Back Recent Developments in Alternative Agriculture in the United States
J. F. Parr and S. B. Hornick
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Full Paper (PDF File: 112KB)
Abstract
During the four decades following World War II, the U.S. agricultural production
system became highly mechanized and specialized, and dependent upon fossil-fuel
energy, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. The 1980 USDA Report and
Recommendation on Organic Farming found that because of the economic, social,
and environmental concerns created by these farming practices, many farmers
began shifting away from conventional, chemical-intensive farming systems
to a less intensive approach based on sod-based rotations and mixed crop-livestock
enterprises. The changes that have occurred in the past 10 years on farms
in the United States are discussed as are the concepts and terminologies
of alternative or low-input, sustainable agriculture; the degradative processes
and conservation practices that affect soil productivity, and the factors
which affect crop quality and nutrition. Research needs and priorities
are suggested.