SUSTAINABLE HORTICULTURE IN FRUIT PRODUCTION

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Human societies around the globe today rely on agricultural systems to provide most of their food needs, as they have for thousands of years. Farming is the primary means of converting solar energy into food, and no other approach is likely to replace it in the near future. Maintaining the integrity of the agricultural resource base (e.g. land, water, biodiversity) is necessary for continued production. However, history is replete with examples of countries and cultures that allowed their resource base to degrade over time, undermining their ability to provide for their needs (Lowdermilk, 1953). The desire to avoid this fate is a prime motivation for the emergence of the idea of “sustainable agriculture.”