Environmental Sustainability of Canadian Agriculture [antikvár]

A word from The Minister on Sustainable Development Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Ministre de l'Agriculture et ( l'Agroalimentaire Ottawa, Canada K1A 0C5 The sustainable production of food is crucial for us all. As Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, I am pleased to present Environmental SustainabiUty of Canadian Agriculture: Report of the Agri-Environmental Indicator Project. In this report, we introduce a new set of tools, agri-environmental indicators, to help guide and assess the environmental performance of our primary agriculture sector. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is pleased to have led the development of these indicators, which are based on our best understanding of agricultural ecosystems and their interactions with the economy and surrounding environment. Our scientists have worked together with the invaluable assistance of an external Advisory Committee to develop the methods and information, and also to analyze the results. We can now begin to use the indicators to assess the environmental implications of our actions, and we will draw on this and related information as we engage our partners in a dialogue aimed at developing a new Sustainable Development Strategy. Many of the underlying concepts and methods may well be used by others to track the environmental performance of primary agriculture elsewhere, such as in other countries. Environmental SustainabiUty of Canadian Agriculture: Report of the Agri-Environmental Indicator Project is another important contribution toward our goal of increasing understanding of linkages between the environment and the agricultural economy. The results clearly demonstrate the progress Canadian agriculture has made in conserving the environment, and also focus our attention on where we need to work harder. This publication complements and integrates the information presented in related publications from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: The Health of Our Soil (1995), The Health of Our Air (1999) and The Health of Our Water (2000). Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will continue to work with its partners to encourage sustainable development through basic research and by developing and transferring the tools producers and other decision-makers need to improve environmental management in agriculture. Lyle Vanclief Ministerfofjigriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Minister Coordinating Rural Affairs