: the
crop production system level and the agroecosystem level. Keep in mind that for agriculture
to be sustainable, it must be profitable in the short term. Thus two time perspectives-- the
short term and long term--are also needed. The sustainability indicators of profitability and
social concerns based on income generation and distribution are effective in the short term
compared to the ecosystem health indicators, which require a longer time to take effect The
analytical framework is complete when the systems at different hierarchical levels are linked
(FIGURE 1) in a scheme that permits the three questions above to be asked and answered at
each level.