Practically all processes such as agricultural, industrial, chemical, etc. create by-products. These by-products can take the shape of toxic chemicals, waste heat, Greenhouse gases, useless material and so on, at least for the purpose of the original process. For example, raising hogs creates Methane, which is a very potent Greenhouse gas and an useless by-product in hog farming as it is perceived to be completely useless in a traditional hog farm. So it just escapes into the Atmosphere.
At the same time, Methane could also serve as a valuable fuel for energy production. For example, Methane could burned in gas turbines to generate electricity. However, Hog Farmers are not in the business of generating electric energy. There are Electric Power Producers are in THAT business. The way Division of Labor works, everyone specializes in what he's good at. Thus Division of Labor, a fundamental component of Capitalism, requires that Hog Farmers raise hogs and that Electric Power Producers produce electric power. Division of Labor principles also preclude that Hog Farmers produce electric power or Electric Power Producers raise hogs. When Hog Farmer requires electric energy to run his operations, he buys it from Electric Power Producer, and when Electric Power Producer wants to eat pork chops, he buys them from Hog Farmer. This way the maximum efficiency is quaranteed and the fundamental principles of Capitalism are adhered to.
But, more than that, maximum efficiency via specialization (Division of Labor) not only maximizes production; it also maximizes by-products. In the case of our Hog Farmer, the production of by-product Methane escaping into the Atmosphere is also maximized. And this in turn maximizes the effects of Global Warming. Hence maximizing efficiency via specialization in this manner maximizes the negative effects to our own well-being.
What has been observed for the concept of Integral Farming is that Division of Labor working as described above is perhaps too narrowly understood and applied. Our Hog Farmer, for example, could capture Methane emitting from his operations, burn it in gas turbines and generate electricity which is required to run his operations anyway. His operations would become more efficient because he'd be required to spend less of his income for paying for electric energy while by minimizing the release of Greenhouse Gases the whole world would be better off.
Let me repeat this because of the popular belief that by trying to become more environmentally-friendly narrows profit margins and is generally considered bad for profits: the above example of environmentally-friendly operations not only generates more profits to our Hog Farmer but simultaneously lowers or eliminates the emissions of Greenhouse Gases.
Now this is only one simple example. For the entire Integral Farming concept, many of such small improvements have been designed to minimize water requirements, eliminate waste, provide organic fertilizers and nutrients etc. We believe it is possible to significantly increase farming profits and diversify production while lowering the food-supply risks.
