The environment is a very important part of any economy due to changing environmental conditions around the world- it has been preserved and improved if economies are to thrive.
It is noteworthy that the environment as a sector is expanding. The environment as of today is widely believed to comprise several elements/features. Apart from natural resources (such as air, water, and land), it contains the human element, which is regarded as a critical part of the environment.
These aforementioned environmental changes have increased the development of environmental research, experiments, studies and so on. And the results are showing and proving continually that these changes can be turned into opportunities for growth and development for all.
As a result, environmental opportunities that are being explored in this current climate era are considering the human constituent of the environment.
The opportunities that are available to mankind in this climate era are enormous. Looking at the agriculture sector from a social point of view; there are direct and indirect opportunities that can be gained by farm workers in this era where efforts are geared towards the improvement of the environment. There are opportunities for knowledge empowerment, pay rise, human rights, health and safety improvements and so on.
For example, it is well known that the improvement of a business environmental performance depends largely on its workforce environmental know-how. A farmer who wants to improve his/her farm’s environmental performance can choose to empower his/her workers with the right environmental knowledge that is needed by them for the embracement of sustainability. Knowledge is power; it is transferable and can be used in non-work scenarios, thereby bettering the lives of farm workers.
Furthermore, It is widely known that pay and performance are directly related. A farmer can choose to consider internal factors that can affect the achievement of his/her environmental plan and objectives. And choose to increase his/her worker’s pay. Such increase can lead to improved job satisfaction on the part of the workers, resulting in positive deliverables. It can also improve the well-being and living conditions of the affected farm workers.
More so, it is worth knowing that a sustainable farmer does not have to environmentally sustainable alone; a farmer has to be economically and socially sustainable as well to fit into such profile. Being socially responsible can serve as a driving force for farmers to adopt fair and equal policies. And considering that women and children make up a proportion of farm workers (especially in third world countries), a sustainable farmer might be driven to consider and adopt an equal policy for all, thereby improving the plights of women and children on a continual basis and eradicating and/or reducing issues of gender inequality and child labour.
Also, health and safety are being considered in sustainability operations in today’s world. Chemicals and resources are used to fuel farm operations and are increasingly being considered (as part of management practices) to ensure they pose no health risks to farm workers that are exposed to them. This can improve farm workers’ health, leading to a more fulfilled life.
As a result of the examples given above, it is clear that farmers choosing to adopt sustainability into their business operations can create social opportunities and deliver positive societal impacts from doing so.
