THE IMPORTANCE WITH SUSTAINABLE ARGICULTURE.
Sustainable agriculture was addressed by Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill [Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (FACTA), Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1603 (Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1990) NAL Call # KF1692.A31 1990]. Under that law, “the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
satisfy human food and fiber needs
enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends
make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
sustain the economic viability of farm operations
enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”
Sustainable agriculture takes many forms, but at its core is a rejection of the industrial approach to food production developed during the 20th century. Although these changes have had many positive effects and reduced many risks in farming, there have also been significant costs.Prominent among these are topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, continued neglect of the living and working conditions for farm laborers, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities.
WHAT STANDARDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SUSTAINABILE ARGICULTURE?
Some examples:
Food Alliance
http://www.foodalliance.org/
A non-profit organization that has developed sustainable agricultural practices standards and operates a voluntary certification program based on those standards.
Sustainable Agriculture Standard Development
Leonardo Academy Inc.
http://www.leonardoacademy.org/programs/standards/agstandard/development.html
A non-profit organization that is developing an ANSI Standard for Sustainable Agriculture.
Sustainable Agriculture Standards for Farm Audits
Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) Secretariat
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/agriculture.cfm?id=standards_farms
The Sustainable Agriculture Network Standards or SAN standards are the basis for Rainforest Alliance certification
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