More and more frequently, we see the word “sustainable” used to describe something.
This is a very positive development in our society because it suggests we increasingly recognize that we live in a world with finite resources. As our population grows and society puts pressure on our environment and demands on resources, it is important that we care for these resources in a way that assures a healthy and wholesome world for future generations.
For many people, sustainability often refers to energy consumption. That is, sustainability will rely on using renewable sources. Less sustainable energy sources either have a limited supply or result in damage to the environment. In other areas, the attributes associated with sustainability are more complex and harder to grasp. For example, what constitutes sustainable building practice?Sustainability is a relative term, where we always have to strive for improvement to make things more efficient and less consumptive.
There is no place where sustainability is more important than in agriculture. We all need to eat every day and, with growing population, the demands for food increase each year. Producing food will always require resources, so the means to sustainably produce food are critically important. But what is sustainable agriculture?
You will often see certain types of food promoted as having been produced sustainably. Some people equate organic production with sustainable production. Others will say that local food systems are the answer to sustainability. Much has been written in the popular press to demonize our conventional food systems as being unsustainable. Are these assessments accurate?
How do we determine what form of agriculture is sustainable in the long haul?How do we develop a system that assures abundant food supply for a growing population forever? To help answer these questions, we need to agree on a definition of the sustainability we are trying to achieve. The National Research Council has defined sustainable agriculture as producing enough to satisfy human needs, enhancing environmental quality and protecting the natural resource base, being profitable, and increasing the quality of life for farmers, farm workers and society as a whole.
It appears that many of the claims you hear are only half-truths. While organic systems do diminish the potential negative impacts of certain chemicals in our environment, the bulk of the organic food you can buy at a supermarket is still produced by large agro-systems. Those agro-systems still rely on water use, soil tillage, heavy machinery, petrochemical use and large transportation systems. Most organic vegetables are still grown in monoculture systems and often use some sort of pesticide, even if the pesticide used is rated as organic. In other words, even organic operations struggle with being truly sustainable.
Local food systems contribute significantly to building local economies and community. Do these systems have enough labor supply, economic return and diversity of foodstuffs year-round to satisfy everyone’s need in the community?While it is wonderful to see a rejuvenation of support for small-scale agriculture in our society, it is also worth noting that most small-scale producers do not generate enough income to maintain a farm without an additional income stream and only a limited number of people choose to provide the labor required and live with limited financial return.
Our conventional food production systems have increased in size and intensity of production, and the technological advancements that have been employed have increased efficiency. The modern media often focuses on the dangers of a large carbon footprint, and the carbon footprint of food production is large. But that’s because we produce a lot of food. Studies of carbon footprint in agriculture show less resource use, less labor and less carbon footprint for every pound of food produced compared with 30 to 50 years ago. We need to improve many aspects of our conventional systems, but in some ways these systems are as, or more, sustainable than other alternatives regarding productivity and profitability.
Our food production systems are remarkably diverse and that is a wonderful thing. We are very fortunate to have so many options. These systems will continue to change as our society changes. It behooves us to choose wisely for the future and look for options that continually improve the sustainability of our food systems.
Frank Garry is a professor and veterinarian at Colorado State University.
Source: Coloradoan (http://goo.gl/lw8gs)
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