Sustainable Food and Agriculture

Over the past two decades a growing movement has emerged to question the role of the agricultural establishment in promoting practices that contribute to such problems as top soil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, escalating costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities. Now gaining increasing support and acceptance within mainstream agriculture, this movement for sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals - environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. This text is written for both advanced undergraduate and graduate students in food and agricultural resources, technology and planning and related areas including economics, sociology and environmental studies. It will also be of interest to the many professionals in industries concerned with food and agriculture technology, management and sustainable food and agriculture systems, such as specialists in project management, information systems, systems analysis and simulation of systems.