Sustainable Agriculture
Chapter 10
What is sustainable agriculture?
- agriculture that does not negatively affect the soil in terms of depletion of nutrients, topsoil, etc.
- low-input agriculture: lower amounts of chemicals such as pesticides, fertilizers, etc. are used compared to industrial agriculture
- organic agriculture: does not use any chemicals
Organic Approaches
Organic Food Production Act
- set national standards for the definition of an organic product and its sale
Benefits
- lower input costs
- higher-value product
- reduced environmental effect to land
- positive customer opinion
- government initiatives
Drawbacks
- long transition process
- price for consumers
Locally Supported Agriculture
Advantages
- easy access to food
- uses less chemicals
Programs
- farmer's markets sell local produce
- CSA programs: consumers pay local farmers for a share of the yield ahead of time
Environment
- sustainable agriculture provides a natural ecosystem