SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

WHAT IS IT?

 Good Question! There are a lot of definitions out there. Generally, sustainable farming systems meet the following criteria:
1. Production is adequate to meet food and fiber needs.
2. The system is economically viable.
3. Natural resources are conserved.
4. The system promotes a desirable quality of life for all involved with agriculture.

ACHEIVING SUSTAINABILITY.

There is no single model for sustainability in agriculture. Addressing the multiple criteria of sustainability listed above requires
the integration of many different strategies to be successful.
The majority of sustainable systems include the judicious use of recent advances in chemical and genetic technology.
Many also rely heavily on biological processes, such as:

Building soil organic matter with cover crops and compost.
Employing legumes for atmospheric nitrogen fixation,
Promoting natural enemy populations with diverse cropping systems and low-impact pesticides.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

Hawai'i has a centuries-old tradition of sustainable food production. Pre-contact Hawaiian agricultural systems were closely linked to the natural environment to ensure long-term productivity and support hundreds of thousands of people in these Islands. During the many changes that have since taken place in Hawai'i , The University of Hawai'i has endeavored to maintain agriculture's link with the ecology and biological cycles of our Island home. For nearly 100 years, much work has been conducted by CTAHR in its various incarnations and partnerships to develop and improve agricultural technologies pertinent to sustainable agriculture. This includes intensive cover crop research, promoting the importance of locally grown produce, developing biological and cultural methods for controlling pests, and the use of biological nitrogen fixation to significantly increase production of high protein foods while at the same time reducing the need for commercially produced fertilizers.

VISIT
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES RELEVANT TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN HAWAII