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5
Sustainable Agriculture
5.1 Introduction
Current large-scale “industrial” farming practices constitute threats to human
ecological sustainability, both in animal husbandry (meat and dairy produc-
tion) and in agriculture (crop production). This chapter will examine the
threats to sustainability posed by such farming operations and will then
present some alternatives. The question of whether large-scale centralized
agriculture and animal production is necessary to “feed the masses” will
also be considered. Finally, we look at global food systems trends such as
competition for cropland and the impact this has on food prices