Links: Sustainable agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (SARE)

The USDA's SARE program "sponsors competitive grants for sustainable agriculture research and education in a regional process nationwide." The program was first funded in 1988. SARE's outreach arm, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), disseminates the scientific and practical information on sustainable agriculture systems gained from these grants. Materials available on SARE's website include books, bulletins, and tip sheets, many of which are available in full on the Web.
SARE has recently published The New American Farmer, a collection of interviews with farmers and ranchers describing sustainable farm operations around the country. The book also examines the impact of sustainable practices on farm profitability, quality of life, rural communities and the environment. The entire book is available on the Web in PDF format.
See also regional websites for the North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western SARE programs.

The Land Institute

The Land Institute, located in Selina, Kansas, is a nonprofit research and education organization working to develop "an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops." This "Natural Systems Agriculture" is modeled on native ecosystems, with mixed perennial crops and livestock. The Land Institute's research has gone a long way toward demonstrating not only the possibility but the feasibility of such a system of agriculture.
Founder Wes Jackson is the author of several excellent books, including New Roots for Agriculture and Becoming Native to This Place.

Livestock

As difficult as it is to raise crops sustainably, livestock raise even more issues, not the least of which is the welfare of the animals. While it will seem odd to some to be concerned about the welfare of animals who are being raised for food, many people believe that it is one thing to kill an animal for food and another thing entirely to deprive it even of the opportunity to live a decent life. And, of course, vegetarians may well be concerned about the source of their eggs and dairy products.
      One increasingly common solution to this dilemma is to raise livestock, from chickens to cows, solely or primarily on pasture rather than by feeding grain in crowded confinement operations. (Until relatively recently in the history of agriculture, of course, "free range" was the rule, not the exception.) Raising livestock on pasture means obvious benefits in animal welfare, and pasture land can more easily be managed sustainably than cropland used to grow grain. In addition, grassfed beef is lower in fat and saturated fat and higher in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids than beef from cows raised on grain in confinement operations.
      Want to know more? Eat Wild is a "clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming," with information about how to raise livestock on pasture and about the benefits to animals, farmers, consumers, and the environment. To learn more about the ins and outs of pasturing livestock, visit GrassFarmer.com, hosted by the American Farmland Trust.
     How can consumers know that their meat, eggs, and dairy products came from animals who were treated humanely in life? An organization called Free Farmed now certifies farms that raise livestock in accordance with guidelines set out by the American Humane Association.