What is sustainable agriculture?Mark Williams, PhD

UK Sustainable Agriculture Program

Outline

The emergence of ‘sustainable agriculture’History and policy

The “3 pillars” of sustainabilityIssues and goals

Examples of principles and practices

The history of modern sustainable agriculture has a literary history back to the 1850’s

How did we get here?

www.knowprose.com

C. Darwin (1855): The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms,

and observations of their habits

Four important movementsBiological fertility (humus farming)Complex farming systems influenced

by traditional Asian agricultureBiodynamic agriculture in Europe Organic agriculture in US and Europe

Emergence of modern sustainable agriculture

philosophy

The USDA definition of ''sustainable agriculture‘’, defined in the 1990 Farm Bill

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 agriculture 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

(U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103)

What is ‘sustainable agriculture’?

What are organic farming systems?

NOSB definition of organic"an ecological production management system that

promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony”

Accompanied by a legal set of practices guaranteed by a certifying agent Hyperlink to

USDA e-code of the NOP

1990 Farm billDefines sustainable agriculture, establishes the National

Organic Program

Sustainable agriculture: an umbrella term

Sustainable Agriculture

Certifications or programs

Practices

USDA Organic

Certified Naturally

Grown

Biodynamic

Etc.

Rotation

Conservation tillage

Reduced external

input

IPM

Etc.

Environmental stewardship

Economic profitability

Social responsibility

The 3 pillars of sustainability

Declining soil productivityWind and water erosion, loss of soil organic

matter, salinization, desertificationDecreased surface & groundwater quality

Agriculture is the single largest non-point source polluter of nutrients, chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides, salts

Decreased water quantityWestern “water wars” in US

Land conversion to agricultureDeforestation and climate change…

Environmental Concerns

www.nationalgeographic.com

Eutrophication Caused by “nutrient loading”Algal and aquatic plant bloomsOxygen depletion and fish death150 “dead zones” globally

Environmental Concerns

An environmentally-conscious sustainable agricultureProduces abundant food without depleting the earth’s

resources or polluting its environment

Environmental Stewardship

On-Farm Environmental Goals There is no bare ground

Clean water flows in farm streamsWildlife is abundant

Fish are prolific in streams that flowthrough the farm

The farm landscape is diverse in vegetation

Works with natural cycles to develop systems that are self-sustaining

Etc…

Cover crops and sequence help break pathogen and pest cycles

Economic diversification

Builds biological fertility

Principles and Practices

Example: Organic vegetable crop rotation

General control approachesCultural controls: the use of practices that limit

the outbreak of pest populations (the first line of defense)

Biological controls: the use of natural enemies to reduce the damage caused by a pest population

Chemical controls: the use of any synthetic substance for the control of pest populations

Mechanical controls: physical removal or termination of pests

Principles and Practices

Natural Pest Management

Cultural controlsPrevent weeds from establishing and reduce weed seed bank

Input quality controlCompost, mulches & seed

Residue management to limit weed establishment

Cover cropsPlastics or mulches

Maximize canopy closureTransplant size, row spacing, variety selection

Clemson University Sustainable Agriculture Program

Principles and Practices

Natural Pest Management Example: Weed control

Mechanical controls

Should be as “shallow, as infrequent, as specific to the weed problem, and as limited in soil impact as possible”

Chemical controls (No-till)Chemistries have gotten much less

aggressive

Solutions are site and system-specific Pre-season field preparation with a

rotary spader

Principles and Practices

Natural Pest Management Example: Weed control

More than 155,000 farms were lost from 1987 to 1997

Economic Concerns

www.nass.usda.gov

1910: 6.3M farms2007: 2.2M farms

Decreasing Number of Farms in the US

Loss of medium size farms – the “Ag of

the Middle”

Decreasing Farm ProfitabilityProduction input costs rise faster than commodity prices

Off-farm employment often required

Decreasing Financial Independence

Commodity production dependent on government payment programs

Increasing “vertical integration”Less money kept in rural economies

Economic Concerns

www.caes.georgia.edu

An economically profitable sustainable agriculture…

Provides farm families a sufficient livelihood to keep farming and live a comfortable lifestyle

Reinvests money in rural economiesEtc…

Economic Profitability

On-Farm Economic Goals Family savings or net worth consistently increase

Family debt is consistently decreasingFarm enterprises are consistently

profitable from year to yearPurchase of off-farm feed and fertilizer is decreasing

Reliance on government payments is decreasing

Nutritious food is not accessible to everyoneSince 1970’s the cost of food has

decreased proportional to incomeAbundance of calorically rich foods A “cheap food” policy We are producing more food with

less people, changes rural life

Social Concerns

Product Calories

Potato Chips 1200

Soda 875

Vegetables 250

Fruit 170

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in Time Magazine

What does $1 buy a US food consumer?

20 Year Evolution of US Obesity

• 1990: 10 states had a prevalence of obesity less than 10% and NO state had prevalence equal to or greater than 15%.

• 2000: NO state had a prevalence of obesity less than 10%, 23 states had a prevalence between 20–24%, and no state had prevalence equal to or greater than 25%.

• 2010: NO state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence equal to or greater than 30%.

2000

Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS*, 1990, 2000, 2010

(*BMI 30, or about 30 lbs. overweight for 5’4” person)

2010

1990

No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

*BRFSS- CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

According to the World Health Organization:

Between 2005 and 2015, there will be a 44% increase in the number of overweight people worldwide and a 75% increase in the number of obese people.

• Hypertension• Osteoarthritis• Dyslipidemia• Type 2 diabetes• Heart disease• Stroke• Liver/Gallbladder disease• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems• Some cancers (pancreas, kidney, prostate,

endometrial, breast, colon)

Overweight and Obese Individuals have Increased Risk for Many Diseases

Annual cost of obesity to Kentucky = $1.2 BillionUS daily expenditures for obesity related disease =

>$275,000,000 (CDC Estimate)

A socially responsible sustainable agriculture…Provides healthy food for all

The farm supports other businesses and families in the communityCirculates dollars within the local economySupports a stable or increasing number of rural familiesAllows young people take over their parents‘ farms and continue farmingAllows college graduates opportunities to return to the community after graduation

Social Responsibility

Local

Often 100 mile radius or 2 hour drive

Regional

Often Northeast, Southeast, or defined multi-state

Explicitly incorporates ag of the middle

“Community” food systems integrate all steps, farm to fork, to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of a particular place*

Defining Community

C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems*Cornell ‘Primer on community food systems’

Local and regional food systems

Reinvigorating Rural Economies & Increasing Food

AccessDirect marketing

Local processing

Decentralized production & distribution