The sustainability of agricultural development has long been neglected due to short-term perspectives and the striking productivity of the green revolution. This is the case even concerning the supply of nutrients. Heavy usage of chemical fertilizers involves large amounts of nonrenewable energy resources for production, as well as for the operation of distribution systems. These aspects have been studied with an interdisciplinary approach involving the documentation of practices and perspectives of local farmers. Special emphasis has been placed on paddy-rice cultivation carried out in five villages with low-resource agriculture in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka.