Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
Five goals for agriculture are proposed: profitable production, sustainable production, environmentally safe production, satisfaction of human needs, and compatibility with a just social order. Four ways to view the origin of potentially conflicting values expressed in the five goals follow. In view of the five goals and differing value positions, the most pressing question for weed science is to what extent current methods of weed control are compatible with a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive agriculture.