Sustainable agriculture is central to the missions of the Society and its members relative to education, research, and policy activities. It is crucial that policies and programs support and enhance ways to speed development and adoption of sustainable agricultural systems that meet the demand for food and fiber, while maintaining the economic viability of the producer who controls and manages the land. Definition Most complex issues in our society defy precise definition.
Sustainable agriculture is no exception.
Principles A productive, profitable agriculture cannot continue to exist if it does not sustain the soil, water, air, and biological systems in a productive state. Numerous civilizations in the past have failed because the soil and water resources were damaged beyond the point of productive use. However, these civilizations did not have access to our knowledge of agronomic and ecological systems. This knowledge points out that we cannot continue to rely on nonrenewable resource inputs including fossil fuels, pesticides, and fertilizers that mask yield-depressing effects of soil degradation, mine the soil resource, and degrade the surrounding ecosystem. Population pressures today in many countries are pushing the food production system to the limit.