Organic farming and the sustainability of agricultural systems

The desire for a sustainable agriculture is universal, yet agreement on how to progress towards it remains elusive. The extent to which the concept of sustainable agriculture has any operational meaning is discussed. Sustaina bility is considered in I elation to organic farming a sector growing rapid ly in many countries. The role of regulation and the use of synthetic agroc hemicals, the desired degree of self reliance of agricultural systems, and the scale of production and trade in agricultural goods an all considered i n the context of this discussion of sustainability. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.