Sustainable Farming Systems vs Conventional Agriculture: A Socioeconomic Approach

Intensive-type farming, through the application of high-input systems that offer an increased yield, is known as conventional agriculture. This term is broadly used in the international literature to describe intensive farming. Over the last two decades, attention in industrialised countries has focused on reducing pollution by fertilisers and synthetic pesticides in conventional agriculture. The concern of society for the environmental problems caused by conventional farming, in combination with the increased demand for achieving sustainability in the agricultural sector and for safe, high-quality foodstuffs, has led to the emergence of alternative farming systems in recent years. Especially, the increasing consumers' concern about food safety and environmental pollution escalated the value of Sustainable Farming Systems (SFS), such as Organic and Integrated Farming Systems or Integrated Crop Management (ICM).