The Evolving Concept Of Sustainable Agriculture

Over the years, the definition of sustainability in development literature has varied widely and broadened in scope. The concept arose in response to economic growth models that characterized development approaches over the last half century. It was eventually recognized that such models did not adequately address social inequalities and led to environmental degradation. The concept gained wider use after the World Commission on Environment and Development published "Our common future" (Brundtland 1987). The economic, social, political and ecological dimensions of the rural environment are complex and have multiple implications, starting with theoretical and practical reasons. The process of urbanization that takes place at world-wide level has become one of the global problems of mankind, because of the disparities created between the countryside and the city, which are materialized in the cultural, economical and social aspects that are synthesized in the terms of urban and rural civilizations, which define the different realities of the geographical space. Because the concept of sustainable agriculture is still evolving, this paper reviews the ideas, practices and policies that make the basis of sustainable agriculture concept, in order to suggest to others practical steps that may be appropriate for them in moving toward sustainable agriculture.