Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Economically Feasible
Sustainable
Agricultural Production
System
Socially Desirable
Ecologically Viable
Figure 1.
Sustainable food production system (adopted from [1])
4. Community and sustainable systems
Third, to make a food production system sustainable following the precepts depicted in Figure
1, the agents of such a system must act according to the framework illustrated in Figure 2. This
is the point where community plays a vital role in crafting and managing a food production
system to achieve sustainable objectives.
Stewardship
Sound Science
Ecological Capital
Policy/Politics
Globalization
Sustainable Agricultural
Production System
Figure 2.
Framework for achieving a sustainable food production system (adopted from [1])
In Figure 2, stewardship entails employing ethical principles and values in choosing how
sustainability is achieved. For example, sound-science provides knowledge about the ecosysâ
tem and the possibilities for supporting agricultural pursuits in a sustainable manner. It also
informs us about how to make good decisions through policies and the political process.
Science generates knowledge about specific sustainable practices and their efficacy. It tells us
about the impact of globalization on the distribution of food, trade, and the spread of pollutants
and diseases. In sum, science tells us what is and what is not possible. Good stewards must
apply ethical standards and values to choose from among the possibilities that science
generates in designing and implementing a sustainable agricultural production system, and
in evaluating and adjusting the system to meet sustainable objectives. So then, the pivotal
question becomes: Who gets to choose from among the possibilities that science generates?
