About sustainability... ORGANIC FARMING.

The common definition of organic farming is "farming without chemicals". 
As a matter of fact, all living or dead things are made up of chemical compounds. Therefore, organic farming does use chemicals, though naturally derived, in plant protection, fertilizing and livestock husbandry. 
It is a system which tries to avoid the routine use of chemicals and to exploit natural renewable resources. 

The principles of organic farming are: 
- work with natural systems rather than trying to dominate them;
- to encourage and enhance biological cycles within the farming system involving microorganisms, soil flora and fauna, plants and animals;
- to maintain and increase the long term fertility of soils: 
- to use, as far as possible, renewable resources;
- to give all livestock conditions of life that allow them to perform all aspects of their innate behaviour; 
- to avoid all forms of pollutions;
- to maintain the generic diversity of the agricultural system. 

It is the duty of humanity to fix the mess we've made and everyone have to do it in its own sector, beginning with agriculture. 

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)

Towards sustainable agriculture...

A growing movement emerged during the past two decades whose aim is to promote practices that contribute to solve many environmental and social concerns. 
Sustainable agriculture consists in reducing (but not eliminating) the use of chemical products, developing integrated farming systems. This all received considerable attention from researchers, who see it as a compromise between conventional and organic farming. 

Sustainable agriculture has within it three main goals: 
- to improve agricultural production and systems;
- to fulfil farmers' needs and lifestyle choices;
- to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

"Sustainable rural development must become a key priority for the European Union. Public health must not be endangered. It is more important than commercial interests." (Franz Fischler, 1996)

(Thanks to Lorenzo S. for helping me writing this post)