Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x24gv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-13T10:22:26.835Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The meaning of sustainable agriculture: Reflections of some Kansas practitioners

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

D. Norman ,
L. Bloomquist ,
R. Janke ,
S. Freyenberger ,
J. Jost ,
B. Schurle  and
H. Kok
D. Norman
Affiliation:
Professors, Department of Agricultural Economics;, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
L. Bloomquist
Affiliation:
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work;, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
R. Janke
Affiliation:
Associate Professor, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
S. Freyenberger*
Affiliation:
Extension Associate, Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
J. Jost
Affiliation:
Heartland Sustainable Agriculture Network Coordinator, Kansas Rural Center, Whiting, KS 66552;
B. Schurle
Affiliation:
Professors, Department of Agricultural Economics;, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506;
H. Kok
Affiliation:
Monsanto Corporation, Carmel, IN 46032.
*
Corresponding author is S. Freyenberger (freyst@agecon.ksu.edu).
Get access

Abstract

In this paper we report on what “sustainable agriculture” means to farmers who seek to develop more sustainable farming systems. Group interviews were conducted with two groups of sustainable farmers in Kansas to learn how they developed their respective approaches, the kinds of parameters they have used to evaluate success and progress, and what other evaluation tools would be helpful to them. For the farmers we interviewed, the central meaning of sustainable agriculture is its holistic approach to assets management. It also means an alternative perspective on what constitutes success in farming. While economic considerations are important, they are balanced by other considerations such as environmental quality, quality of life, and the contributions the farmers can make to their communities. Sustainable agriculture also means an approach to agriculture that entails “thinking risks” as much as financial risks. Lastly, sustainable agriculture means whole farm planning; the farmers we interviewed were more interested in applying whole-farm planning principles based on their local knowledge, than in evaluation tools based on the expert knowledge of researchers and other scientists. The implications of what sustainable agriculture means to these farmers for research and educational programs are discussed.

Keywords

evaluation toolsgroup interviewswhole farm planning
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , September 2000 , pp. 129 - 136
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Andrew, J.C. 1987. Making the transition to low-input agriculture: A farmer's perspective. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 2:17–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Green-McGrath, D., Lev, L.S., Murray, H., and William, R.D.. 1994. Farmer/scientist focus sessions: A how-to guide. EM 8554. Oregon State University Extension Service, Corvallis.Google Scholar
3.Hassanein, N., and Kloppenburg, J.R. Jr., 1995. Where the grass grows again: Knowledge exchange in the sustainable agriculture movement. Rural Sociol. 60:721–740.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Hatfield, C., Hatfield, D., Boop, P., Boop, W., and William, R.D.. 1994. Communicating between farmers and scientists: A story about stories. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 9:186–187.Google Scholar
5.Hesterman, O.B., and Thorburn, T.L.. 1994. A comprehensive approach to sustainable agriculture: W.K. Kellogg's Integrated Farming Systems Initiative. J. Production Agric. 7:132–134.Google Scholar
6.Kloppenburg, J.R. Jr., 1991. Social theory and the de/reconstruction of agricultural science: Local knowledge for an alternative agriculture. Rural Sociol. 56:519–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Latour, B. 1986. Visualization and cognition: Thinking with eyes and hands. In Knowledge and Society: Studies in the Sociology of Culture Past and Present. JAI Press, Greenwich, CT. p. 1–40.Google Scholar
8.Murray, H., and Butler, L.M.. 1994. Whole farm case studies and focus groups: Participatory strategies for agricultural research and education programs. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 9:38–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Norman, D.W., and Baker, D.C.. 1986. Components of farming systems research, FSR credibility, and experiences in Botswana. In Moock, J.L. (ed.). Understanding Africa's Rural Households and Farming Systems. Westview Press, Boulder, CO. p. 36–57.Google Scholar
10.Norman, D.W., Janke, R., Freyenberger, S., Schurle, B., and Kok, H.. 1997. Defining and Implementing Sustainable Agriculture. Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Series. Kansas State University, Manhattan. Web site http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/sustainableag/publications/ksas1.htm (verified May 2000).Google Scholar
11.Savory, A. 1999. Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision Making. 2nd ed.Island Press, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
12.USDA Study Team on Organic Farming. 1980. Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
13.Vogelsberg, J. 1987. Rotations: The key to farm success. Amer. J. Alternative Agric. 2:16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar