Sustainable Practices
Farming can be sustainable in various ways. For most people, the word "organic" springs to mind when they think of sustainability. Being organic means that plants are grown without the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Organic agriculture certainly makes for healthier soil, surrounding plants and animals, and people, but many other factors must come into play for a farm to be truly sustainable. Biodiversity in particular is a crucial part of a sustainable operation, because when many different types of trees, fruits, vegetables and ground cover are intermixed, they symbiotically help each other by rejuvenating the soil's supply of nitrogen, attracting pollinators, & providing shelter and food for beneficial insects and microorganisms.
Sustainable farmers must not only think about the diversity and health of their own farm plots, but be flexible enough to plant vegetation, such as wind breaks on their properties for animals to be able to move through the landscape.