Farmers and ranchers are experimenting with more sustainable approaches to producing and distributing food and fiber. These approaches are varied, yet they center on common goals: providing more farm profits, achieving greater environmental stewardship, and benefiting their families and communities. Each producer develops a strategy that works on his or her farm. For example:
- A cattle rancher might divide his rangeland into sub-sections for his herd to graze in a rotational strategy to better manage streams and soil while improving weight gain.
- A crop farmer might plant different species 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.
- A farmer might plant trees on a farm as a windbreak to protect livestock or reduce soil erosion, one example of “agroforestry”.
Congress defines sustainable agriculture as “… an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long-term—(A) satisfy human food and fiber needs; (B) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends; (C) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; (D) sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and (E) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”
The USDA supports farmers, ranchers, organizations, businesses, consumers and others in improving agricultural sustainability through a number of activities and programs, including:
SARE program of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service
Alternative Farming Systems Info Center, National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service
ATTRA, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
National Agroforestry Center of the Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, Sustainable Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service National Program: Integrated Farming Systems
Economic Research Service publication: Green Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture
Direct Marketing, Agricultural Marketing Service
National Organic Program, Agricultural Marketing Service |
