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Planning for a Sustainable Future: The Case of the North American Great
Plains Education and Research to Support Sustainable Development: A Regional Mandate in the North Central United StatesCharles Francis, James King, Heidi Carter, Lisa Jasa, and Steve Waller | |
The Great Plains is an ecological region, comprising a number of life zones and dissected by multiple human-designated boundaries. These divide one county from another, one state from the next, and the United States from Canada. With the exception of a few boundaries that follow rivers, these divisions are mostly artificial constructs that complicate our study of agricultural ecosystems and cause us to focus on political differences rather than on cooperative programs for the region. As we study the "web of life" and elaborate on the design of our agricultural "strand within it," the importance of commonalities across boundaries becomes more clear. At the same time, we learn about the uniqueness of "place." Developing food systems that are consistent with the available natural resources and that can be sustained for the indefinite future emerges as a need. Human and societal resources are central to the design and implementation of unique crop and crop/animal production systems that are specific to the many conditions in the Great Plains. Over the past century, conscious specialization in departments, disciplines, and narrowly defined organizations has created agricultural technologies that have promoted impressive advances in food production for residents and for export. Success with these systems, highly dependent on fossil fuels and the exploitation and extraction of natural resources, has perhaps blinded our senses to what now appear obvious impacts of current systems on both the environment and the natural capital on which they depend. From this awareness emerges a concern for our sustainable future, one that is closely linked to the success of other species in the Great Plains and the resource base on which we all depend. A regional sustainable development mandate has been created in the United States to examine and solve the problems of short-term planning. Federal, local, and private resources are being invested in a number of organizations that are working in synchrony to develop programs appropriate to the Plains. These are leading to development of future educational and research strategies that will benefit both humans and other residents of this fragile ecosystem. The North Central Regional Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program is part of a national, decentralized approach to designing food systems for the future in the United States. This low-overhead, federally funded program directs 94% of its monies directly to support of research and education. In the region, administrative and technical committees determine how the funds are to be spent. These committees include farmers and ranchers, agribusiness and nonprofit representatives, scientists, and both private and public sector administrators. There are partnerships for funding and implementation with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, land grant and other universities, and private citizens. Most often these groups work together on projects; partnerships are forged among scientists, farmers and ranchers, agribusiness, Extension specialists and agents, community groups, and environmental organizations. The results are aimed at providing practical and environmentally sound solutions to current farm and ranch production and marketing problems. More than 200 projects are funded to date. Several examples of recent grants serve to illustrate the activities of the North Central Regional SARE Program, with the names of the project coordinators, departments, and locations: Integration of conservation tillage, animal manures, and cultural pest control in corn (David Andow, Entomology Department, University of Minnesota) Development of organic N availability functions for a nitrogen management model (Larry Bundy, Soil Science Department, University of Wisconsin) Substituting legumes for fallow in U.S. Great Plains wheat production (John Gardner, Carrington Research Station, North Dakota State University) Middle Border on-farm research consortium (Patrick Moore, Land Stewardship Project, Montevideo, Minnesota) On-farm experimentation with practical low-cost alternatives for including livestock in sustainable farming systems (Ron Krupicka, Center for Rural Affairs, Walthill, Nebraska) Assessing soil phosphorus availability in low-input systems (Steve Thien, Agronomy Department, Kansas State University) Low-input beef cattle systems of production (Terry Klopfenstein, Animal Science Department, University of Nebraska) Estimation of reduced machinery ownership costs in diversified cropping systems (Glenn Helmers, Agricultural Economics Department, University of Nebraska) Economic and environmental implications of 1990 farm bill sustainability provisions in water-quality sensitive areas (Thomas Dobbs, Economics Department, South Dakota State University) Current emphasis in the north central region continues on multidisciplinary, cooperative research projects that link farmers and ranchers with researchers, Extension specialists and educators with nonprofit organizations, and current problems with people seeking solutions. An educational dimension of the same grant program has focused on economic viability of rural communities, farmer mentors for beginning farmers, and innovative marketing strategies. A recent innovation in the program has been the funding of producer grants. These grants go directly to farmers or ranchers who are pursuing solutions to the most practical and immediate questions that face them in the field. Often these are designed in conjunction with university experiment station or Extension specialists who provide expertise in design and analysis. They are initiated by the producers. Examples include:
