CHAPTER 6 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

6.1 What is Sustainable Agriculture? 

In simplest terms, sustainable agriculture is the production of food, fibre, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare. This form of agriculture enables us to produce healthful food without compromising future generations' ability to do the same.

6.2 History Development of Sustainable Agriculture

The primary benefits sustainable agriculture are: 

• Environment Preservation 
• Protection of Public Health 
• Sustaining Vibrant Communities 
• Upholding Animal Welfare

6.3 Concept of Sustainable Agriculture

Characteristic of Sustainable

Economic	Environment	Community
Subsidies       Income       Access	Conservation       Preservation       Animal Welfare	Social Justice       Cooperative       Relationships

Exploring Sustainable Agriculture

1990 Farm Bill according to the Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1683

An integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long terms:

• Satisfy human food needs
• Enhance environment quality
• Sustain economic viability of farming operations
• Enhance quality of life

Types of Sustainable Farming

• Organic Farming
• Biodynamic
• Permaculture
• Agro-ecological system
• Low-input

Organic Farming

Biodynamic

Permaculture

Agro-ecological System

Low-input

Sustainable Practices??

a) Conserve Oil                                                                        

• Cover crops                                                                          
• Minimize tillage
• Crop rotation

b) Recycle Nutrient

• Compost
• Manure
• Crop residues

Nutrient	Conventional	Sustainable
Nitrogen	Made from natural gas  Urea, Anhydrous ammonia	Fixed from air bacteria Manure and compost
Phosphorus	Mined in Florida & Canada	Manure, compost, bone meal
Potassium	Mined in Canada	Manure,, compost

Planning and Decision Making

Earlier Agricultural Development Approach

• Priority to irrigated areas
• Increased level of investment in physical capital
• Technology driven
• Intensive short-run resource use
• Priority to cash crops
• Sectorial and single-disciplinary approach

FARM Development Approach

• Priority to rainfed areas
• Greater investment in human resources and capacity building
• People's participation oriented
• Long-term sustainable resource use
• Priority to food security
• Multi-sectorial and multi-disciplinary systems approach

CHAPTER 5 : AGRICULTURE PRACTICES IN MALAYSIA

                                             SCENARIO MALAYSIA AGRICULTURAL

• TOTAL LAND AREA = 33 million ha
• AGRICULTURAL AREA = 6.6 million ha (20% of  total area)
• INDUSTRIAL CROP = oil palm, rubber, cocoa, tobacco and pepper occupy about 77% of total  agricultural land
• OTHER CROPS = paddy, fruit, vegetables and coconut- cover 16% of total agricultural land

tobacco

rubber

oil palm

paddy

fruit

vegetables

                                               AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN MALAYSIA

1) ESTATE SUB-SECTOR

• holding more than 100 acres ( 40.5 ha)
• highly commercialized and efficiently managed
• owned by private companies, public-listed corporate entities or public land development agencies
• totally involved in the production of industrial crops such as oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pineapples.

2) SMALLHOLDER SUB-SECTOR

• average farm size is about 1.45 ha and owned by individual farmers
• collective acreage of land operated by 1,033,065 farmers amounting to 75% of the total area under agricultural
• less commercialized and less efficiently managed
• main contributors to food crop production as well as industrial crop production

                         SCENARIO OF THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

  1) AFTER INDEPENDENT

• Malaysian an agricultural nation
• Economic activity over dependent on agriculture & mining
• Contribution to GDP, 1957: agricultural sector = 46%
• Total work force, 1966: agricultural sector = 80.3%

    2)  NEW MILLENNIUM ERA

• Malaysian well known as producer of manufacturing products
• Contribution to GDP , 2003: agricultural sector = 8.45%
• Total work force, 2003 = agricultural sector = 14.3%

                                         AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN MALAYSIA

                    1)  MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & AGRO-BASED INDUSTRY

                                                        FOOD SECTOR

crop

livestock

fisheries

                            2)   MINISTRY OF PRIMARY INDUSTRY & COMMODITIES

                                                  INDUSTRIAL COMMODITIES

palm oil

rubber

cocoa

wood

timber

                                                         NATIONAL AGRICULTURE POLICY

       Since 1984, three National Agricultural Policy (NAP) were formulated to develop the agricultural sector :                        

1. Emphasis on NAP 1 (1984-1991) :- To develop the export oriented sector 

• abundant labor force
• focus on expansionary economic policy on export crop such as oil palm and cocoa
• adequate land resources
• commodity/plantation (palm oil/cocoa)
• government invested heavily on infrastructure, institutional building, new land development
• for oil palm & cocoa, in-situ development to resolve uneconomic farm size & low 
• productivity among small holders

      2.   Emphasis on NAP 2 (1992-1997)

            

• increasing productivity, efficiency & competitiveness
•  increasing land areas for palm oil (plantation crop)
• development of agro-based industry

      3.   Emphasis on NAP 3 (1998-2010)

• increasing the competitiveness of the agricultural sector
• maximizing income through optimum utilization of resources, increasing agriculture  contribution to national GDP and increasing income of producers

                                                                    POLICY TRUST

• Increasing agricultural production including new sources of growth with greater private sector participation
• Expanding agro-based processing activities & product diversification
• Strengthening marketing and global networking
• Enhancing incomes of smallholder, farmers and fisherman
• Improving the service delivery system

                                                              POTENTIAL FRUIT CROPS

            

                                                                 INDUSTRIAL CROP

Oil palm

• Largest planted crop in Malaysia
• 39% for palm oil production 
• 44% for exports
• Origin : Sierra Leone, Africa
• Harvested at 25-30 months after planting
• Economic life span in 20 years

•                                                rubber

• First major plantation crop

• Introduced in 1877, from Amazon Basin,Brazil

• Dominant plantation for 80 years

• Second major crop in the country

• 97% planted by smallholder

rice

• 3rd largest planted crop in the country
• Mainly in Peninsular Malaysia at 8 granary areas

coconut

• 4th largest crop in the company

• demand for local & overseas

• used for skin care

• value added products to rejuvenate the coconut industry

cocoa

• Most planting areas in Sabah
• Processing in Peninsular Malaysia
• Planting area reducing, processing increasing
• 5th largest cocoa processor in the world