study Why do farmers face sustainability challenges? ed. The confusion over the terms and concepts of agricultural sustainability is inhibiting cooperative progress toward long‐term minimization of the off‐site environmental effects and negative social/economic impacts of some of today's agricultural practices. Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. The long-term viability of our current food production system is being questioned for many reasons. Definition (SANET-mg post, March 1994). If you had to choose, which would you prefer to eat: food that is grown more naturally or food that is enhanced by spraying it with pesticides or applying chemical fertilizers? Productive farmland also has been pressured by urban and suburban sprawl—since 1970, over 30 million acres have been lost to development. Executive Summary. (SANET-mg post, Feb. 1995). Productivity 1990–2002. The news media regularly present us with the paradox of starvation amidst plenty—including pictures of hungry children juxtaposed with supermarket ads. Water scarcity in many places is due to overuse of surface and ground water for irrigation with little concern for the natural cycle that maintains stable water availability. (SAREP, 1998). Understanding will deepen; answers will continue to come. Food production worldwide has risen in the past 50 years; the World Bank estimates that between 70 percent and 90 percent of the recent increases in food production are the result of conventional agriculture rather than greater acreage under cultivation. Available at USDA Website: http://www.info.usda.gov/default.aspx?l=176 Select Title 180; Part 407 - Sustainable Agriculture; Subpart A - General. Sustainable Agriculture MBA Program Information, Agriculture MBA Programs: Overview of Programs, Online Agriculture Science Teacher Schooling Requirements, Agriculture Teacher: Education Requirements and Career Info, Online Agriculture Schools and Colleges: How to Choose, Online Bachelors Degree in Agriculture: Program Overview, Online Agriculture (Ag) Degrees: Summaries by Level, Online Agriculture (Ag) Courses and Classes Overview, Be an Agriculture Research Technician: Career Guide, Masters Degrees in Government Finance: Program Overviews, Interaction Among Organisms in the Ecosystem, What Is Sustainable Agriculture? The lower productions rates of sustainable agriculture raise concerns that this method will not be able to produce enough food to feed the growing population. What are four factors that contributed to the debt acquired by American farmers in the late nineteenth century? It usually accepts the predominant goals within society without question, and aims to solve problems by means of curative solution. Sustainable farmers also utilize water management systems, such as drip irrigation, that waste less water. In many regions of the country, however, and for many crops, the particular mix of methods that will allow curtailing use of harmful farm chemicals or building crop diversity, while also providing economic success, are not yet clear. David Pimentel et. [University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), What is Sustainable Agriculture? Available at SAREP Website: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm (8/23/07)]. Use of this philosophy guides our application of prior experience and the latest scientific advances to create integrated, resource-conserving, equitable farming systems. In the case of livestock, most production comes from confined, concentrated systems. Major Findings. Sandra Postel, Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity, rev. use of natural or synthetic inputs in a way that poses no significant hazard to man, animals, or the environment. From NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992: "Sustainable agriculture does not refer to a prescribed set of practices. - Definition, Benefits & Issues, Quiz & Worksheet - Pros and Cons of Sustainable Agriculture, Over 83,000 lessons in all major subjects, {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}, Malnutrition: Causes of Over-nutrition and Under-nutrition & Most Affected Regions, What Is Food Insecurity? How can we implement such a nebulous goal? Desertification due to overgrazing is a growing problem, especially in parts of Africa. - Definition and Difference Between Narrow-Spectrum & Broad-Spectrum, What is Organic Food? d. Former Sov. [John Ikerd, On Not Defining Sustainability (SANET-mg post, May 1998). Another common technique is mixing crops, which reduces the risk of a disease destroying a whole crop and decreases the need for pesticides and herbicides. The word 'sustainable' has become very popular these days and is used to describe many different things.