Agriculture has been the primary occupation of human beings, and that too a very important one. It provides a variety of products – crops – that are essential for humankind. Agriculture not only supports humans for their subsistence, but helps a large number of industries too.

Agriculture forms the raw material for numerous farm products based industries. The basic products, resulting from agricultural activities, are processed in big factories, before the final product is marketed. As such, agriculture generates employment, both for people working in the farming sector as well as those in the industrial, agriculture-based sector.

These days, agriculture has become an important commercial activity. A variety of crops are grown, which can be classified as –
• Food crops
• Commercial crops
• Fiber crops
• Beverage crops.
Agriculture has benefited a great deal from the various advancements in the field of science and technology – with modern machines making the ‘field’ jobs much easier than ever before. All over the world, agriculture is managed efficiently with the help of modern farm equipment. In the US, farmers rely much more on technology than on manual labor.

However sustainable agriculture is not as easy as it sounds. The theory may be easy but putting it into practice is not. For centuries, farmers have been following a particular way of growing crops. With this branch of agriculture, the entire paradigm takes a new perspective. Hence farmers need to produce food and products which are safe and popular. While doing that they also need to stay abreast of competition and also follow the politician and legal norms.

Changing the pattern of agriculture which has been prevalent over the years is not an easy task. However, considering the future implications, it is imperative to develop this b ranch. Every year, the available land for agriculture is either being eaten up by development or becoming arid or a waste land.

The farmers also need to be supported in this endeavor by the government and other bodies by lowering taxes and lesser duties. They should also be educated about the amount of fertilizers, pesticides to be used and advanced cropping techniques to enhance the fertility of the soil. At the moment, the situation is not ideal; however the governments have begun to realize the importance of sustainable agriculture. All we need to do is carry on the same road and ensure that our future generations have adequate food and natural resources.

Sustainable agriculture is a new branch of science which has recently come up owing to the growing need for continual production of food. Sustainable agriculture deals with building up a well-organized bio friendly system which can yield a high food production every year without wasting the natural resources and harming the fertility of the land. No doubt it is important to produce food today, however, it is also important to see that today’s food production does not bring drought tomorrow. The depletion of natural resources like food, water and fresh air can result in great calamities like droughts and famish.

So, what does sustainable agriculture mean? Simply put it deals in three aspects:

1. Ensuring that the demand for food is met today.

2. Making sure that the next generation is able to meet the demand for food, taking into account the growing problem of depleting natural resources like soil and water.

3. Ensuring that these natural resources like soil and water do not get depleted.