As mentioned before, I'm a strong believer that farms do not function without animals from tiny microorganisms to insect to pigs and cows. I also strongly believe that these animals work in harmony and to the benefit of crop yields (meaning that monocultures that fail to incorporate animals into their farming dynamic, will fail to produce a sustainable yield). When we play to these harmonic animal-plant dynamics, and understand them, we can make great improvements to suffering populations (i.e. Increase a previously dying population). However, although these a good things that help combat some of the major ecosystem problems caused by the effects of climate change, they aren't a good enough stand-alone solution to the problem as a whole. It is however, a point of interest and a point of entry for farmers who want to tackle climate change using their resources. So my vision begins with educating farmers properly on, first, the consequences of bad farming practices such as overwatering and overfertilizing and the impacts it has beyond their fields and then secondly to provide them with alternatives that are more sustainable and that even yield better numbers and profit. Throwing money at the problem will not make it go away, but throwing education at the problem may create a different perspective to ponder over; a new way of thinking.
On a more harsh and immediate-action standpoint, I would like to say that rather than simply adding rebates or other monetary incentives, to also look towards the government for help in the form of certain farming method bans (banning cramped animal enclosures, inhumane handling and animal living conditions) and other mandates (limit on pesticide use, cap on fertilizer use per area) to change the way of farming rather than providing the farmers money in the hopes they will consider looking at it another way. I still have lots to learn, but I found this topic very interesting and will be researching further into it.
This is a great post Amy! I like your idea of not throwing money at the problem, but rather forcing change through the use of banning animal enclosures and capping fertilizer use. I think this is a great suggestion because these practices, for the most part, are used by large farming corporations who receive a lot of subsidies and have large profit margins from paying their workers very little. Something I've learned in other courses that I think is relevant to this discussion is that farmers in the "global North" receive a ton of money from government subsidies making them very wealthy, while farmers in the "global South" receive next to nothing to keep their farms afloat.
These are some great ideas! I'm also glad you brought up banning farming methods like cramped animal enclosures, and also addressed the inhumane handling and living conditions of these animals.
Hey Amy! I think your title is very engaging! It is so important to look at farming from the big picture - a lot of us don't truly understand the importance of those microorganisms! I also definitely agree- throwing education at the problem is definitely a smart path to take!