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Content: Although today they may appear to be
productive, even profitable, they are not sustainable over time. They are exploiting and degrading the
natural resource base upon which their productivity ultimately depends. On many farms, soil is eroding at rates far
in excess of its natural regenerative ability and agricultural chemicals are
polluting groundwater and streams and destroying the biological life of the
soil. Many farms are exploiting and
degrading the people who work the land, the people of the surrounding rural
communities, and people of society in general. The occupation of farming is being “de-skilled” through corporate
contractual arrangements, which reduce the function of farming to that of
low-skilled, low-paid labor. Consequently, the productivity and profitability of such farms are not
sustainable. Sustainable farming
systems must be ecologically sound and socially responsible if they are to be
economically viable, and thus, sustainable over time. Many farms today have expanded beyond their naturally healthy
size. Their health is declining each
year, and they are dying a slow death. Many farms today have become too big to live.