What impacts does agriculture have on ecosystems and biodiversity?

Sustainable agriculture - impacts on the economy?

• What are the positive impacts of sustainable agriculture on the economy ? Thanks for your answers ;)

• Answer:

  The first item sustainability has is keeping the economy viable for longer. Agriculture is one of the main areas of food production, and the methods used to achieve that are constantly changing. In particular as the world population is becoming richer there is a higher demand for protiens, and especially meat and dairying products. The impact on the economy has never being able to be accuratley measured, because of the different methods of measurement, and failling to arrive at any benchmarks for what to measure. Most countries put out figures aligned to their GDP for agriculture which are used as a basis for discussion. However, these figures don't consider the small farmer, or someone who sells food at the local farmers market etc. The move to better seed production, chemicals and there usage, selling of new farm machinery are all considered as part of the big picture of agriculture. And as for every tractor sold there is some one else making the parts that go into that tractor, and then the fuel and running of that tractor. Now there is climate change, pollution of water ways because of fertiliser, animal rights activists who wont allow battery hen farms, pigs kept indoors etc. So depending how you think, there is a huge list of items that agriculture impacts on the economy. And has agriculture is food, and wether we like it or not, agriculture will impact on our economy. Just ask any body whose supermarket has run out of milk for two days, because of a disruption, and then people will understand the impact of agriculture on the economy. Good question - I could give you a pile of boring old stats, but decided to give you some' food for thought'. Excuse the pun.