• What is Sustainable Agriculture?
• Is Organic the Same as Sustainable?
• Why is Sustainable Farming Important?
• Nutrition and Topsoil Retention
• Water Usage
• Labor
• Where to By Sustainable Foods

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

The group Sustainable Table defines sustainable agriculture as “a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities.”

The federal government also has a definition, put forth in the 1990 Farm Bill. It defines sustainable agriculture as

an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.

Whatever wording one uses, the point is that farming, when done in a sustainable manner, takes into account the soil, water, and workers that are needed to grow and harvest food. It “rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Is Organic the Same as Sustainable?

According to Scott Exo, Northwest Program Director for Food Alliance, sustainable produce is not the same as organic produce. Producers who practice sustainable agriculture have to meet a wide range of criteria in order to be certified. For example, such a farms must:
 

1. Use a range of natural pest controls, such as beneficial insects, careful weather monitoring and scouting;

2. Use the least toxic pesticides when natural methods don't work;

3. Improve soil by natural methods, such as crop rotation and cover crops;

4. Protect clean drinking water and fish habitat by providing buffer zones in riparian areas;

5. Provide wildlife habitat and encouraging residency by growing some year round vegetative cover for shelter and food;

6. Take into consideration quality of life issues for their farm workers and their communities when making daily farm management decisions;

7. Continually improve their farming practices to make them more environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable.

Organic guidelines, on the other hand, require that crop rotation and soil-building practices be used, that pest control rely on non-synthetic chemical means, that soil amendments should come from renewable resources as much as possible and only non-refined mined products used, when manure, composts, or other sources of nutrients are not available. Sound too similar to make a distinction? While many organic farms are sustainable, not all of them are. Because “organic” is regulated, larger food corporations exploit legal loopholes, following the letter, rather than the spirit, of the law. You can use the chart here http://www.organicconsumers.org/Organic/orgChart.pdf to see what brands are owned by multinational corporations. This ownership doesn’t mean that the brands are “bad” just that they are not owned by families and are probably shipped around the country, if not the world. “Organic” labeling does not regulate carbon foot prints. Locally grown produce is always more sustainable in the sense that it has a reduces carbon footprint. Try your local farmer’s market and ask about the conditions in which the food was grown.

Why is Sustainable Farming Important?

Nutrition and Topsoil Retention
Since the beginning of the so-called “Green Revolution” we have become increasingly dependent on synthetic fertilizers that do not increase the long-term fertility of soil. The result is that topsoil—the upper, outermost layer of soil—is losing nutrients. If these nutrients are not replenished, the soil will suffer from nutrient depletion and be unusable for further farming.

We can actually see some of the results of this now. According to a study in Canada by The Globe and Mail and CTV News, fruits and vegetables sold in supermarkets have dramatically less nutrients than they did 50 years ago. “Modern farming methods, long-haul transportation and crop-breeding practices are all believed to be contributing to the drop in vitamins and minerals” found in conventionally grown foods.

Additionally, topsoil is being lost at an alarming rate because “conventional” agriculture often leaves soil exposed to elements and it ends up becoming displaced. Unfortunately, we can’t simply put it back because of the extensive time it takes to generate new topsoil. Development, and desertification, in addition to erosion, all contribute to this loss.

A sustainable farm plants cover crops such as clovers, soybeans, rye, buckwheat and others to help stop erosion, while also using poly-cropping increases resistance to diseases and prevent nutrient loss. The combination of poly and cover crops
help hold the soil and improve the water infiltration rate, thus reducing run-off when the field is put back into an annual crop.

Water Use
Although rainfall is available at sufficient levels to grow crops in some areas, many other areas require irrigation. For an irrigation system to be sustainable it avoids salt accumulation and does not use more water from its source than is naturally replenished. Technological improvements have made it possible to grown crops where we couldn’t before because of inadequate rainfall, but this progress has come at a price: in many areas where this has occurred, such as the Ogallala Aquifer, the water is being used at a greater rate than its rate of recharge. This means that such sources will no longer by able to meet the demands of current crop production, not to mention any future utility.

Labor
In California, farm workers harvest crops at standards which are below acceptable social standards in other forms of employment. The needs of migrant labor for year-round employment and adequate housing are a particularly crucial problem needing immediate attention. To be more sustainable, farm workers must be acknowledged and supported by government policies, recognized as important constituents of land grant universities, and carefully considered when assessing the impacts of new technologies and practices.

Though generally not applicable to U.S. grown crops, crops that are fair trade certified ensure that workers and growers are treated more justly. The link below gives a good summary of fair trade.
http://www.transfairusa.org/content/about/overview.php.

Where Can I Buy Sustainable Foods?
The website www.sustainabletable.org/shop/ provides resources for local sustainable food purchasing. You should also try your local farmer’s market. Be sure to ask them about their growing practices.