Farms modeled on biological systems may better cope with global warming
Farms modeled on biological systems may better cope with global warming
mongabay.com
February 20, 2007
Complex farming systems could be less energy intensive, reduce risk from climate change, and out-produce industrial monocultures says a noted researcher from Iowa State University.
Writing in Agronomy Journal Fred Kirschenmann of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, argues that the industrial farming faces several challenges in coming years, including higher energy prices, depleted water resources, impaired ecosystem services, and unstable climates. He says that mimicking biological systems, which are characterized by multiple species, may offer cost and production benefits to farmers.
“Volatile weather conditions predicted to be part of emerging climate change will make it difficult to sustain highly specialized cropping systems which require relatively stable climates,” states a release from the American Society of Agronomy. “To keep agriculture productive, farmers likely will need to adjust quickly. If we can design farming systems that are less energy intensive, more resilient in the face of unstable climates, and that begin to out-produce monocultures by virtue of their multi-species output, the economic advantages of such complex farming operations might be an incentive to change.”
Kirschenmann’s paper comes two months after a study — appearing in the journal Science — found that diverse mixtures of plants are a better source of biofuels than corn grain ethanol or soybean biodiesel.
Citation: Kirschenmann, F.L. (2007). Potential for a New Generation of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems of the Future. Agronomy Journal 99:373-376 (2007) DOI: 10.2134/agronj2006.0104
This article is based on a news release from the American Society of Agronomy.