An official website of the United States government.
USDA. National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
This definition is a central element of the legislation of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program of NIFA.
Definitions and History of Sustainable Agriculture
The USDA has defined sustainable agriculture - but underlying the definition are diverse and sometimes controversial views of sustainability. Explore a variety of approaches and practices, current and past, to appreciate where agriculture is going in the future.
Leonardo Academy, Inc.
The American National Standard for Sustainable Agriculture (ANSI/LEO-4000), approved in November, 2015, is the first national standard established for sustainable agriculture. The Standard addresses food and nonfood crops.
USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
Read about the issues, controversies and progress in defining "sustainable agriculture;" review practices and systems associated with sustainability; and find articles and authors.
USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
Discover the philosophical and scientific roots of sustainable, regenerative agriculture through readings dating from the 1500s.
National Research Council. Board on Agriculture; National Academy Press.
Findings and recommendation from the National Research Council's Committee on the "Role of Alternative Farming Methods in Modern Production Agriculture." (Open Book format)
Third World Network and Sociedad Cientifica Latinoamericana de Agroecologia (SOCLA).
This booklet "serves as a resource document outlining the fundamentals of agroecology and how it can inform the design and management of truly sustainable agricultural systems."
USDA. NAL. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.
View our online oral history interviews with people who have provided leadership and inspiration in the field of alternative or sustainable agriculture. IFOAM also highlights Pioneers of the Organic Movement.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Western Region.
(Downloadable pdf document)
This account by J. Patrick Madden of the early years of the national sustainable agriculture research and education programs was prepared initially in 1995, under a contract between the SARE Program and the World Sustainable Agriculture Association.