Sustainable agriculture 101: exploring the basics with the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

What is sustainable agriculture? In the literal sense, it is the ability to sustain an agrarian culture. In other words, our culture is agrarian at its foundation, farmers provide the raw materials that feed and clothe us all, and our ability to sustain this culture is critical to its survival. It is a cultural paradigm that is not limited to one set of production practices or a single distribution system. It is an attempt to define and implement a system that can be sustained in the short and long term. Most definitions include the concepts that a sustainable agriculture must be ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially just or equitable.

Environmentally sound means that the system should enhance and not degrade the natural resource base for future generations. They should have at least as much as us and hopefully more. Economically viable means that the farmer needs to receive a fair wage for his/her efforts/products, food is still available to the consumer at a reasonable cost, and our rural agrarian communities remain viable. Socially just or equitable means that our food system must factor in the social impacts of fair wages, migrant labor, and rural health. In addition, the system must provide the most nutritious products, thus establishing a foundation for good health in our society. All decisions about how our food and fiber is produced and distributed should be based on these principles.

Any system will have parameters that help define the limits of the system. In a very basic sense, an agrarian system provides the resources needed to meet basic human needs of food and shelter while protecting air, soil, and water. Our current system provides plenty of cheap and abundant food and fiber products, but it doesn't protect our air, soil, and water. We also need to recognize that we operate within the realm of a free market capitalist system that focuses on maximizing profits, exploiting resources, and is subject to the ups and downs of supply and demand. Our current system, once again, provides plenty but the socio-economic costs of government subsidies, migrant labor, and declining rural communities are not reflected in the price at the store. The current agricultural system is not sustainable.

So, how do we design a food and fiber production and distribution system that meets the principles of sustainable agriculture while operating within the limits of a free market capitalist system? First we must address the environmental aspects. In my opinion, the organic movement has done a wonderful job of defining and validating an environmentally harmonious system for producing food and fiber. Organic is based on environmentally sound production practices that feed the soil, protect biodiversity, and don't use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides because they degrade the environment. Organic also has a third party evaluation process called certification that validates this claim in the market place. In other words, it is a green label with clear standards that helps the consumer identify an environmentally sound product. There are other environmentally sound practices in the world, but to date organic is the only one with clear standards and a certification system. Organic represents the ecologically sound production system, but what about the socioeconomic issues?

Organic standards currently do not address socio-economic issues. It is the next challenge for those of us who are active in creating a sustainable agriculture system. Over 85% of the organic products sold in the Carolinas comes from outside of the state. Shipping organic products 2500 miles across the country is not sustainable. Our next challenge is to create a local and organic food system. A focus on local products would help keep our rural agrarian communities thriving and would provide the freshest products without relying on government subsidies. When you look at our region, the microclimates of Boone, NC are much different then the Charleston area. If you throw in Florida and Georgia it is not unrealistic to envision a southeastern regional food system where all of our food travels less than 500 miles. For example, organic growers in the Boone area grew broccoli straight through the summer last year. Piedmont growers can handle the spring and fall, and I am certain that we could get broccoli to over winter in the coastal areas. Viola, year-round organic broccoli.

If only it was so easy. It will take much effort to create a sustainable agriculture system. As consumers, we have the power to change the system: it's how we choose to spend our dollars. Buy local and organic. Ask the produce buyer at your grocer to carry local and organic. Support your local farmers at your farmers market. Support CFSA as the network that is creating this system. The future generations are counting on us to get it right!

Tony Kleese has been active in the local and national sustainable agriculture movement for the past 12 years as a farmer and an activist. He is currently the Executive Director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. For more information, see www.carolinafarmstewards.org.