Due to growing concerns about issues such as population growth, resource depletion, and social inequity, the concept of sustainability has received significant attention in academic, environmental and policy circles. In the context of agriculture, sustainability implies that three main objectives (economic, environmental, and social sustainability) are compatible and synergistic. To date, little effort has been devoted to developing an analytical framework for evaluating this goal in agriculture. Despite a growing body of literature about sustainability, there is no framework for testing for the sustainability of agriculture at the local level. Therefore, this thesis proposes a Weak Test of Sustainability for Michigan, as it relates to short-term agricultural economic sustainability.

This thesis research advances the concept of agricultural sustainability by estimates a series of equations and tests for complimentarity and substitutability between economic, environmental and social indicators. The finding that increased environmental and social performance does not necessarily diminish economic performance suggests that the goal of sustainability is feasible. Results suggest that there are structural differences in the ability of various regions in Michigan to achieve short-term economic sustainability.