Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-19T02:12:19.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Challenges for maintaining sustainable agricultural systems in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2008

J.D. Hanson ,
John Hendrickson  and
Dave Archer
J.D. Hanson*
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, 1701 10th Ave., S.W., PO Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554, USA.
John Hendrickson
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, 1701 10th Ave., S.W., PO Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554, USA.
Dave Archer
Affiliation:
USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, 803 Iowa Ave., Morris, MN 56267, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: jon@mandan.ars.usda.gov
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

During the 20th century, US agriculture underwent vast transformations. The number of farmers has decreased, more farmers are relying on off-farm income, agriculture's proportion of the US GDP has declined, and a minority of non-metro counties in the US are farming dependent. Agriculture's evolution will continue and we have identified key trends and future challenges to effectively manage our changing agricultural system. Eight current trends in US agriculture were identified. These included: (1) increased land degradation; (2) competing land uses; (3) focus on single ecosystem service; (4) increase in farm size; (5) movement toward commercialization; (6) genetic engineering; (7) global markets; and (8) changing social structure. Future trends likely to affect agriculture include: (1) diminishing and increasingly volatile farm incomes; (2) reduced government involvement in food regulation; (3) continued transition from farming to agribusiness; (4) land-use will become a major issue; (5) increasing animal protein consumption in the US; (6) increased public input on livestock production practices; (7) increasing urbanization of historically rural US counties; (8) increased public concern over food safety; (9) increased medicinal production from agriculture; (10) new tastes, markets and opportunities will emerge. We further postulated that future challenges facing US agriculture might include: (1) competitive pressures; (2) sustainable development; (3) resource conservation; and (4) research and development. Integrated agricultural systems may be flexible enough to address these challenges. However, robust principles will be needed to design adaptable integrated agricultural systems. We present a nonexclusive list of preliminary principles under the four general categories of (1) economics and economic policies; (2) environmental; (3) social and political; and (4) technological.

Keywords

agriculturaltrendschallengessustainabilityecosystemservicecommercialization
Type
Commentary
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 23 , Special Issue 4: Principles of Integrated Agricultural Systems , December 2008 , pp. 325 - 334
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Hill, S.B. 1991. Environmentally Sustainable Food and Agriculture. Available at web site http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP11.htm (accessed August 30, 2005).Google Scholar
2 Bergström, L. and Goulding, K.W.T. 2005. Perspectives and challenges in the future use of plant nutrients in tilled and mixed agricultural systems. Ambio 34:283–287.Google Scholar
3 Gold, M.V. 1999. Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms. Special Reference Briefs Series No. SRB 99-02. National Agricultural Library.Google Scholar
4 Ramankutty, N. and Foley, J.A. 1999. Estimating historical changes in global land cover: croplands from 1700 to 1992. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 13:997–1027.Google Scholar
5 The International Education Site. 2005. Available at Web site http://www.intstudy.com/articles/ec186a05.htm (accessed May 2, 2005).Google Scholar
6 Tilman, D. 1999. Global environmental impacts of agricultural expansion: the need for sustainable and efficient practices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 96:5995–6000.Google Scholar
7 Dimitri, C., Effland, A., and Conklin, N. 2005. The 20th Century Transformation of US Agriculture and Farm Policy. Electronic Report from the Economic Research Service. Economic Information Bulletin Number 3.Google Scholar
8 FAO AGL. 2003. Available at Web site http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/agll/terrastat/wsrout.asp?wsreport=4region=1&region=2&region=3&region=4&region=5&region=6&region=7&region=8&=Display+statistics+%21 (updated February 6, 2003; accessed December 2, 2005).Google Scholar
9 Kates, R.W. and Parris, T.M. 2003. Long-term trends and a sustainability transition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 100:8062–8067.Google Scholar
10 Westerby, M. and Krupa, K.S. 2001. Major uses of land in the United States, 1997. Statistical Bulletin No. 973. Resource Economics Division, Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
11 NASS. 2005. Trends in U.S. agriculture. Available at Web site http://www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/trends/index.htm (accessed December 15, 2005).Google Scholar
12 Hoppe, R.A. and Korb, P. 2005. Large and small farms: trends and characteristics. In Banker, D.E. and MacDonald, J.M. (eds) Structural and Financial Characteristics of U.S. Farms: 2004 Family Farm Report. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 797. Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA. p. 5–21.Google Scholar
13 Robertson, G.R. and Swinton, S.M. 2005. Reconciling agricultural productivity and environmental integrity: a grand challenge for agriculture. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 3:38–46.Google Scholar
14 Ollinger, M., Nguyen, S.V., Blayney, D., Chambers, B., and Nelson, K. 2005. Structural change in the meat, poultry, dairy, and grain processing industries. Economic Research Report 3. Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
15 Drabenstott, M. 1999. Consolidation in US agriculture: the new rural landscape and public policy. Economic Review First Quarter 1999: 64–71.Google Scholar
16 Stauber, K.N., Hassebrook, C., Bird, E.A.R., Bultena, G.L., Hoiberg, E.O., MacCormick, H., and Menanteau-Horta, D. 1995. The promise of sustainable agriculture. In Bird, E.A.R., Bultena, G.L., and Gardner, J.C. (eds) Planting the Future—Developing an Agriculture that Sustains the Land and Community. Iowa State University Press, Ames. p. 3–15.Google Scholar
17 ERS. 2005. Adoption of genetically engineered crops in the US. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/BiotechCrops/adoption.htm (accessed December 6, 2005).Google Scholar
18 Kern, M. 2002. Food, feed, fibre, fuel, and industrial products of the future: challenges and opportunities. Understanding the strategic potential of plant genetic engineering. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 188: 291–305.Google Scholar
19 Ash, M. 2001. Soybeans: Background and Issues for Farm Legislation. OCS-0701-01. Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
20 Thiermann, A.B. 2001. Sustainable Animal Production: Conference, Workshops, Discussion. 2001 Research Consortium Sustainable Animal Production. Available at Web site http://www.agriculture.deGoogle Scholar
21 Allen, R. and Harris, G. 2005. What we know about the demographics of US farm operators. Agricultural Outlook Forum, Presented February 25, 2005. Available at Web site http://www.nass.usdagov/census/census02/otheranalysis/demographicpaper022505.htm (accessed December 7, 2005).Google Scholar
22 Ikerd, J.E. 1993. The need for a systems approach to sustainable agriculture. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 46:147–160.Google Scholar
23 Fresco, L.O. 2002. The future of agriculture: challenges for environment, health and safety regulation of pesticides. Presentation to the OECD Working Group on Pesticides, Paris, February 4, 2002. Available at Web site http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/oecd.pdf (accessed December 15, 2005).Google Scholar
24 Weston, R.F. 1993. Sustainable Development: Definition Implementation Strategies. Roy Weston, Inc., West Chester.Google Scholar
25 Brooks, N. and Carter, E. 2005. Outlook for US Agricultural Trade. AES-48. Economic Research Service and Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
26 Ludgwig, D.R., Hilborn, R., and Walters, C. 1993. Uncertainty, resource exploitation, and conservation: lessons from history. Science 260:17–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar