Nowadays agriculture is one of the biggest consumer of natural resources and one of the biggest polluters. Some of the negative impacts of agriculture involve losses of natural ecosystems, erosion, and water pollution. These situations clearly suggest the need for friendly environmental alternatives that drives our agricultural systems to sustainable agriculture. After a review of the information discussed in this document, I suggest three main areas to be considered to achieve sustainable agriculture.

(1)   Alternative agriculture

               We need to promote agriculture that:

               Follows the principles of nature: “self-sustaining”

               Increase biodiversity (see Jeremy's assignment)

               Reduce the use of external inputs

(2)   Energy efficiency

               We need to change our way of measuring efficiency. Productivity is usually used to express the efficiency of one system. We always see that decisions and conclusions are based in outputs(productivity) rather than a true balance of outputs less inputs. We should measure the agricultural systems in terms of energy efficiency (energy per harvest per area less the energy demanded by the crop in the whole cycle).

(3)   Eat lower on the food chain

               The population is constantly growing in an exponential way. We need to change our food habits to promote an equitable food distribution among the whole population. It is simple, (1) eat ONLY what is necessary (~2,000 kcal/day/person), and (2) eat less meat.  

            Governments need to create polices that promote these three points. For example, the actual policy of subsidies should be fair for conventional and organic agricultures. Each country should develop and apply a food security policy that ensures a diverse production for at least the basic consumption crops like grains. Governments should promote local consumption of food and decrease the consumption of foreign food. Finally, the education of sustainable values is a key factor to maintain a sustainable policy among farmers, market, and consumers.

            However it is going to take a long time in order to see some changes by governments that stimulate sustainable production. First, consumers need to stimulate the development of an agriculture that meets the sustainable parameters. One alternative is to support organic production by buying only food that is certified organic. Only when the demands for organic products increase, will farmers and governments face the necessity of sustainable food production.