Principles of Sustainable Agriculture: Defining Standardized Reference Points

Defining and Using the Concept of Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainability has recently become a buzzword for agricultural programs in education, extension, research, and government policy. For effective communications among those teaching, studying, and practicing agriculture, it is essential that there be some agreement as to the definition of the term sustainable agriculture. The definition should be general enough to accommodate th wide range of agr...

Agrometeorology and sustainable agriculture

Current concerns with the sustainability of agroecosystems in different parts of the world have hightened the awareness for careful use of the natural resource base on which agriculture depends. For proper and efficient use of soils and plant/animal genetic material, knowledge of the role of climate is an essential precondition. Several elements of the chapters in Agenda 21, a global plan of ac...

Paraquat and sustainable agriculture.

Sustainable agriculture is essential for man's survival, especially given our rapidly increasing population. Expansion of agriculture into remaining areas of natural vegetation is undesirable, as this would reduce biodiversity on the planet. Maintaining or indeed improving crop yields on existing farmed land, whether on a smallholder scale or on larger farms, is thus necessary. One of the limit...

Is rangeland agriculture sustainable?

The objective of this paper is to examine the sustainability of rangeland agriculture (i.e., managed grazing) on a world-wide basis, with a focus on North America. Sustainability is addressed on three fronts: 1) ecological, 2) economic, and 3) social acceptance. Based on previous and on-going research, we suggest that employment of science-based rangeland grazing management strategies and tacti...

Sustainable intensification in agriculture