Sustainable Farming

The contemporary era has witnessed a rapid decrease in the ability of future generations to produce food and maintain productivity due to the depletion of natural resources as a result of intensive agricultural practices that rely heavily on external inputs. It is widely accepted that the demise of ancient civilizations in regions such as Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean, the pre-Columbian southwest of the United States, and Central America was significantly influenced by the degradation of natural resources caused by unsustainable farming and forestry practices. In response to this, sustainable agriculture seeks to utilize the existing natural resource base and minimize external inputs in order to regenerate productivity while minimizing the harmful impacts on ecosystems.