Federal support for these projects started at a modest level and has been maintained or increased each year since 1988. These regional projects have received $10 million in federal support during the past eight years. Practical research projects have been funded in all twelve states in the north central region, and each of these has an outreach component. Besides the research grants illustrated here, activities in education and demonstration have been the focus of many of the projects. There has been a growing interest by students and faculty in the integration of academic materials across topics and disciplines. A number of new courses, seminars, and practical educational activities have emerged as a result of this concern. For example, during 1995, courses in agroforestry and agroecology were added to the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Nebraska. These complement seminars already on the schedule that deal with low-input grazing systems for beef production, sustainable agricultural systems, and natural resource economics. A number of courses in the undergraduate program focus on the complex issues that characterize farming and ranching systems. More important than the single factors and responses to individual inputs are the interactions among system components, the integration efficiencies that result from blending crops and livestock, and the applications of ecological principles in the design of production systems. Nutrient and water cycling, biodiversity, and design of systems for protection against insects and weeds are part of the content of these academic approaches to understanding system design and function. In addition to classroom courses, intern programs are being initiated to provide students with the hands-on experience that will make their academic study more practical. An intern program at the University of Nebraska is in its first year. Students manage their own small farms and extrapolate the results to commercial farms in the region. The undergraduate interns are comparing conventional cropping, diversified cropping, agroforestry, organic cropping, and resource-efficient beef production systems in the field. The North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems is a new initiative whose design was supported by W. K. Kellogg and Northwest Area Foundations and is now funded by the USDA Higher Education Challenge grants. This initiative will provide practical experiential learning opportunities in sustainable agricultural systems. We will teach and increase knowledge about sustainable living, through courses and curricula leading to a minor degree for students at any institution of higher learning in the region, including historically black colleges and universities, native American land grant schools, and traditional land grant universities. The institute program features practica, workshops, and combinations of field and classroom courses, with materials delivered on site and remotely using the most appropriate current technologies. Faculty for the institute will include qualified farmers and ranchers, public and private agency specialists, and people from nonprofit organizations, in addition to university educators. We can develop a comprehensive program by tapping into a wide range of people and resources, and bring together a capability that is not available at any single institution or in any one state. Examples of the types of courses that will be included in the institute program are:
Sustainable agricultural systems are central to future educational activities in both Extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). We have a long history of close cooperation between agencies in design of conservation tillage and crop and range management alternatives. A four-state workshop in 1992 brought together Extension and NRCS specialists to share ideas and learn about integrated crop management; in addition to the special topic presentations, four farmers described their concepts of integrated systems and answered questions from the group. With support from the regional SARE program, a series of eight workshops was held in 1993 on successful farm management strategies, using presentations from federal agencies, Extension, and the farming community. These were predecessors to the current regional training program. A training program, the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Extension Training Consortium, is federally funded by authorization of the 1990 farm bill. In the first year (1995), there is a two-state eco-region-based training project in North and South Dakota, and a regionwide project designed by specialists from the University of Nebraska, Ohio State University, NRCS, and Lincoln University. The overall goal is to prepare a cadre of educators to conduct innovative training in their own states for Extension educators, NRCS specialists, and other agricultural professionals. During 1995 we organized one planning workshop and two "train the trainer" workshops around the theme Everyone a Teacher, Everyone a Learner. Teams are now using this material plus their own unique ideas to implement training programs in each state. Two key issues that surfaced during the planning session were (1) sustainable agriculture must be viewed in a framework of social, economic, and environmental factors, and (2) training must be inclusive, both in terms of trainers and audience. The two subsequent workshops explored economic, social, and environmental dimensions of agriculture through use of a wide range of learning techniques. In Nebraska, the group toured an integrated crop and livestock farm and discussed the merits and limitations of organic production systems. A comprehensive manual was assembled and distributed to more than 500 persons (Carter and Francis, 1995). A series of exploratory conferences and workshops during the past decade has brought the concepts of sustainable agriculture to a broader array of players in this region. A regional conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1988; a national conference in Columbus, Ohio, that same year; and a national conference in Lincoln in 1990 raised the awareness of people in a wide range of organizations about the nature of challenges facing agriculture. These programs helped to coalesce the interest of decision makers, researchers, and educators and increased interest in the fledgling Low-Input, Sustainable Agriculture (LISA, now SARE) program that had received federal support. The National Agricultural Library was instrumental in bringing relevant information into fact sheets and key bibliographies that were widely distributed in the United States. These information activities are now much more sophisticated and readily available to anyone who can access the system electronically or who wishes to request materials by mail. Key resource people include:
