Frequently Asked Questions
 What is “Sustainable Agriculture”?
The basic goals of sustainable agriculture are environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity (sometimes referred to as the “three legs” of the sustainability stool). The University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program has a helpful explanation of some of the common themes woven throughout various definitions of sustainable agriculture on their website: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm. The following is an excerpt:
“Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. Stewardship of human resources includes consideration of social responsibilities such as working and living conditions of laborers, the needs of rural communities, and consumer health and safety both in the present and the future. Stewardship of land and natural resources involves maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term.
A systems perspective is essential to understanding sustainability. The system is envisioned in its broadest sense, from the individual farm, to the local ecosystem, and to communities affected by this farming system both locally and globally. An emphasis on the system allows a larger and more thorough view of the consequences of farming practices on both human communities and the environment. A systems approach gives us the tools to explore the interconnections between farming and other aspects of our environment.
A systems approach also implies interdisciplinary efforts in research and education. This requires not only the input of researchers from various disciplines, but also farmers, farmworkers, consumers, policymakers and others.
Making the transition to sustainable agriculture is a process. For farmers, the transition to sustainable agriculture normally requires a series of small, realistic steps. Family economics and personal goals influence how fast or how far participants can go in the transition. It is important to realize that each small decision can make a difference and contribute to advancing the entire system further on the "sustainable agriculture continuum." The key to moving forward is the will to take the next step.
Finally, it is important to point out that reaching toward the goal of sustainable agriculture is the responsibility of all participants in the system, including farmers, laborers, policymakers, researchers, retailers, and consumers. Each group has its own part to play, its own unique contribution to make to strengthen the sustainable agriculture community.”
The following organizations’ websites also have definitions and background information about sustainable agriculture:
Union of Concerned Scientists
ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
Finally, the term “sustainable agriculture” as legally defined in U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3101 means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long-term:
- Satisfy human food and fiber needs.
- Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends.
- Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls.
- Sustain the economic viability of farm operations.
- Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.
What are the key organizations involved in the Sustainable Agriculture Movement?
What unites these organizations?
Over the past decade, the five regional Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups (SAWGs), the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture have been working together to help create a food and agricultural system that is economically profitable, environmentally sound, based on family farms, and socially just.
What is your history?
Midwest leaders pioneered the SAWG concept—a network of organizations working on sustainable agriculture issues—in 1988, creating both the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (MSAWG) and its Washington, D.C., advocacy arm, the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. The other regional SAWGs were created in the early 1990s (Southern: 1991, Northeast: 1992, Western: 1993, and California: 1994).
In 1992, with strong leadership from MSAWG, groups and advocates from around the country began discussing the need for a coordinated national discussion among a variety of organizations and interests about federal agricultural policy problems and alternatives. The result was the two-year National Dialogue for Sustainable Agriculture. This intensive exercise in participatory, grassroots consensus building led in 1994, to the creation of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture.
What is the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition?
The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a coalition of groups that together take common positions and provide financial support for collective representation before Congress and federal administrative agencies. The SAC staff seeks extensive involvement from sustainable farmers and its member organizations, and in turn provides effective representation for its members.
Since its beginnings, SAC operated as a national organization and has been advising many in the sustainable agriculture community nationwide. Yet, in representations on Capitol Hill and in the administrative agencies, the SAC staff could only claim to represent Midwest-based organizations. In 2003 SAC expanded its membership to officially represent groups in other geographic regions thereby increasing it’s effectiveness. By the same token, organizations from all of the country who join SAC gain valuable D.C. representation and enhance their own political effectiveness.
The expanded SAC continues to serve as an information resource to and work closely with the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture and each of the regional Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups.
What is the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture?
The NCSA is a non-profit organization that works with partner organizations to shape and promote federal sustainable agriculture policies. The mission statement for the Campaign states:
The NCSA is a diverse nationwide partnership of individuals and organizations cultivating grass roots efforts to engage in policy development processes that result in food and agricultural systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just.
The NCSA works in alliance with hundreds of partner groups and coalitions—whose constituencies include family farmers and ranchers, rural and urban communities, environmental and wildlife advocates, faith-based institutions, consumers, workers, indigenous peoples, and students— to broaden and deepen support for federal policies that truly work for people and the land. Visit their website at www.sustainableagriculture.net. What is the difference between SAC and the NCSA?
SAC is a formal coalition of member organizations. SAC maintains a Washington, D.C., office and provides direct representation to it member organizations on a focused set of priority policies. For the past 15 years, SAC has been the primary presence and face in Washington, D.C., for sustainable agriculture advocacy.
The NCSA is an alliance of partner organizations, coalitions and networks that work together to identify consensus positions and strategies for national sustainable agriculture policy. The NCSA facilitates broad constituency involvement in issue identification, prioritizing and consensus building, as well as education and mobilization of the grassroots for action. NCSA policies and positions are informed by its diverse partners, primarily through committee processes, and endorsed by its Board of Directors. When the NCSA takes a position in its own name, it speaks for itself, not for every partner organization.
Both the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture provide important functions, and each would be far less effective without the other. On many of the NCSA’s issues, the SAC office provides the Campaign with materials and strategic insights needed for its effective grassroots advocacy efforts. For most SAC priority issues, the NCSA — and the regional SAWGs, — provide an important mechanism for reaching a broad and growing national constituency geared for taking action.
The SAC and the NCSA will continue to work together closely. Organizations can be part of both SAC and the NCSA. As described above, SAC and the NCSA provide different services and opportunities that organizations find of value.
What are the SAWGs? (The regional sustainable agriculture working groups)
The five regional SAWGs are independent organizations that share a common acronym and many goals. They operate separately from each other, without common finances, funding, or leadership. They are not chapters or arms of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. And they vary considerably in structure, composition, and priority areas of work. For some, federal food and farm policy is a priority. Others focus more on state- and region-level sustainable agriculture and food systems development. They seek primarily to bring together various groups and constituencies within their regions to share information, build understanding, and move forward on regional sustainable agriculture initiatives.
The SAWGs bring to the NCSA and to many SAC issues, a wide diversity of organizational and grassroots interests and experience essential to informing policies that will actually work for those constituents. They play important roles in national policy-making by developing regional voices and perspectives to be factored into the national debate and provide organizing and outreach capacity at the regional level in support of National Campaign priorities.
The Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (MSAWG) builds the power of the sustainable agriculture movement by strengthening member organizations and forging coalitions to advance federal agricultural, rural and environmental policy reform. MSAWG identifies policy barriers and opportunities, develops practical solutions and strategies, and wins policy change through grassroots education and advocacy. MSAWG’s federal policy reform initiatives are formulated by issue committees on research and extension, marketing and rural development, conservation and environment, and family farm opportunity and competition. MSAWG also helps farmers and organizations bring their sustainable agriculture views to USDA at the state and local level, and helps them access federal funding for their sustainable agriculture initiatives. MSAWG includes: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, and WI.
The California Coalition for Food and Farming (CCFF formerly CA SAWG) is a dynamic coalition dedicated to strengthening the movement for a sustainable and socially just food system in California. CCFF’s member organizations include farm, environmental, consumer, farmworker, public health, community food security, pesticide reform, and local advocacy groups. To promote genuinely sustainable agriculture, CCFF’s campaigns and programs address ecological, economic, and social justice dimensions. CCFF provides education to its members, coordinates meetings and communicates directly with key decision makers, mobilizes constituents through email and phone calls, and facilitates stronger collaboration among the sustainable agriculture organizations.
The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) works to strengthen the work of its members by providing active support and assistance in achieving shared food system goals. NESAWG focuses on: farm viability and agriculture economic development, natural resource conservation, community food security and food systems, and food citizenship. NESAWG addresses these issues through public policy reform and development, food system development projects, public education and member support services. NESAWG’s agenda reflects a “systems approach” to addressing the root causes and full spectrum of farm and food system problems. NESAWG includes: CT, DC, DE, MA, ME, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, and WV.
The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) is a network of organizations and individuals in the South working to create a sustainable, community-based food and fiber system. Because sustainable solutions require the entire community, SSAWG is committed to including all persons in the South without bias. SSAWG facilitates networking and collaboration among state and local organizations, building on and extending grassroots efforts. SSAWG also teaches environmentally and economically sound farming/ranching systems; helps develop and share more profitable ways to market sustainably-produced foods and fiber; and empowers farmers and their supporters to be leaders in effecting changes in federal and regional agricultural policy. SSAWG includes: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA.
The Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (WSAWG) brings together diverse individuals and groups working in sustainable agriculture and food systems to share successful models, realize collective strengths, build regional capacity and inform the agriculture policy debate. The WSAWG addresses issues that no one of its members can completely and effectively tackle on its own in the West. The WSAWG serves as a clearinghouse for agricultural policy, program models and analysis, and can also provide a range of other networking and support services for members such as: region-wide issue development, staff services for joint collaborative projects and conference planning, project evaluation and project endorsements for member initiatives. WSAWG includes: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY.
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