I wonder whether we are asking too much of agriculture. We hang all sorts of demands on it - it has to produce food, and provide employment, and protect the environment, and conserve biodiversity. The simple fact is, there is no way agriculture can be sustainable unless it is profitable. When agriculture is profitable, the farmer can think in the longer-term and then it will also be sustainable. Again, in the case of sugar cane, most farmers burn it because it's easier to harvest and manage.
Profitability is essential to the agricultural system.
All farmers want their livelihood to be sustainable. No right-minded farmer would overexploit the soil if they had an alternative. It has lots of resource people, a tremendous body of knowledge. There's years of experience here, and a very good library. And FAO is about farmers.