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.
Hey, Amy!
I went to a dairy farm in Quebec where the cows were treated very humanely, with plenty of space and lots of free pasture time among the grassy fields. The milking quarters were humanely provisioned, clean and hygenic, too!
I just thought you'd appreciate a bit of good news from the dairy milk farming industry in Quebec!