The aim of this article is to clarify the confusion regarding the meaning of sustainable agriculture. A conceptual framework of sustainable agriculture was developed in order to address the problem. This framework can successfully be applied for the evaluation and planning of agricultural systems. The framework was used to evaluate the alternative agricultural schools of thought. Further an attemp was made to uncover the disparities that were evident among the alternative schools. It was found that the application of environmentally friendly practises in their own right, did not conclusively address the matter of agricultural sustainability. Agriculture can only be sustainable over the long run if economical, political, aesthetical, ethical and scientific variables are simultaneously addressed.