The concept of sustainability lies at the heart of the debates that currently exist
over the use of the planet's natural resources, yet there is no consensus on its
meaning despite its intuitive appeal (Park and Seaton, 1996). This paper focuses on
sustainable agriculture, although there is still no consensus on this more speci®c
aspect of sustainability.
Some have argued that, for example, organic farming and sustainable agriculture
are synonymous, others regard them as separate concepts that should not be equa-
ted. The relationship between organic agricultural systems and agricultural sustain-
ability is therefore examined in this paper.
The reason for the focus on organic agriculture is the rapid development of the
organic sector in Europe and North America. This development has resulted in an