What is Sustainable Agriculture?

In the words of one Iowa farmer, sustainable agriculture is a journey rather than a destination. Sustainable agriculture is about honestly identifying and trying to solve the problems in our current agricultural system. At least for now, no one has developed a fully sustainable agriculture, and for the foreseeable future there will always be room for improvement. The sustainable agriculture movement identifies three areas of concern that must be addressed by our agricultural system. These three areas are economics, environment, and social structure. In other words, a sustainable agriculture must provide a fair and reasonably secure living for farm families; it should benefit rather than harm the natural environment and must at least maintain basic natural resources such as healthy soil, clean water, and clean air; and it should support viable rural communities and fair treatment of all involved in the food system, from farm workers to consumers. There are many paths to sustainability. Some of the approaches Iowa farmers are working with include better use of pasture for raising livestock, reducing or eliminating the use of synthetic