Agriculture, Ethics of

Agricultural ethics as a field is a virtual orphan, the child of three neglectful parents: (1) applied or professional ethics (which would govern the professional ethics of the farmer or agricultural extension worker), (2) business ethics (which would govern the business conduct of farmers and of all who participate in the enterprise of bringing food from seed to supermarket shelf or fast-food outlet), and (3) environmental ethics (which would govern the interactions between the farmer and the ecosystem). The orphan is truly acknowledged by none of them and at the best of times has not swung securely among them. This entry considers [Page 78]the ethics of agriculture from the perspective of all three of these preceding ethical fields.

As a branch of professional ethics, agricultural ethics ...