ABSTRACT
Sustainable development in a world economy implies a stable and satisfactory relationship between agricultural production and consumption. It implies a world population level or growth rate that is supportable on a long-term basis. Agricultural sustainability has extraordinarily different implications in today’s world than in even the recent past. Sustainable agricultural systems are those systems that support sustainable development in a world economy. The predominant food grain in Asia is rice. The rice culture practiced throughout Asia today is remarkable in both its longevity and degree of homogeneity. The policies and practices of developed countries with respect to resource use represent probably the greatest long-term threat to the sustainability of developing countries’ agricultural systems. Sustaining agricultural systems in developing countries requires a greater commitment to long-term investment in research, infrastructure, and institution building on the part of developed and developing countries.
