At the OEFFA Conference I led a workshop where the
participants discussed this question. This and subsequent articles
on this subject are based on that workshop.
The word sustainable is used a lot in some circles. The
new bylaws state that it is OEFFA's mission to work together "to
create and promote a ... sustainable system of agriculture ..." But
what does it mean? What are the implications? Does organic
equal sustainable? This article will attempt a definition and future
articles will look into the implications of sustainablity on different
aspects of farming.
Richard Harwood gave a concise definition of sustainable."An
agriculture that can evolve indefinitelly toward greater human utility,
greater efficiency of resource use, and a balance with the environment
that is favorable both to humans and to most other species."
Ted Bernard in his keynote address at the conference
stated that sustainable is like "living on your income without depleting your capital" and
that "it is not really a goal, but a quest, at which one will never
Another good definition which I have heard is that something is sustainable
which will meet the needs of the present generation without harming the
ability of future generations to meet their needs. The concept of sustainability
includes certain basic elements.
* Time - Can this resource or practice last well
into the future? Of
course nothing on this earth lasts forever. The basic geologic
forces of erosion, plate tectonics and volcanism are steadily rearranging
the surface of the earth. Ultimately there is probably some asteroid
out there that will recycle the earth back into the cosmos. But
we are dealing here with human, not geologic or cosmic time scales.
* Extent - How widely or how many farmers can use this particular resource
before it is depleted?
* Environment and Health - Does this practice cause
serious harm to the environment, either local or global? Does
it harm the health of the people who work on the farm or the consumers
of the food?
* Preserve farmland - Does this farming system
preserve farmland for the future? The United States is losing over 1 million acres of
farmland a year to development. If this continues in 50 years there
will be twice as many people and 50 million fewer acres to feed them.
* Economic and social justice - Does agriculture
provide enough income for the farm owners and the workers? Does
it exploit or oppress any people?
* Local resources - How dependent are farms on
outside resources? A
sustainable system should optimize internal, on farm or community resources
and minimize external resources.
* Community - Do the surrounding farms support
or harm the local community? We
cannot look at a farm by itself. It must be seen as part of the
community. Sustainable farms and the communities where they are
located must be mutually supportive.
* Change - Can this farming system adapt to changing
the above definitions suggest, sustainability is not a static goal, but
more of a moving target. It must be able to "evolve indefinitelly."
Farming used to be a net energy producer. Now for every
calorie of food energy produced it took 3 calories for production and
7 calories for processing, distribution and preparation. Of the
total production energy, 33% is used for fertilizer production, 17% for
tillage and 10% for pesticide production.
* Fertilizer - energy to produce chemical nitrogen:
1800 Kcal/kg, phosphorus:
300 Kcal/kg, potassium: 2300 Kcal/kg.
* Tillage - plowing uses 21 litters/hectar, chisel plow 14, and heavy
* Distribution - After it leaves the farm, the average morsel of food
travels over 1000 miles.