Source: Crosson, P. 1989. What is alternative agriculture? Am. J. Altern. Agric. 4:28-34.

Pierre Crosson, Senior Fellow of Resources for the Future, discusses alternative agriculture and aims to clarify the "far-reaching" aspects of the concept for those who do not understand what alternative agriculture is. He emphasizes that the main goal of all alternative systems is to "reduce, and preferably to eliminate, the use of chemical pesticides and inorganic fertilizer." He presents ways to acheive this reduction, including the use of crop rotation and cultivation programs for pest control and the use of manure, legumes in the rotation, crop residues, and organic wastes in providing plant nutrients. Mr. Crosson then explores the issues of conservation tillage, fertilization, and integrated pest management (IPM) as possible definitions of alternative agriculture. According to Crosson, defining alternative agriculture in terms of these practices is inconsistent with an important goal of the system, which is to eliminate the use of inorganic fertilizer and manufactured pesticides. Conservation tillage and IPM practices, he stresses, do not constitute a complete definition of alternative agriculture when used as parts of a conventional farming system. He also gives four reasons why the alternative agriculture system is not more widely adopted by American farmers. These reasons are (1) insufficient profit, (2) commodity program restrictions, (3) lower yields, and (4) management requirements including increased time and skill. Crosson concludes that it is necessary to define alternative agriculture in terms of the whole philosophy and not just as any given practice beneficial to the environment.

Abstract author: Alexander C. Di Bisceglie, 22 November 1995.

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