Cooperative programs in research and education are being developed across state and disciplinary boundaries to explore the complexities of natural resources, agricultural production, and food systems that will be sustainable for the long term. Education and research are promoted in the north central region of the United States by the federally supported Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program, which involves academic institutions, farmers and ranchers, nonprofit groups, and government agencies working together to meet common goals. Research programs include study of integrated agricultural practices that promote nutrient and water cycling, efficient use of renewable and nonrenewable resources, crop/livestock systems, and sustainable economic returns in alternative systems. Educational programs in the classroom and the field now offer courses in agroforestry, agroecology, natural resource economics, and practical farm design and management. Extension activities are moving beyond a focus on specific technical topics to integration of subject matter in design of whole farm and watershed level systems. The emphasis on larger areas and community concerns distinguishes the new programs from conventional meetings and publications dealing with specific components of technology. A series of workshops, Everyone a Teacher, Everyone a Learner, recognized the wide range of expertise available in the agricultural community and brought key people together to study participatory learning methods for adult audiences. The new North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems is creating a regionwide faculty that includes specialists from government agencies, farmers and ranchers, nonprofit agency members, and academics to design and implement a curriculum focused on integrated agricultural systems. This will include both formal classroom study and field education with on-farm research, crop scouting, community surveys, and other hands-on educational activities. These research and education programs are bringing together expertise from throughout the agricultural sector, and will help to build the human capital needed for tomorrow's food production systems. Carter, H.; and C. Francis, eds. 1995. Everyone a Teacher, Everyone a Learner. N.C. Region SARE Program, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Edwards, C. A.; R. Lal; P. Madden; R. H. Miller; and G. House, eds. 1990. Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeney, Iowa. Francis, C. A.; C. B. Flora; and L. D. King, eds. 1990. Sustainable Agriculture in Temperate Zones. John Wiley and Sons, New York. Francis, C.; R. Janke; V. Mundy; and J. King, eds. 1995. Alternative Approaches to On-Farm Research and Technology Exchange. N.C. Region SARE and ACE Program, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Jackson, W. 1994. Becoming Native to this Place. University of Kentucky Press, Lexington, Kentucky. King, J. W.; and C. A. Francis, eds. 1994. Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture, Vol. 1 and 2. N.C. Region SARE and ACE Programs, Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of NebraskañLincoln. Soule, J. D.; and J. K. Piper. 1992. Farming in Nature's Image: An Ecological Approach to Agriculture. Island Press, Covelo, California. - About the Authors Dr. Charles Francis is a professor of agronomy and the director of the Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has worked on sorghum, pearl millet, crop rotations, and design of future systems. His current focus on field, farm, and watershed design is directed toward an environmentally sound agriculture as part of long-term sustainable development. Dr. Francis was a staff member of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia for seven years, working on corn, beans, and cropping systems. His doctoral study at Cornell University included work in the Philippines on corn breeding and work in Colombia on corn adaptation. Dr. James King is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Communications and Information Technology Unit. During the past 25 years, he has worked and taught at the Universities of Hawaii and Nebraska, Indiana University, and Mashed University (Iran). He has traveled and worked overseas for a number of organizations, including the Food and Agricultural Organization, Arthur D. Little, and UNESCO. His current research interests are in the area of communication, distance learning, and sustainable agriculture and development. He recently completed a SARE project on Extension and education materials for sustainable agriculture. Heidi Carter is the education coordinator for Sustainable Agriculture Systems at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with responsibility for coordinating a 12-state regional training project in sustainable agriculture. Before coming to the University of Nebraska, she was an education coordinator and education/research technician at the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Poteau, Oklahoma. Lisa Brown Jasa is the former communications specialist for the North Central Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program and a communications associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Steve Waller is assistant dean and director of the Agricultural Research Division and associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. | |