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“The best way to communicate the meaning of sustainable
agriculture is through real-life stories of farmers who are developing
sustainable farming systems on their own farms.”
— John Ikerd, Agricultural Economist Emeritus, University of
Missouri
Around the world, farmers and ranchers are experimenting with a
different form of agriculture, a more sustainable way of producing
and distributing food and fiber.
Their approaches are so varied that they defy a 25-word description.
Instead, sustainable agriculture encompasses broad goals, and farmers
and ranchers develop specific strategies for achieving them. Using
a great variety of farming strategies allows producers to meet their
needs: in their operations, their environments and their communities.
The primary goals of sustainable agriculture include:
 Providing
a more profitable farm income
Promoting
environmental stewardship, including:
Protecting and improving soil quality
Reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, such as fuel
and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and
Minimizing adverse impacts on safety, wildlife, water quality
and other environmental resource
Promoting
stable, prosperous farm families and communities
How producers reach those goals is as different as prairie flowers
dotting a Midwest landscape.
A cattle rancher might divide his rangeland into sub-sections for
his herd to graze in a rotational strategy to better manage
natural resources like streams and soil while improving animal productivity.
A field crop farmer might plant different
crops each season – and include “cover crops,” non-cash
crops grown for their benefit to the soil and ability to suppress
weeds – to break up pest cycles, improve soil fertility and
cut costs. A fruit and vegetable grower might try a new approach
to selling her harvest, such as directly to restaurants in a nearby
city, to gain a larger share of the consumer food dollar.
No single practice works in every field. No one recipe works on
every farm. There are thousands of ways to farm more sustainably.
This publication explores just 10. To view 50 in-depth profiles,
check out The New American Farmer at
www.sare.org/newfarmer.
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