Sustainability is defined as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations, 1987).
2010 is the Year of Environmental Sustainability in Queensland Schools, and the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity. With increased awareness of these interrelated issues, many individuals and communities are realising that we have the power to protect or destroy the life support systems we rely on and are devising actions to improve the situation (Convention on Biological Diversity, 2010).
Sustainable farming is centred on the principle of land stewardship, where the primary goal is to support the environment by enriching the soil, protecting air and water quality, minimising energy consumption, and supporting biodiversity. By eliminating or at least reducing chemical inputs, this food production method is able to reduce fossil fuel usage by 40% (Heller & Keoleian, 2000). Studies have shown that sustainable agricultural practices can actually increase food production by up to 79% while at the same time actively reducing the effects of farming on climate change through sequestration of carbon (Pretty et al. 2006).
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