Plastic mulching
Another great farming strategy is plastic mulching. Plastic mulching is a technique used in a similar way to fertilizer that is used in a similar way to fertilizer that is used to increase soil temperature, intensify sunlight, preserve soil moisture, and reduce weed growth. I’m sure you've seen examples of plastic mulching before. It looks like a black plastic bag underneath crops or flowers or whatever is planted in your neighbor’s garden. This practice is very important for farmers in poorer parts of the world, because the plastic can be used between crop rotations. As mentioned before, it preserves soil moisture, which is a great thing because droughts have been a problem all over the world, from Eastern Africa to western US. Plastic mulching has been shown to increase cash crop and grain yield by up to 60%.
However, plastic mulching can also lead to soil degradation by increasing carbon and nitrogen metabolism. This practice also leaves lots of plastic waste. But the long-lasting effects of this technique on the ecosystem have yet to be monitored. Plastic mulching could be a viable route to increase crop yield.
Sources:
Wenqing, H., Zhen, L., Enke, L., Quin, L., Dongbao, S., Changrong, Y. World Agriculture, The benefits and challenge of plastic film mulching in China. http://www.world-agriculture.net/article/the-benefits-and-challenge-of-plastic-film-mulching-in-china (accessed March 5, 2019)
Steinmetz, Zacharias; Wollman, Claudia; Schaefer, Miriam; Buchmann, Christian; Jan, David; Tröger, Josephine; Muñoz, Katherine; Frör, Oliver; Schaumann, Gabriele Ellen. Sci. of the Total Env. Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation? 2016 550, 690-705.