Organic agriculture is an ecological
production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity,
biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of
off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance
ecological harmony.
Sustainable agriculture refers both to economic and ecological sustainability.
Any farming system that is going to be truly sustainable must be so in both
senses; a farmer cannot stay in the farming business if the farming operation
is not economically viable, regardless of how fine it may be ecologically!
While there is considerable debate about exactly what constitutes sustainable
agriculture, in general it is defined in terms of practices that not only allow
for quality of life and agricultural production for this generation, but also
for generations into the future. Sustainable agriculture doesn't necessarily
mean "organic" farming (farming without use of synthetic chemical
inputs), although increased attention is paid to "organic
components," particularly in fertility and pest control.
Sustainable (or alternative) agricultural practices are
fundamentally a more ecologically based approach to raising
food. These practices are based on understanding of, and respect for, ecological
principles. In such systems, growers find themselves working with the ecology
of the system, rather than against it.
Sustainable (or alternative) agricultural practices are
fundamentally a more ecologically based approach to raising
food. These practices are based on understanding of, and respect for,
ecological principles. In such systems, growers find themselves working with
the ecology of the system, rather than against it.
Sustainable agriculture has gained increasing attention over
recent years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a (small)
sustainable agriculture program called "SARE" (Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education program), which, while not big budget, does
provide some funding for research and education in sustainable agriculture.
(This program was formerly referred to as "LISA," for "Low Input
Sustainable Agriculture," but some groups objected to the "low
input" part of this title, hence the name switch. If you are reading older
literature about the US government and its involvement with sustainable
agriculture, however, you may see the LISA acronym used.) Unfortunately,
however, the fraction of the USDA research budget that is devoted to projects
of relevance to alternative farming practices (including organic farming -- see
below) remains very small -- in 1995, it was estimated at about 0.1% of the
research budget (that is, one tenth of one percent).
