sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture produces abundant food and fiber without polluting the environment or natural resources while promoting vibrant rural communities. Essentially, sustainable agriculture applies the three basic tenets of sustainability - economic, environmental and social - to agriculture and farming communities.

The term "sustainable agriculture" was legally defined by U.S. Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill as "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 agricultural 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; and
• enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole."

Online resources include the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA, the acronym for its former name Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas), Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and Center for Rural Affairs. A number of blogs address sustainable agriculture, including Tomorrow's Table, The Daily Table and U.S. Food Policy.

by Liz Marr, MS, RD Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “sustainable agriculture”

• Your Global Warming Thanksgiving

  
  Big Government — Authority: 817
  Let’s hope the Green dream of ending Turkey Day doesn’t come true. Happy Thanksgiving.
  1 day ago

• Interview with Patty Lovera, Assistant Director Food and Water Watch

  
  FriendsEAT.com — Authority: 433
  Making it easier for you to make the right choices As much as we are in love with food, we have come to recognize that in today’s world, food is not only a source of pleasure, but an incredibly complicated issue. How are foodies to enjoy a gorgeous piece of sushi when worried if it will ever be on the menu ...
  1 day ago

• Getting Back to the Business of Garden Blogging

  
  Veggie Gardening Tips — Authority: 100
  I know that I’ve been “missing in action” lately as far as posting articles, responding to comments, and managing the other activities around here and at the Gardening Secrets Newsletter, but it hasn’t been without good reason. You see I just returned from a second adventure at the Virgin Islands Sustainable ...
  1 day ago

• The New and Improved USDA Supports Local, Sustainable Food

  
  EcoSalon — Authority: 537
  I never thought I’d become a Facebook fan of a government agency, but I’m now a fan of the USDA and am also following the agency’s Twitter. What’s going on here? For one thing, the USDA has done more to reinvent itself in the last two months than you can imagine. The agency apparently wants you to know the ...
  2 days ago

• The Kel Word: Chew on This

  
  Velvetpark | Dyke Culture in Bloom — Authority: 143
  After spending two months on an organic farm and lots more time than that mulling the matter, I have come to regard food security and sustainable agriculture as two incredibly under-valued initiati
  3 days ago

• Copenhagen: An Anti-Globalization Movement Comes of Age

  
  World Change Cafe — Authority: 112
  By Naomi Klein, The Nation The book is a fascinating account of what really happened in Seattle, but when I spoke to David Solnit, the direct-action guru who helped engineer the shutdown, I found him less interested in reminiscing about 1999 than in talking about the upcoming United Nations climate change summit in ...
  1 week ago

• Fight Hunger With SocialVibe’s Thanksgiving Feast

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and while many of us envision a table overflowing with a delicious feast, unfortunately the dinner table won’t look the same for the one billion people around the world who suffer from hunger.  So, this holiday season SocialVibe is inviting you to help fight hunger and ...
  1 week ago

• 6 Ways Agriculture Impacts Global Warming

  
  TreeHugger — Authority: 707
  Photo credit: SugarCreekPhoto via Flickr Sure, agriculture provides us with the food we all eat every day. But do you know how those agricultural practices impact global warming? Turns out theres some pretty big impacts, on both the sustainable and industrial sides of the equation; employing sustainable practices, ...
  1 week ago

• Slow Food NYC Online Auction Underway

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  Slow Food NYC started a 10 day online auction yesterday with proceeds set to benefit Slow Food NYC’s Harvest Time in Schools Program. The auction is going to run from November 18 through November 28 and features some pretty awesome items if you’re into food. Check out some of my favorite selections below.  ...
  1 week ago

• Online Chat with Food and Water Watch and Community Food Service Coalition

  
  FriendsEAT.com — Authority: 433
  A Must Watch For Any Foodie Food, Inc . has opened the eyes of foodies to the many issues that plague the commercial food industry. The film is alarming and has left many people wondering what they can do about such large issues. For those who are interested in learning more about the subject and on what to do to ...
  1 week ago

• Grown In Detroit

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  Teen mothers turn urban farmers at Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit.
  1 week ago

• Food Inc. to be Screened at New School

  
  Food and Things — Authority: 465
  If you’ve been wanting to see Robert Kenner’s FOOD, INC , the documentary that explores the multi-billion dollar food industry, you can attend a screening plus a panel discussion afterward at the New School Thursday evening, Nov. 19.  Co-hosted by the New School’s Department of Food Studies , Media Studies ...
  1 week ago

• Help Save The Bed-Stuy Farm In Brooklyn (Video)

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  The Bed-Stuy Farm in Brooklyn, NY provides 7,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every month to around 4,000 residents of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where healthy produce is otherwise difficult to find.  Unfortunately, this vitally important urban farm is in danger of being torn up and paved over in ...
  1 week ago

• Farm Fountain Sculpture - Ken Rinaldo & Amy Young’s- Sustainable Home Agriculture

  
  Garden Water Fountains and Waterfalls — Authority: 112
  Documentation Video for Ken Rinaldo and Amy Young’s “Farm Fountain” Sculpture. Video editing by BlueLotusDesignWorks.comTechnorati Tags: Art, eco-art, eco-sculpture, garden, home farming, sculpture, Sustainable Agriculture
  1 week ago

• Warming Sea Temperatures Drive Cod Away From Cape

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  roytsaplinjrs Flickr photostream/Creative Commons Warming sea temperatures are driving Cape Cod’s namesake fish farther from Massachusetts shore as they seek colder waters farther out and deeper in the ocean, forcing fishermen to seek alternative catches.  Growing up just outside of Boston I enjoyed plenty of ...
  1 week ago

• Urban Farming In The South Bronx

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  addictive_picassos Flickr photostream/Creative Commons Urban farming has become increasingly popular these days, as more city dwellers search for rooftops, backyards and abandoned lots where they can grow vegetables.  In addition to providing fresh, healthy produce where concrete and convenience stores once ...
  2 weeks ago

• Martha Stewart Visits Brooklyn and Rooftop Farms

  
  TakePart Social Action Network — Authority: 614
  It’s hard not to love Martha Stewart. I mean she promote awesome things like eating well, cooking and crafting. Plus, she was one of Food, Inc ’s early champions sharing her love for the film with all of her Twitter followers! Well I am happy to report that Martha is now championing another project near and ...
  2 weeks ago

• Obama Nominates Pesticide Lobbyist as Chief Agricultural Negotiator

  
  Foodista Blog — Authority: 139
  Haven’t heard of Islam Siddiqui?  You should know him.  The Obama administration preferred if you didn’t, but you should know him.  Why?  Because he may soon have the power to directly influence the food you eat. President Obama recently nominated Islam Siddiqui to the role of Chief Agricultural Negotiator ...
  2 weeks ago

• Eat Meat, Ditch Factory Farming, Save the Planet, says Friends of the Earth Report

  
  TreeHugger — Authority: 707
  Photo credit: FotoosVanRobin via Flickr You dont have to be a vegetarian to eat green. Not only that, we can feed the fast-growing population of the planet, and slow down (and eventually stop) climate change, and stop destruction of the worlds forests, all without the deleterious effects of factory farming. So ...
  2 weeks ago

• Urban Farming Hassles

  
  Food Renegade — Authority: 514
  Urban farming. Depending on who you are and what you love, those two words either fill you with excitement or make you cringe. For those of us in the sustainable food movement, urban farming equals an opportunity to grow and produce food locally — often times right in our own yards or neighborhoods. For those of us ...
  2 weeks ago

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