Encyclopedia of Food & Culture | Sustainable Agriculture

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. From a technological and economic standpoint, agriculture today represents one of the success stories of the modern era. Despite an ever increasing global population, and a corresponding gradual decrease in the availability of nonrenewable natural resources such as energy, land, and water, farmers throughout the world have responded to the challenge by increasing total and per area production levels every year. This agricultural miracle is due to a long tradition of farmer self-reliance, ingenuity, and perseverance, and to the support provided to farmers by many private and public institutions. Especially noteworthy is the support provided by a network of agricultural research universities in North America and Europe. Furthermore, crop productivity has improved in the developed world, and in many Third World countries as well. By the 1970s, many Third World countries in Asia and Latin America had actually reached self-sufficiency with respect to several primary staple grains.

The race toward increased crop yields began in the mid-to late 1800s in precapitalist England. Ever since then, scientists, environmentalists, and economists have issued words of caution concerning environmental and social issues arising from modern agriculture. By the midto late twentieth century, some of the more negative environmental and economic side effects of modern capital-intensive agriculture became evident in many parts of the world. The increased realization that modern agriculture had serious side effects, resulting in reduced environmental quality, health concerns, and economic insecurity for the traditional family farm, led in part to what is known today as a global "Sustainable Agriculture" movement.

Definition

Because agricultural systems are so diverse, based on farm size, location, crop being grown, socioeconomic background, among many other factors, and because the movement has become so widespread globally, sustainable agriculture has come to represent different things to different people. Nevertheless there are some common threads, concepts, and beliefs. In the most general terms, sustainable agriculture describes systems in which the farmer reaches the goal of producing adequate yields and good profits following production practices that minimize any negative short-and long-term side effects on the environment and the well-being of the community. The major goals of this approach are thus to develop economically viable agroecosystems and to enhance the quality of the environment, so that farmlands will remain productive indefinitely.

Why Sustainable Agriculture? History and Future Prospects

Ancient history, ranging from the Egyptians to the Romans to the Mayans, indicates that poorly managed agriculture can lead to the eminent decline of entire civilizations. By the midpart of the twentieth century, symptoms began to appear, documented by scientists, that some aspects of modern agriculture were unsustainable, leading in many cases to a decline in environmental quality and human quality of life. The undesirable side effects of modern agriculture, some believed, were threatening the lands and the very livelihood that farmers were trying to sustain. In contrast, from a historical perspective, scientists knew that civilizations that did follow sustainable practices were indeed able to thrive for centuries. Thus, by incorporating the use of production techniques developed by the latest agricultural research, along with some of the farming practices that proved effective through centuries of farming in many areas, a set of recommended management practices was established in individual production regions.

The future goal of farming communities is to strive to use current sustainable practices and to utilize the latest production techniques to remain competitive in the global agricultural market. For this to take place, a close communication link has to be maintained between rural communities, researchers, and society at large. This link gives urban communities a better understanding of issues affecting farmers, including the farmers' role as stewards of the environment, and of the economic realities of providing the public with a consistently healthy and safe food supply.

Implementing Sustainable Systems

An important aspect of sustainable agriculture is that it does not represent a specific set of agricultural practices that farmers need to follow step by step, like one would a recipe, to reach a specific goal. Instead, the concept represents more of a paradigm shift that encourages farmers to seek their own path, one that best fits the farm's particular conditions, and leads toward a more environmentally friendly approach without sacrificing yields or profits. Similarly, sustainable agriculture is not a specific target, but instead is more of a process that every farmer pursues as part of the daily farm operations. Thus, because agricultural systems are so diverse, farmers may choose among a myriad number of agricultural practices and techniques available to produce crops more effectively.

See also Agriculture since the Industrial Revolution; Agronomy; Crop Improvement; Ecology and Food; Environment; Green Revolution; Greenhouse Horticulture; High-Technology Farming; Horticulture; Organic Agriculture; Organic Farming and Gardening; Organic Food; Tillage; Water: Water as a Resource.

Hector Valenzuela