Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education in the Field A Proceedings (1991) / Chapter Skim
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Pages 1-10
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The report of the Board on Agriculture entitled Alternative Agriculture (National Research Council, 1 989a) challenged everyone to rethink key components of conventional wisdom and contemporary scientific dogma.
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But sustainable agriculture has blossomed into an effort to curb erosion by modifying plowing techniques and to protect water supplies by minimizing, if not eliminating, artificial fertilizers and pest controls. Concern and ridicule in farm publications and during agribusiness meetings over the philosophical roots of low-input, sustainable, or organic farming have given way to more thoughtful appraisals of the ecological and biological foundations of practical, profitable, and sustainable farming systems.
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BASIC CONCEPTS AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS Basic Concepts Sustainable agriculture, which is a goal rather than a distinct set of practices, is a system of food and fiber production that · improves the underlying productivity of natural resources and cropping systems so that farmers can meet increasing levels of demand in concert with population and economic growth; · produces food that is safe, wholesome, and nutritious and that promotes human well-being; · ensures an adequate net farm income to support an acceptable standard of living for farmers while also underwriting the annual investments needed to improve progressively the productivity of soil, water, and other resources; and · complies with community norms and meets social expectations. Other similar definitions could be cited, but there is now a general consensus regarding the essential elements of sustainable agriculture.
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At the same time, it must allow farmers to earn adequate profits, provide consumers with wholesome, safe food, and minimize ac verse Impacts on the environment. As defined in our report, alternative agriculture is any system of food or fiber production that systematically pursues the following goals (National Research Council, 1989a)
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But in much of the Third World an increased level of certain agrichemical and fertilizer inputs will be very helpful if not essential to achieve sustainability. For example, the phosphorous-starved pastures in the humid tropics will continue to suffer severe erosion and degradation in soil physical properties until soil fertility levels are restored and more vigorous plant growth provides protection from rain and sun.
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A discrete method is needed for each essential farming task, such as preparing a seedbed and planting a crop, sustaining soil fertility, managing irrigation, collecting and disposing of manure, controlling pests, and preventing animal diseases. A farming system is the overall approach used in crop or livestock production, often derived from a farmer's goals, values, knowledge, available technologies, and economic opportunities.
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If sustainability emerges as a principal farm and environmental policy goal, the design and assessment of agricultural policies will become more complex. O Trade-offs, and hence choices, will become more explicit between near-term economic performance and enhancement of the long-term biological and physical factors that can contribute to soil and water resource productivity.
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Another important caution deserves emphasis. The "silver bullet" approach to solving agricultural production problems offers little promise for providing an understanding of the ecological and biological bases of sustainable agriculture.
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Biotechnology research tools make possible powerful new approaches in unraveling biological interactions and other natural processes at the molecular and cellular levels, thus shedding vital new light on ecological interactions with a degree of precision previously unimagined in the biological sciences. However, rather than using these new tools to advance knowledge about the functioning of systems as a first order of priority, emphasis is increasingly placed on discovering products to solve specific production problems or elucidating the mode of action of specific products.
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Because of the profound changes needed to create and instill this new knowledge and skills on the farm, the recommendations in Alternative Agriculture (National Research Council, 1989a) emphasize the need to expand systems-based applied research, on-farm experimentation utilizing farmers as research collaborators, and novel extension education strategies the very goals of the U.S.
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