ABSTRACT
Sustainable agriculture is a form of agriculture in which all of the mineral nutrients that are removed from the land during the production of food are returned to the land for use by the next crop. It is probably impossible to construct such a system on a large scale because of the nutrients lost as a result of erosion, leaching, and the dispersion of organic wastes generated by animals and humans. The concept of sustainable agriculture involving decreased use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides is unlikely to survive increasing population pressure. The current interest in reducing the use of agricultural chemicals in the US arises out of the present state of the cyclic farm economy. The objections of the environmental and organic farming groups to the farming practices are based on a philosophical approach to agriculture than on rational reasons for banning production inputs.
