Thus, even if production of a commodity were to be more efficient in another part of the world, a country should have the means to limit disruptive and potentially catastrophic changes to its rural economy.
It is recognised that, in principle, increasing employment on farms can be achieved, in the short term, by increasing production: more labour is required to produce more output. However, over the longer term, this trend will be superseded by increases in productivity, resulting in the expectation of an overall and continual decrease in farm employment. While the trend for farm employment may be downwards, especially in developed countries, there are some exceptions illustrating the potential for the farm sector to be a buffer against unemployment in specific cases.
In some central European economies undergoing rapid development in the s, there was an apparent rise in the proportion of the population engaged in agriculture. This corresponded to a decline in industrial employment as the economy was adjusted to market forces and people migrated back to rural areas in search of economic security.
However, the phenomenon should be seen as a temporary response to extreme circumstances. Some consumers are demanding food products which are produced using labour-intensive techniques. For example, organic farming, which relies on the non-use of synthetic inputs and annual rotation of crops and pasture, has been shown to require an increased level of employment owing to the greater amount of manual labour required.
Organic products have been identified by some consumers as having more attractive characteristics than conventionally produced food and retailers are able to command a price premium. In societies which recognise the cultural importance of ensuring a balanced economic development throughout the territory, including in its peripheral areas , particular attention will have to be given to supporting the viability of the farm sector.
Efforts to maintain or increase employment in areas suffering from structural disadvantages, such as remoteness and difficulty of terrain, where there may be little alternative activity to agriculture, should inevitably focus on the farm sector. However, in rural areas where a diverse rural economy exists, employment and other rural development initiatives should examine all the alternatives to assess the most appropriate and durable options.
Society may demand that farmers should manage their agricultural activities in ways which also provide environmental services to the community as a whole, such as minimising the risk of certain natural disasters, or cultural services, such as conservation of rural heritage. These points are discussed further in the European Commission's paper, "Agriculture's contribution to environmentally and culturally related non-trade concerns".
Policies designed to promote the viability of the farm sector can include encouraging investment, training, applied research and appropriate technology, and policies to manage structural adjustment such as land reform and generational change. Rural development initiatives should bring together all those with a legitimate interest in proposals, including where appropriate partnership between the public and private sectors. The farming sector will require ancillary industries to service and support the production activities.
These enterprises are also a source for employment and economic development, although many are not located in rural areas. In peripheral areas, the quality of provision of essential services, such as health care and education, will depend on the level of economic activity and size of local population.
These factors may be dependent on the relative prosperity of the farm sector, particularly in areas having few alternative sources of employment. In sustainable agriculture, the goal is to reduce the input of external energy and to substitute non-renewable energy sources with renewable sources e. Feenstra, G. What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Altieri, M. Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, Gliessman, S. Agroecology: Ecological Processes in Sustainable Agriculture. Hinrichs, C. Soil: The Foundation of Agriculture. Sustainable Agriculture. What Are Soils? Food Safety and Food Security. Introduction to the Sorption of Chemical Constituents in Soils. Pests and Pollinators.
Soil erosion controls on biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen. The Influence of Soils on Human Health. Use and Impact of Bt Maize. Aquaculture: Challenges and Promise. Soil Carbon Storage. Soil Minerals and Plant Nutrition.
Soil Water Dynamics. The Conservation of Cultivated Plants. The Soil Biota. Transgenic Animals in Agriculture. Citation: Brodt, S. Nature Education Knowledge 3 10 Aa Aa Aa. History and Key Concepts. Figure 1. Sustainable agriculture gives equal weight to environmental, social, and economic concerns in agriculture. Sustainable Agriculture and the Management of Natural Resources. Figure 2. A clover and grass cover crop adds biodiversity to an almond orchard, which aids in nutrient cycling and provides habitat for beneficial insects, while also building soil organic matter.
Figure 4. Sustainable Agriculture and Society. Agroecosystems cannot be sustainable in the long run without the knowledge, technical competence, and skilled labor needed to manage them effectively. Given the constantly changing and locality-specific nature of agriculture, sustainability requires a diverse and adaptive knowledge base, utilizing both formal, experimental science and farmers' own on-the-ground local knowledge.
Social institutions that promote education of both farmers and scientists, encourage innovation, and promote farmer-researcher partnerships can increase agricultural productivity as well as long-term sustainability Figure 4.
A farmer field school in the Democratic Republic of Congo encourages farmers to learn about sustainable farming practices from visiting teachers as well as from each other's on-the-ground experiences. Figure 5. Instruction in school gardens and other public gardens helps children and their families learn to grow fruits and vegetables around their own homes or in community garden plots.
Social, economic, and environmental sustainability are closely intertwined and necessary components for a truly sustainable agriculture. For example, farmers faced with poverty are often forced to mine natural resources like soil fertility to make ends meet, even though environmental degradation may hurt their livelihoods in the long run.
Only by creating policies that integrate social, environmental, and economic interests can societies promote more sustainable agricultural systems.
Ecozone - a broad geographic area encompassing a distinctive pattern of climate conditions, type of landscape, and species of plants and animals. Resilience - Ability to rebound or recover from adversity. In the context of an agroecosystem or food system, it is the ability of that system to remain viable when affected by adverse forces, such as pest infestations, environmental degradation, economic downturns, etc. References and Recommended Reading Altieri, M.
There is a lot of evidence that agriculture can contribute to poverty reduction beyond a direct effect on farmer's incomes.
Agricultural development can stimulate economic development outside of the agricultural sector, and lead to higher job and growth creation. Increased productivity of agriculture raises farm incomes, increases food supply, reduces food prices, and provides greater employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas.
Higher incomes can increase the consumer demand for goods and services produced by sectors other than agriculture. Such linkages or the 'multiplier effect' between growth in the agricultural sector and the wider economy has enabled developing countries to diversify to other sectors where growth is higher and wages are better. Diversification outside of agriculture is important to a country's development.
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