|
|
About this service
|
|
|
Some terms defy definition. "Sustainable agriculture" has become one of them. In such a quickly changing world, can anything be sustainable? What do we want to sustain? How can we implement such a nebulous goal? Is it too late? With the contradictions and questions have come a hard look at our present food production system and thoughtful evaluations of its future. If nothing else, the term "sustainable agriculture" has provided "talking points," a sense of direction, and an urgency, that has sparked much excitement and innovative thinking in the agricultural world.
The word "sustain," from the Latin sustinere (sus-, from below and tenere, to hold), to keep in existence or maintain, implies long-term support or permanence. As it pertains to agriculture, sustainable describes farming systems that are "capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely. Such systems... must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally sound." [John Ikerd, as quoted by Richard Duesterhaus in "Sustainability's Promise," Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (Jan.-Feb. 1990) 45(1): p.4. NAL Call # 56.8 J822]
"Sustainable agriculture" was addressed by Congress in the 1990 "Farm Bill" [Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (FACTA), Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1603 (Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1990) NAL Call # KF1692.A31 1990]. Under that law, "the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
As more parties sign on to the sustainable agriculture effort, perceptions about what defines sustainability in agriculture have multiplied. AFSIC's publication, Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms, strives to illustrate the commonality and some of the controversy that defining such a goal entails, and it includes brief descriptions of the methodologies and practices currently associated with sustainable agriculture.
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
| |
Sustainable Agriculture in Print Series
The first four publications below are annotated lists of books pertaining to sustainable agriculture. When combined, they provide bibliographic coverage of selected sustainable agriculture literature from 1580 to 2004. Sustainable Agriculture in Print: Current Periodicals is a directory of 299 newsletters, journals, and magazines. Each entry includes detailed information including brief description, frequency of publication, cost, and how to order. Subject and geographic indexes may be found at the end.
|
| |
Adopting Sustainable Alternatives, AFSIC Notes no. 1 (January 1992) [9.4kb] |
|
Alternative Agriculture, Committee on the Role of Alternative Farming Methods in Modern Production Agriculture, National Research Council, 1989, 448 pp. [Available online only at the National Academies Press.] |
|
Alternative Farming Systems: Economic Aspects, QB 98-01 (September 1998, covers July 1996 - June 1998) [615kb] |
|
Alternative Farming Systems: Economic Aspects, QB 96-08 (September 1996, covers March 1993-June 1996) [2 linked files: 504kb and 287kb] |
|
Applying for A SARE Grant? (July 2004) |
|
Best Sustainability Books of this Decade (FL list) |
|
Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture: A Bibliography, SRB 94-13 (September 1994) [86.5kb] |
|
Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture Directory (16th ed., August 2005) [356kb] |
|
Future Horizons: Recent Literature in Sustainable Agriculture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (November 1998) |
|
The Greenbook editions: 1999 - A Decade of Tools; 2000 - Marketing Sustainable Agriculture; 2001 - Sustaining Agricultural Landscapes; and 2002 - Sustaining People, Land and Communities. |
|
Green Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture (Economic Research Service Report) |
|
Societal Impacts of Adoption of Alternative Agricultural Practices, QB 93-01 (October 1992) [182kb] |
|
Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms, SRB 99-02 (September 1999) [173kb] |
|
Sustainable Agriculture Organizations and Publications, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) |
|
Sustainable or Alternative Agriculture, QB 93-03 (November 1992) [288kb] |
|
Videocassettes in the NAL Collection Pertaining to Alternative Farming Systems, SRB 2000-04 (Amends SRB 95-03. July 2000) [140kb] |
|
Videocassettes in the NAL Collection Pertaining to Alternative Farming Systems, SRB 95-03 (July 1995) [97kb] |
|
Where to Find Sustainable Agriculture Research Online (October 2002; Updated January 2006) [40 kb] |
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
|
Where to find Sustainable Agriculture Research Online, updated January 2006 |
|
AFSIC, Great Places to Find Information about Farming Alternatives, updated January 2006 |
|
NAL, Current Awareness Literature Service, Searching for Information on Sustainable Agriculture |
|
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), Finding Ag Information on the Web |
|
Wangeningen Desktop Library, Agriculture and Related Fields |
|
The Language of Electronic Searching: Search Terms Glossary |
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
|
Agricultural Network Information Center, Directories of Experts in Agriculture |
|
Agricultural Network Information Center, List of Online Reference Services |
|
Dr. Ann Clark, University of Guelph site |
|
Groff, Permanent Cover Cropping System, Cedar Meadow Farm |
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
|
Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture |
|
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA): Includes Sustainable Agriculture Curricula K-12; Sustainable Agriculture Organizations & Publications; and Sustainable Farming Internships And Apprenticeships. |
|
Sustainable Agriculture Farming Systems Project SAFS |
|
Sustainable Agricultural Resources for Teachers, K-12 (updated July 2002) |
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
|
Agricultural Network Information Center (AGNIC), Agricultural Conferences, Meetings, Seminars Calendar and list of other agriculture event calendars |
|
Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), Calendar of Sustainable Agriculture Events and SARE Grants Calendar |
|
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP), University of California Sustainable Agriculture Calendar |
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
On our website you will find publications and links to various Internet resources to help you with your research.
Your public and/or university library, as well as your county Cooperative Extension agent have many helpful, readily available resources.
The Agricultural Network Information Center (AGNIC) includes Directories of Experts in Agriculture and a listing of Online Reference Services.If you did not find what you need and require further assistance, please complete and submit our Online Questions Form or call 301-504-6559 during our regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST.
Definition |
Publications |
Sites/Databases |
Organizations/People |
Educational Resources |
Related Systems |
Calendars |
Help
The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
afsic@nal.usda.gov, http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/agnic/agnic.htm, January 2006
Disclaimers
