Agroecology
Sustainable Land Management in Arid Agroecosystems
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session John Idowu
Sustainable land management is critical for continued functioning of arid agricultural lands, to deliver important ecosystem services. Arid soils, especially in the southern USA, are characterized by very low organic matter contents and are easily subject to soil erosion by wind and water. Wind erosion in the region is more prominent, especially during the spring, with dust storms and suspended particles in air, leading to environmental and health hazards. Significant amounts of suspended particles during wind erosion come from agricultural lands. Unfortunately, the peak periods of high winds coincide with the time when farmers have intensively tilled their lands, leaving bare, soil surface exposed to easy detachment and transport of sediments. Recent research results have shown the need for changes in land management practices, in order to mitigate land degradation that is common in arid regions. Specific measures proposed to combat land degradation, soil erosion, and to improve soil health include reduced tillage practices, cover cropping, crop rotation, and the addition of soil organic amendments. While these measures have been demonstrated as advantageous to arid soils, adoption of these practices by farmers has been very slow, due to other challenges associated with successful implementation of these measures. For example, cover crops can offer significant soil protection from wind erosion, but with dwindling irrigation water resources, it is difficult for farmers to have sufficient water to raise a cover crop. This paper will highlight challenges faced by farmers and land users in arid agroecosystems and strategies for sustainable land management.
Creating More Sustainable Agriculture Through Carbon Sequestration
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andrea Blake
The United Nations Convention on Climate Change (United Nations, 1992) and the subsequent Kyoto Protocol (United Nations, 1998) identified emissions trading as one of the mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Queensland, Australia, a legislative framework has been established to provide security to the holders of rights to carbon sequestered in forestry to enable their participation in a carbon trading scheme. To date much of the academic discussion regarding the legal framework has been centred on the potentially negative impacts of an enduring carbon right on an agricultural land holding. Semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis are used to identify the application of carbon sequestration projects to create a sustainable alternative income stream for the rural landholder while improving the sustainability of agricultural operations. Barriers and possible negative implications of carbon sequestration projects are also identified.
The Spatial Efficiency Hypothesis for Public Plant Breeding
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michael Kantar, Bryan Ruunck
The goal of this project is to identify data-driven ways to improve the economic sustainability of public plant breeding. We will do this by exploring a new model for public plant breeding called the spatial efficiency hypothesis, which postulates that breeders can strategically leverage spatial variability to decrease the costs of releasing crops/cultivars to farmers and increase the likelihood of strong consumer demand. This hypothesis clarifies the spatial mechanisms (crop suitability, selection efficiency, market analysis) that plant breeding can leverage to improve economic sustainability, which leads to the incremental long-term gains on which plant breeding is based.
