For an overview of the organics industry, follow this link to the Organic Trade Association . Facing a burgeoning global population, with estimates reaching nine billion people in fifty years, some industry advocates look to agricultural biotechnology as means of receiving higher yields with less topsoil loss and reliance on fuel and pesticides. There is, however, considerable debate on biotechnology in agriculture. Agricultural sustainability, however, may entail more than just ecological and demographic concerns. Intergenerational equity, in turn, has its foundation in human spirituality.
Sustainability applies the Golden Rule across generations.
While the interest in defining sustainable agriculture may reflect widely varying concerns, it involves legal descriptions as well. This goal requires an efficient use of technology in a manner conducive to sustainability. Finally, because agriculture is affected by changes in market and resource decisions in other sectors and regions, it is important that these changes do not provide a rationale for depleting the agricultural resource base locally. In that context, agricultural sustainability may be arrived at from a number of paths. This section carries no intent to resolve the debate over what constitutes sustainable agriculture.