Excellence in Ag Sciences Day 2011 Educators connecting Agriculture to Research, John W. Doran Editor: Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems, Co-founder Renewing Earth and Its People Foundation, USDA-ARS Cooperator, Former President SSSA, Agronomy & Horticulture, Univ. Nebraska, In-Field Tests for Soil Quality & Health
48
Embed
Excellence in Ag Sciences Day 2011 Educators connecting Agriculture to Research, John W. Doran Editor: Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems, Co-founder.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Excellence in Ag Sciences Day 2011Educators connecting Agriculture to Research,
John W. DoranEditor: Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems,
Co-founder Renewing Earth and Its People Foundation,USDA-ARS Cooperator, Former President SSSA,
Agronomy & Horticulture, Univ. Nebraska, Lincoln, NEContinuing education : Appalachian School of Life
In-Field Tests for Soil Quality & Health
THREATS to SUSTAININGEARTH & ITS PEOPLE
• Population Growth Adequate Food and Standard of Living
• Fossil Fuel Dependence $ and environmental Costs
POVERTY- - - - - of Affluence - - - - - WAR
ENVIRONMENT HEALTH/AIDS
Early settlers plowing the prairie – To survive in a seemingly hostile environment
2-3 fold grain yield increases from industrial agriculture have come at a fairly high cost and
always subsidized by oil
Green revolution scientists shocked to discover that feeding the world could impair the environment
People who farmed sustainably for over 40 centuries now lose 18 lbs of farmable soil
for every 1 lb of food eaten
For the first time since the dawn of civilization we now have the technological capacity to change the
global environment
Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems
Need Soil Management to economically meet food production needs and maintain quality of essential soil, water, and air resources
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE An agriculture that can EVOLVE toward:
• Greater human UTILITY
• Greater EFFICIENCY of RESOURCE use
• Favorable BALANCE with the ENVIRONMENT
(Richard Harwood, MSU, 1990)
Sustain. Strategies & Indicators
• Conserve soil organic matter Change in time/space (Color chart/Density)