Farmers plant cover crops to protect and improve the soil. They plant them between rows of crops or trees and in fields that are not in production. Cover crops control weeds and erosion, keep nutrients in the soil, and provide habitat and food for beneficial insects and microorganisms. Cover crops also absorb standing water, break-up compacted earth, and add nutrients to the soil.

Mariculture is the farming of fish and shellfish in seawater. Most farmed fish are detrimental to the environment and to wild fish stocks. But shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels are often farmed ecologically and have few impacts on habitat and do little damage to other sea creatures. In fact, farmed shellfish may even improve water quality by acting as natural filters.

Heirlooms varieties are passed down through generations of gardeners and farmers who harvest and save seeds. Their colors, flavors, shapes and sizes reflect a spectrum of biodiversity that has been threatened by industrial agriculture (today hybrids are bred to be consistent in appearance and easy to ship). Only a fraction of the food plants that were grown commercially a hundred years ago are still around. The genetic richness of heirlooms developed over thousands of years is both a protection against blight and disease and a natural legacy for future generations.

Insects such as moths can have devastating effects on crops and many farms use pesticides to control them. Sustainable farmers employ an ingenious alternative called insect pheromone disruption. Insects release sex hormones called pheromones during their mating cycle as location signals. Farmers confuse the insects by hanging pheromone-scented baits in their orchards or fields. When they are unable to find the opposite sex, the insects cannot reproduce. This is just another way ecological farmers avoid using toxins on their fields.

Small farms and non-toxic farming create wonderful environments for children to live in or visit. Kids growing up in urban environments are often isolated from the earth and its natural cycles. Field trips to farms and school gardens help them reconnect with their food system, and teach them to value agriculture and ecology. On family farms, kids participating in the day-to-day work of the farm may then carry on the family tradition and become the next generation of farmers.

Mulch is straw, tree bark, old hay, yard trimmings or any other organic matter that farmers spread around plants to prevent weeds from growing and to keep vital nutrients in the soil. Mulch creates a wonderful environment for earthworms, which help create healthy soil. It also protects crops from pests and regulates soil moisture and temperature. In many cases, the mulch itself decomposes into rich soil and becomes a long-term fertilizer.

Open space is increasingly threatened by urban sprawl. Parks, wilderness areas, ranches and farms all help to create greenbelt around metropolitan areas. Open spaces provide watershed protection and habitat for birds, plants, and wildlife. Farms, ranches, and wild areas are a beautiful and valuable part of our regional landscape.

We all want to eat well and live healthily. We want to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a world that supports life in its many varied and beautiful forms. The farmers market contributes immensely to this quality of life. It provides us with fresh wholesome food, rich in vital nutrients. It also offers a gathering place where people from all walks of life, both urban and rural, come together to form a community. At the same time, sustainable agriculture protects our natural resources for many generations to come.

Healthy soil is the basis for all sustainable agriculture. Soil that has been farmed intensively loses its nutrients and lacks vital beneficial microorganisms. Sustainable farming rebuilds depleted soil and keeps it healthy. There are many ways that farmers build their soil including compost, cover crops, mulch, manure, and the addition of organic nutrients. Soil fertility is the key to growing plants that are productive, resistant to disease, and nutritious to eat.

Sustainable farming strengthens healthy ecosystems. Sustainable farmers understand that everything they do has an impact on the larger environment and the creatures that live in it. They avoid practices that disrupt natural systems and have unforeseen, often disastrous, consequences for life on earth. Sustainable farming, ranching, and fishing protect water, earth, and air, as well as the plants, animals, people, insects, and microorganisms that depend on healthy ecosystems for survival.

Farm workers on conventional farms are among those most affected by the use of pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins. Ailments ranging from asthma, to cancer, to birth defects are related to heavy exposure to toxic sprays. Sustainable farming means workers experience a healthy working environment, with the direct benefits of cleaner air, water, and earth.

All farmers want to produce an abundance of high-quality produce on their land. Despite the prevailing belief that sustainable agriculture cannot produce enough food to feed the world, many studies show that small-scale, diversified, sustainable farms are often more productive per unit of land than large-scale, mono-cropped, conventional farms. Abundant yields are often achieved by inter-planting diverse crops together. This practice helps control pests and weeds, feeds the soil, and uses water efficiently.