such as blood meal, bone meal or meal. of fish. These fertilizers are classified as organic as they do not contain chemicals or petroleum derivatives, but clearly they cannot be considered vegan. Usually these fertilizers come from intensive agriculture, since with animals crowded in rows their excrement can be easily collected at a low cost. For example, it is estimated that in Spain, with a pig census that oscillates around 31 million pigs, it produces an amount of manure equivalent in volume to 25,000 Olympic swimming pools.

 

In addition, many organic farms also use animals for regenerative purposes. In that case, the symbiosis put forward by environmentalism is perceived as a justification to continue using animals for human benefit. Symbiosis is only real if it is exercised freely by the parties involved, so in this scheme, the relationship between animals and humans is not symbiotic but one of exploitation and domination. No matter how well these animals are cared for, the idea that animals have a servant function continues to be perpetuated. When they no longer fulfill their function, they are usually sacrificed, since the cost of maintaining them is greater than the benefit obtained.

 

On the other hand, some organic farms use unethical pest management methods. For example, the use of hunting to reduce animal populations that endanger farms, the use of lethal traps and traps.

 

WHAT DOES VEGAN AGRICULTURE PROPOSE?

 

Vegan farming is an organic and vegan farming system that does not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, nor does it use fertilizers of animal origin, or unethical methods for pest management. In order to grow veganally it is necessary to collaborate with nature, creating living ecosystems, emulating natural processes. Our task will be to create food for the soil and plants of plant origin, making those nutrients from the plants themselves bioavailable through biodigestion and composting processes.

 

These are some of the tools that vegan agriculture uses

 

- Increase the biodiversity of the system with polycultures.

- Association of plants to create mutual benefits.

- Crop rotation to avoid overexploiting soil nutrients.

- Production of green fertilizers, mainly legumes, for nitrogen fixation. - Protection of crops with physical barriers.

- Assume losses in productivity due to unwanted pests.

- Use of non-aggressive natural pesticides and fungicides.

- Cultivation without plowing to avoid damaging the soil biota and small animals.

- Composting of human remains and other plant remains.

- Mulching the soil to retain moisture and prevent the growth of unwanted grasses.

- Adapt techniques to the environment, observing the evolution of crops and their integration in the place

- Creation of edible forests as a comprehensive formula for creating food.

 

VEGAN FARMING DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE IMPACT

 

Veganism defends the elimination of any direct, voluntary and avoidable impact that we can make on animals. Obviously any human activity can cause damage to animals that we cannot avoid, such as killing insects when we drive. In the case of agriculture, we are inevitably going to generate an impact on the local fauna. But that should not be used as a justification to continue exploiting animals and not trying to minimize the impact we have on ecosystems.

 

Unfortunately, there are hardly any producers that follow this model. So it is our duty to start demanding from producers new farming formulas that are respectful of nature and animals. Or else, let's learn to farm, get together and work for food sovereignty and self-sufficiency without exploiting animals in the process.