Abstract
Concern for the economic and environmental impacts of production systems is at the heart of the debate on agricultural sustainability. Ideally, if a system is to be sustainable, it must also be economically viable, while not adversely affecting the environment. The appropriate balance between environmentally friendly systems and economic returns is not clear, as it depends on the period under consideration and hinges on the perspective used. Current evidence suggests that there are tradeoffs between achieving economic and environmental goals, at least in the short run, with given technology. Analysis suggests progress can be made by identifying agricultural systems and site-specific criteria associated with these systems, which eliminate the clearly unsustainable agricultural practices, rather than seeking a system that is defined as sustainable.
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The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Economic Research Service, or the view of other U.S. Department of Agriculture or Economic Research Service staff members.
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Hyberg, B., Setia, P. economic and environmental tradeoffs in agricultural sustainability: A Perspective. International Advances in Economic Research 2, 41–46 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02295155
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02295155