Toward sustainable agriculture: the case of a sustainable farm in Egypt

Abstract

Purpose: With less than ten years left to accomplish the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, there is a pressing need to develop innovative sustainable methods and/or techniques that agriculture and food businesses can apply to improve natural resource efficiency. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to review sustainable agriculture in one of the developing Arab countries by presenting a real-life example of a sustainable farm.Design/methodology/approach: The current study aims to showcase a sustainable farm in one of the developing Arab countries, utilizing a case study methodology. The case study methodology is particularly appropriate within the current research context to provide an in-depth and multi-faceted understanding of sustainable agriculture practices.Findings: The findings of the current study delineate the different dimensions of sustainable agriculture which includes water savings, less usage of artificial fertilizers, reduction of pesticides and use of renewable energy. In addition, the current study shows that the application of the different sustainable agriculture practices results in substantial savings on the economic levels as well as the environmental levels.Originality/value: There are two valuable outcomes from this research. The first is a framework for understanding the different dimensions of sustainable agriculture. The second outcome is highlighting various implications for sustainable entrepreneurs who wish to accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture.