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http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/solutions/big_picture_solutions/sustainable-agriculture-a.html

We need a system of agriculture that meets our needs now and for future generations – and that means producing food in a way that can work indefinitely without degrading our health or the natural "life support systems" we depend on. But too often today, decisions are driven by short-term thinking and profits, rather than by a vision of the agriculture system that will best meet our needs in the long-term.

Changing agriculture in ways that make it more sustainable is a big challenge, but it can be done. Essential to accomplishing change is knowing where we are and where we want to go. Below are snapshots of the industrial present and a sustainable future for one agricultural region—the Midwest. Similar snapshots of agriculture in North Carolina or California would be different in terms of crops and climate, as well as in the history and culture of the region. But those differences are less significant than the common vision: a thriving agricultural system that produces healthy, abundant food now and into the future, while maintaining the strength and health of the natural systems upon which all life depends.

The Present

Imagine driving across the northern half of the state of Iowa. At first glance you see rolling hills of seemingly bucolic farmland. But look closer and you’ll see that all the fields consist of only two crops—corn and soybeans—mile after mile. And although you can’t see it, nearly all the crop land around you is doused with chemicals: herbicides and insecticides to control the weeds and insect pests that tend to run rampant when just one or two crops dominate large areas, and oil-based synthetic fertilizers that substitute for healthy soils teeming with beneficial organisms.

Off in the distance there is a huge swine operation with massive amounts of waste that you smell long before you see it. The pesticides, fertilizers, and pig manure seep into the groundwater and run off into local streams and rivers , and ultimately to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.

In late summer, you would see huge fossil-fuel burning combines crawling up and down the fields, but you won't see many birds or butterflies, or for that matter, many people in the fields. And while the highway is bustling with trucks, you won’t see many people even in the towns you drive through. Perhaps strangest of all, most of the food products on store shelves in this fertile farming region come from somewhere else. In fact, there is very little "food" growing here, as virtually all of the corn and soybeans that dominate the landscape are fed to livestock and poultry, incorporated into highly processed food products, or diverted from the food supply to make biofuels.

Why does northern Iowa look like this? Over the past several decades, U.S. food production has taken an unwise and costly turn. Until recently, food animals and crops were produced in close proximity, frequently on the same farms, in an integrated, self-sustaining way that was often beneficial to farmers and society as a whole. But agriculture has undergone a profound transformation that has disrupted this balanced system. Poorly designed food and agriculture policies have promoted the rise of CAFOs (massive "confined animal feeding operations," which crowd many thousands of animals closely together in a small space that the land cannot support). And these policies have also promoted a heavy overdependence on chemical inputs (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and so on). The results include serious problems from polluted air and water, increases in antibiotic-resistant disease, eroded cropland, damaged natural systems, and foods that must be shipped long distances.

The Future

What would Northern Iowa look like if we embraced a sustainable agriculture future, designed to produce food indefinitely without damaging our land, air and water? Farms of all types and sizes would produce a variety of foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables as well as grains and livestock. The soil would regain its richness, since farmers would no longer poison it to control insects. Sophisticated, modern crop rotation and the use of beneficial insects would control pest populations. Crops and livestock would have been bred to fit into the new smart pasture operations. Rural well water would be safer to drink, while rivers and streams would again run clean enough for people to swim and for fish, birds, and other wildlife to flourish. Furthermore, more Iowans would be fed by local foods, lessening the impact of food transport on our energy system and climate.

Why does this differ from the snapshot of the present? Too many massive agriculture operations look at the farm as an outdoor factory: a place to store animals or push out a product, while all the important inputs are brought in (feed, chemical fertilizer, pesticides, etc.).

In contrast, sustainable agriculture views a farm as a kind of ecosystem – an "agroecosystem"—made up of elements like soil, plants, insects, and animals. These elements can be enriched and adjusted to solve problems and maximize yields. This integrated approach is both practical and scientific: it relies on modern knowledge about the interactions within natural systems, as well as cutting-edge technologies, to achieve its results. It is a powerful approach that can produce high yields and profits for farmers while protecting human health, animal health and the environment.

What could bring about such a future? To create a flourishing sustainable agricultural system that meets today’s needs and those of future generations, we need innovative government policies that are grounded in both the science and economics of agriculture: research to further explore the interaction of all natural systems supporting farming and to produce appropriate new technologies, extension services to update farmers about new developments in science and technology, as well as more constructive subsidy programs than our current ones, that help farmers through the transition to sustainable agriculture.

We can do better, and need to do better, if we are going to create and sustain a healthy, productive agriculture system for now and into the future.

Last Revised: 08/24/08