A Question of Social Justice What does “sustainable agriculture”
mean to you? If your answer is like most, you probably will
begin by talking about sustainability in relation to the
environment – protecting the natural ecosystem and conserving
non-renewable resources. And, you will be right. If our food and
farming systems are to be sustainable over time, we must
maintain the health and productivity of land and must conserve
water, energy, and the other natural resources upon which
agricultural productivity ultimately depends. An agriculture
that is not ecologically sound, quite simply, is not
sustainable. The next thing most likely to come to mind is
economic sustainability – if it’s not profitable, it’s not
sustainable. Again, you will be right, or at least partly right.
In a capitalistic economy, the markets determine who gets to use
land and other resources – and how they will be used.
Sustainable farms need not maximize profits, and farms need not
generate a profit every year. But, a farming system that