Sustainable agriculture, which is characterised by farming profitably while minimising damage to the environment, is not easy to practice. “Conventional” agriculture in the USA is commonly considered to involve practices that have potential to damage the environment. These include tilling the soil excessively, over applying readily soluble inorganic fertilisers (“chemical fertilisers”), and over applying pest-control formulations (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.). “Sustainable” agriculture attempts to find alternatives to such practices, alternatives that are economically feasible but have less potential to cause environmental damage.
HUE, H.V. SILVA, J.A. (2000): Organic Soil Amendments for Sustainable Agriculture: Organic Sources of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. In: SILVA, J.A. ; UCHIDA, R. ; Plant Nutrient Management in Hawaii’s Soils, Approaches for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture. Honolulu: 133-144. URL [Accessed: 25.04.2012]