I admit I struggle with the word "sustainability." In fact, as a
journalist, I hold a reverent disdain for the noun; it’s a big,
long, plastic word that has varying definitions, depending on
whom you ask. At a recent farm meeting, the moderator asked the
audience to define "sustainable agriculture." The participants
had a myriad of responses: one producer said "sustainable" meant
organic; another explained it as simply being kinder to the
land; yet another participant described sustainable agriculture
as survival. One producer said: "When I hear the word
‘sustainable,’ it makes me think I’m doing just enough to hang
on, just enough to keep the bank happy so they won’t foreclose."
Agriculture is in a period of accelerating change as we redefine
the way farm businesses operate and their role and purpose in
society, not to mention what people expect of farmers and their
relationships with food companies and brands. So as we attempt
to articulate what agriculture is doing to feed the world, we’re
scrambling to fi