FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Sustainable Agriculture: debating definitions and standards
This image taken by Arthur Rothstein for the Works Progress Administration during the era of New Deal shows the impact of erosion on a farm in Alabama in that era.
What is sustainable agriculture? Is it a philosophy and an ideal? Or can it be implemented as a set of measurable practices? The discussion is heating up now that the Leonardo Academy is working to create a set of standards for sustainable agriculture. As the debate continues, this section will offer information and opinion from a variety of informed sources.
HOW TO BECOME PART OF THE CONVERSATION - Special thanks to the members of SANET-MG, the sustainable agriculture listserv hosted by SARE that has been in continuous operation since 1991. Their exchanges helped clarify the issue and identified core resources. (Click here to sign up.)
BASIC DEFINITIONS
SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) - The 1985 Farm Bill that authorized SARE used this as the definition of what sustainable agriculture endorses:
- Providing a more profitable farm income
- Promoting environmental stewardship, including:
- Protecting and improving soil quality
- Reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, such as fuel and
synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and
- Minimizing adverse impacts on safety, wildlife, water quality and other
environmental resources - Promoting stable, prosperous farm families and communities
USDA 1990 Farm Bill [Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (FACTA)] - The bill includes the following:
“The term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
- satisfy human food and fiber needs
- enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
- make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
- sustain the economic viability of farm operations
- enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”
CUESA’S (Center for Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture) -
Guiding Principles of Sustainable Agricultural Production
- Environmentally Sound - Producers actively work to create and sustain cultivated landscapes that are complex, diverse and balanced biological systems. Producers use practices that conserve and restore resources.
- Humane Animal Management - While being raised, animals are allowed to engage in the natural behaviors that are important to their well-being, and are harvested in ways that minimize stress to the animals and the environment.
- Economically Viable - Producers operate within a framework of sound business planning and pursue integrated and proactive approaches to marketing and sales.
- Socially Just - Producers and their employees receive fair and reasonable compensation and work in a safe and respectful environment.
Environmentally Sound
Producers actively work to create and sustain cultivated landscapes that are complex, diverse and balanced biological systems. Producers use practices that conserve and restore resources.
Humane Animal Management
While being raised, animals are allowed to engage in the natural behaviors that are important to their well-being, and are harvested in ways that minimize stress to the animals and the environment.
Economically Viable
Producers operate within a framework of sound business planning and pursue integrated and proactive approaches to marketing and sales.
Socially Just
Producers and their employees receive fair and reasonable compensation and work in a safe and respectful environment.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: Science Reference Services: Sustainable Agriculture - A comprehensive listing of online resources about sustainable agriculture.
ESSAYS
On Defining Sustainable Agriculture - John Ikerd, University of Missouri - A thoughtful essay on whether a definition of sustainable agriculture must meet the standard that the approach is economically viable, ecologically sound and socially responsible.
Defining Sustainable Agriculture - Jonathan Haskett, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Defining and Implementing Sustainable Agriculture - David Norman, Rhonda Janke, Stan Freyenberger, Bryan Schurle, and Hans Kok, Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Series, Paper #1 - The paper includes an history of the evolution of the term sustainable agriculture.