Backgrounder: What Is Sustainable Agriculture?

A Teacher’s Guide to a Big Idea That’s Shaping the Future

What It Means:

Sustainable agriculture is a way of farming that meets our needs today without compromising the land, water, and resources that future generations will depend on. It’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s about finding balance between:

• Environmental health (e.g., protecting soil, water, and biodiversity)

• Economic viability (farmers making a living and feeding people)

• Social responsibility (equity, safety, and access)

  
  

This concept often shows up in science, social studies, and even ELA. But in agriculture, it becomes real—grounded in the food we eat and the choices people make every day.

Why It Matters in the Classroom:

Sustainability can feel abstract. But agriculture helps students apply it to something tangible—like lunch. What kind of farming practices protect the land? Can food be produced in a way that’s both profitable and good for the planet?

These questions build systems thinking, critical thinking, and cross-disciplinary connections.

Canola Field

How to Teach It:

Use the Three Pillars of Sustainability (Environmental, Economic, Social) as your teaching anchor. Have students evaluate a real-world product or farming method using all three.

Suggested Hook:

“Should a farm invest in new irrigation technology if it helps conserve water, but risks making jobs obsolete?” This opens up rich classroom dialogue around values, trade-offs, and innovation.

Try This:

💡 Activity Idea: Present students with three fictional farms and their methods (e.g., one uses pesticides, one grows organic, one uses technology). Ask students to debate: which is most sustainable—and why?

Explore More:

• Book at Journey 2050 classroom presentation