The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Practitioners of sustainable agriculture seek to integrate three main objectives into their work: a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Every person involved in the food system—growers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste managers—can play a role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural system.
There are many practices commonly used by people working in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems. Growers may use methods to promote soil health, minimize water use, and lower pollution levels on the farm. Consumers and retailers concerned with sustainability can look for “values-based” foods that are grown using methods promoting farmworker wellbeing, that are environmentally friendly, or that strengthen the local economy. And researchers in sustainable agriculture often cross disciplinary lines with their work: combining biology, economics, engineering, chemistry, community development, and many others. However, sustainable agriculture is more than a collection of practices. It is also process of negotiation: a push and pull between the sometimes competing interests of an individual farmer or of people in a community as they work to solve complex problems about how we grow our food and fiber.
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Certainly, the Earth is the core of sustainable agriculture. The environmental benefits are pretty clear: A reduction in chemical contaminants, cleaner water supply, system wide recycling, long-term viability of crop land and a system that continually renews itself – with the help of human stewards. The humans aren’t only the stewards of the system, though. They’re also prime benefactors.
Evidence suggests that food grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers is more healthful. Typically, sustainable farms are also organic farms, and organic food has no added growth hormones or agricultural chemicals that are potentially detrimental to human health.
Humane Living Conditions
There’s more to the equation, though: the social side of sustainability. A key component of sustainable farming is humanity. This means, for one, humane treatment for animals: Chickens can roam, cows graze in pastures and animals live free from indoor containment. But humanity is not only for livestock; it’s also for people. The sustainable method aims for fair wages and good living conditions for everyone working the land, so they can live free of government subsidies. The goal is not only for the food but also for the entire process to be sustainable.
Another crucial aspect of sustainability-as-way-of-life is community. Sustainable farming wants to reconnect food consumers with food growers. In the sustainable system, people know how and where their food is grown, and they respect and value the process. Farmers and consumers engage in a direct give-and-take: They are providing for each other in a very real way, which encourages mutual respect and a sense of community.
Those consumers typically are willing to pay a bit more for sustainably grown food because the philosophy of sustainability is important to them. This allows growers to earn more suitable wages than they may earn in a large industrial setup.
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