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Focus on Risk Reduction
Traditional farmers depend on the production of the farming system to a much greater degree than do most large industrial farms. They can not depend on markets for their sustenance should the crops fail. They directly depend on the productivity of the farm for their daily nutritional needs. Thus, they are generally willing to sacrifice greater productivity in favor of greater system stability. It is more important that the system is productive year after year than it is to maximize production in any one year at the expense of future crops.
Almost all aspects of the farming systems are designed to assure this sustainability, continued stability and productivity. Most of the other common characteristics can be interpreted from this perspective. The genetic diversity of the plant species assures that some plants will survive unpredictable stresses in any given year. This same diversity evenly distributes the maturation time of plants as different varieties mature at different rates. Thus, few plants are simultaneously vulnerable to storms or pests. System stability is also enhanced by mixed cropping systems. This assures that if an entire crop fails, there are other crops that will have been able to resist the particular stress. The trophic complexity of the system enhances predator prey interactions that control pests and pathogens. This ensures that pest induced stresses can de tolerated rather than devastating. The entire farming system is designed to enhance stability. If one component of the system fails, others will compensate (Altieri, 1987).
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