Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review - Boulder County

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Sprinkler irrigation: An irrigation method that is used when slopes are steep or uneven.
Sprinklers are an advantage when establishing pasture crops and in the preemergence
irrigation of certain crops. With sprinkler irrigation, water losses resulting from
evaporation may be higher than with other methods of irrigation and wind drift may
cause uneven water application. 933
Stecklings: Young sugar beet plants grown in seedbeds in summer, to be transplanted
in the autumn or following spring. 934
Strip cropping: The growing of crops in a systematic arrangement of strips or bands
which serve as vegetative barriers to wind and water erosion. The strips or bands may
run perpendicular to the slope of the land or to the direction of prevailing winds. 935
Stubble mulch: Stubble or other crop residues left on the soil, or partly worked into the
soil, to provide protection from wind and water erosion after harvest, during preparation
of a seedbed for the next crop, and during the early growing period of the new crop. 936
Susceptible soil: The subsurface soil below a good layer of topsoil is poor in quality,
causing erosion to be much more likely, the soil is considered to be susceptible soil. 937
Sustainable agriculture: A variety of definitions exist dealing with the philosophy and or
practice of sustainable agriculture. These definitions generally support the concepts of
environmental, economic, and social sustainability. 938
The United States Department of Agriculture defines sustainable agriculture as “Use for
the practice of agriculture, which supports sustained economic profitability, sustained
quality, and well-being of the environment, efficient use of natural resources, and the
overall quality and availability of food and fiber for mankind.” 939
According to the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, "the term
sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production
practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:” 940
! Satisfy human food and fiber needs
! Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the
agricultural 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
Currently, there is no single standard for sustainable agriculture, although several
organizations are moving towards this goal. The Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
and the Leonardo Academy (an American National Standards Institute accredited
standard developer) are working together to standardize sustainable agriculture. The
SCS embarked upon an effort to develop the strongest possible sustainable agricultural
guidelines for the North American market — the SCS Sustainable Agriculture Practice
Standard. In addition, SCS and the Leonardo Academy launched an initiative to develop
a voluntary national, multi-stakeholder, consensus-based standard for sustainable
agriculture. 941 “The purpose of the Standard is to establish a comprehensive framework
and common set of environmental, social, and quality requirements by which to
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