Mutual Exclusivity?

Marc Safley (SCSNET.SCS1.MSafley@sies.wsc.ag.gov)
Thu, 08 Feb 1996 08:18:44 -0500

If one accepts as "criteria" of sustainable agrigulture that there is
production of healthful foodstuffs, that the resource base is not
degraded by erosion or pollution, that there is profit to sustain the
practitioner, that there is therefore money to invest in community then
one would have to say that organic and sustainable agriculture are not
mutually exclusive ideas.

HOWEVER, not all farms that are managed according to the concepts of
organic agriculture are sustainable just as not all sustainable agriculture
producers are wholly organic producers. It depends upon the criteria.
Organic producers are just as capable of mismanaging their soil and
water resources as anyone else.

Having written the above I must also comment that, while this is a useful
question to ask, it should not become a wedge to further split the
ever-diminishing cadre of farmers into smaller and smaller antagonistic
groups.

Marc Safley
msafley@usda.gov