What is Sustainable Horticulture?
Sustainability refers to making human activities compatible with the demands of the Earth's ecosystem. It is a philosophy based on human goals and on understanding the long-term impact of our activities on the environment and on other species. Sustainable agricultural systems aim to reduce environmental degradation, maintain agricultural productivity, promote economic viability and maintain stable rural communities and quality of life. Agricultural systems that try to follow sustainable practices include: organic farming, low-input agriculture, regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and use of integrated pest management.
Horticulture is a branch of agricultural plant science. The word "horticulture" originates from Latin, and is comprised by the word "hortus", meaning garden, and "culturea", meaning cultivation. Horticulture encompasses growing of fruits, vegetables, and both indoor and outdoor ornamental plants (trees, shrubs, flowers and turf). The other two branches of plant agriculture, forestry and crop science, encompass the other types of cultivation. Trees grown for other than ornamental use are usually covered under forestry. Crop science or agronomy covers grains, pasture grasses, and fiber crops such as cotton.
