The World Sustainable Agriculture Association is organized as a non-profit corporation with autonomous and self-supporting WSAA Branches in India, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and Beijing Agricultural University. Branch activities vary widely from one country to another, including such services as research and demonstration farms, educational programs, assistance to farmers in transition to sustainable farming systems, and information transfer by publications and electronic network.

The ultimate goal of WSAA is to promote sustainable farming, food distribution, consumption, and biocycling systems throughout the world. We promote systems and public policies that enhance local and regional food security, in ways that are economically viable, socially just, and environmentally harmonious with Nature.

WSAA's activities are guided by an operational definition of sustainable agriculture adapted from Fred Kirschenmann's "New Paradigm for Agriculture," (based on Meadows) which he presented at a recent Board of Directors meeting. We consider the agriculture of a specific farm, region, or nation is sustainable if it has the following attributes:

• Does not use non-renewable resources any faster than substitutes become available and economically feasible.
• Does not use renewable resources any faster than Nature can regenerate them.
• Does not generate pollution or waste products any faster than Earth's planetary sinks can absorb, disipate, or disperse them.
• Safeguards inter-generational equity, respecting the needs of future gen- erations.
• Maintains a people-to-land ratio adequate to sustain communities and to ensure competent, ecologicaly sound ecosystems management .