Introduction To Sustainable Agriculture
From global warming to eutrophication of lakes, unrestrained human activity such as urban development and irresponsible agricultural practices can seriously threaten the environment. If action is not taken rapidly by agricultural producers to change practices that can be detrimental to the environment, resulting damage and degradation may affect the potential of future generations to produce adequate quantities of quality foods. Fortunately, many agricultural producers are already adopting practices that will ensure agriculture will be "sustainable" in the years to come. Québec's main farm organization, the Union des producteurs agricoles, has estimated that 40% of Québec producers will be practicing sustainable agriculture within 20 years. Today, Canada counts over 100 private and para-governmental organizations involved in promoting sustainable agriculture.
Definition
"Sustainable Agriculture" is an expression being used with increasing frequency; it's definition integrates all the conservation and management practices that are respectful of the environment. As Harwood puts it, sustainable agriculture is a system that "can evolve indefinitely toward greater human utility, greater efficiency of resource use and a balance with the environment which is favourable to humans and most other species" (Spedding ,1996).The Dean's Council of the Ontario Agriculture College (OAC) of the University of Guelph, for their part, defines sustainable agriculture as a system that will, "over the short and long term, maintain or enhance environmental quality, wisely use non-renewable resources and promote the maintenance of renewable resources, including plant and animal species; provide safe and nutritious food to meet human needs; enhance the quality of life in rural and urban communities in terms of social, aesthetic, economic and other conditions and finally that will promote economic viability" (after eap website).
But all this is very theoretical. Spedding (after Spedding, 1996) has developed some essential attributes that, if applied in future agricultural systems, should bring about concrete results within the context of the ideal definition of agricultural sustainability:
- Future agricultural systems should be highly productive and products should be safe and of high quality. This is an essential prerequisite or the purpose of agriculture itself is lost;
- These systems should be physically sustainable i.e. they should use physical resources at rates or in ways which allow adequate long-term development;
- These systems should be biologically sustainable i.e. the biological organisms and processes on which they depend must be sustainable in the long term. This could imply the avoidance of a build-up of heavy metals, for example;
- These systems should satisfy agreed standards for human and animal welfare, even though these standards will vary with culture, ethics and custom.;
- These systems must not give rise to unacceptable pollution, by-products or effects (including visual);
- These systems must be profitable (since they will not be practiced if they are not) - this also assumes that the products are wanted (otherwise there will be no demand and the business will collapse).
Effects on the Environment Outside the Farm | Sources