• "Sustainable agriculture is a model of social and economic organization based on an equitable and participatory vision of development which recognizes the environment and natural resources as the foundation of economic activity. Agriculture is sustainable when it is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, culturally appropriate and based on a holistic scientific approach.
• "Sustainable agriculture preserves biodiversity, maintains soil fertility and water purity, conserves and improves the chemical, physical and biological qualities of the soil, recycles natural resources and conserves energy. Sustainable agriculture produces diverse forms of high quality foods, fibers and medicines.
• "Sustainable agriculture uses locally available renewable resources, appropriate and affordable technologies and minimizes the use of external and purchased inputs, thereby increasing local independence and self sufficiency and insuring a source of stable income for peasants, family and small farmers and rural communities. This allows more people to stay on the land, strengthens rural communities and integrates humans with their environment.
• "Sustainable agriculture respects the ecological principles of diversity and interdependence and uses the insights of modern science to improve rather than displace the traditional wisdom accumulated over centuries by innumerable farmers around the world." [These excerpts are from NGO Sustainable Agriculture Treaty, Global Forum at Rio de Janeiro, June 1-15, 1992. Available at Information Habitat Website (8/99): http://www.infohabitat.org/treaties/]

"Environmental sustainability implies the following:

• meeting the basic needs of all peoples, and giving this priority over meeting the greeds of a few
• keeping population densities, if possible, below the carrying capacity of the region
• adjusting consumption patterns and the design and management of systems to permit the renewal of renewable resources
• conserving, recycling, and establishing priorities for the use of nonrenewable resources
• keeping environmental impact below the level required to allow the systems affected to recover and continue to evolve.

"An environmentally sustainable agriculture is one that is compatible with and supportive of the above criteria." [Stuart B. Hill, "Environmental Sustainability and the Redesign of Agroecosystems" (Ecological Agriculture Projects/McGill University, 1992). Available at EAP Website (7/99): http://eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP34.htm]

"Sustainable agroecosystems:

• maintain their natural resource base
• rely on minimum artificial inputs from outside the farm system
• manage pests and diseases through internal regulating mechanisms
• recover from the disturbances caused by cultivation and harvest."

[Stephen R. Gliessman, "An Ecological Definition of Sustainable Agriculture," Principles of Agroecology & Sustainability (1998). Available at Agroecology Home Website (7/99): http://www.agroecology.org/principles/ecosustdef.htm]