User:Ajpettis/sandbox

Wildlife-friendly farming[edit]
Wildlife-friendly farming, also known as land sharing, allows for the conservation of biodiversity while also allowing for production of agricultural products. In this approach, land is set aside to preserve the wildlife while the rest is used to fulfill the farmers need of agricultural commodities. Farmers take this approach by leaving some aspects of the land the same (i.e., scattered trees and patches of initial vegetation) while harvesting a diverse grouping of crops around it. This, in turn, allows for animals such as bees to pollinate, and the natural predation of unwanted pests. By practicing such method the harvester can expect to see much lower yields, but also an increase in biodiversity given time. This decrease of yield then gives rise to the idea of land sparing; the maximization of yield in a homogenous landscape.

Wildlife-friendly farming is a practice of setting aside land that will not be developed by the producer (farmer). This land will be set aside so that biodiversity has a chance to establish itself in areas with agricultural fields. At the same time, the producer is attempting to lower the amount of fertilizer and pesticides used on the fields so that organisms and microbial activity have a chance to establish themselves in the soil and habitat (Green, et al. 2005). But as in all systems, not all can be perfect. To create a habitat suitable for biodiversity something has to be reduced, and as in this case for agriculture farmers, yields can be reduced. This is where the second idea of land sparing can be looked on as an alternative manner.References