Sustainable Agriculture

“The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Practitioners of sustainable agriculture seek to integrate three main objectives into their work: a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Every person involved in the food system—growers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste managers—can play a role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural system.

There are many practices commonly used by people working in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems. Growers may use methods to promote soil health, minimize water use, and lower pollution levels on the farm. Consumers and retailers concerned with sustainability can look for “values-based” foods that are grown using methods promoting farmworker wellbeing, that are environmentally friendly, or that strengthen the local economy. And researchers in sustainable agriculture often cross disciplinary lines with their work: combining biology, economics, engineering, chemistry, community development, and many others. However, sustainable agriculture is more than a collection of practices. It is also process of negotiation: a push and pull between the Map to bo,om of page sometimes-competing interests of an individual farmer or of people in a community as they work to solve complex problems about how we grow our food and fibre.

Sustainable Agriculture needs to look at how food can be grown more sustainably and how it can reach markets along with climate adaption, new products responding to organic or alternative healthy diets and soil health are important factors in Agricultural sustainability. The Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework has 17 principles for Agricultural Sustainability.

The 17 AASF Principles:

• AASF-P1. Net anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are limited minimise climate change
• AASF-P2. Adverse impacts air quality are avoided or minimised
• AASF-P3. Soil health and functionality are protected and enhanced
• AASF-P4. Landscape degradation is avoided or minimised
• AASF-P5. Biodiverse ecological communities are protected and enhanced
• AASF-P6. Water resources are used responibly and equitabl
• AASF-P7. Finite resources are safeguarded in circular economic systems
• AASF-P8. Safe agricultural outputs are produces for public consumption
• AASF-P9. Safe working environments are provided for employees
• AASF-P10. Fair access to decent livelihood is provided within the industry
• AASF-P11. Discrimination is not tolerated in an inclusive industry
• AASF-P12. Farmed animals are given the best care for the whole of life
• AASF-P13. Society benefits from the agricultural industry's positive contribution
• AASF-P14. Biosecurity threats are assessed, mitigated and effectively managed in systems of continuos improvement
• AASF-P15. All industry participants behave ethically and lawfully
• AASF-P16. Resilience is protected and enhanced by assessment, mitigation and management of risks
• AASF-P17. Unconscionable conduct is eliminated from the supply chain via demonstrated transparency and accountability