Presentation by President of the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies Joshua Ginsberg for a forum on sustainable farming practices. www.caryinstitute.org/forum-farm
Getting farming right : Reflections on ecological sustainability
1. Getting farming right
reflections on ecological sustainability
(nitrogen in the landscape)
November 12, 2016
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Joshua Ginsberg, President
2. Why do we care about Nitrogen?
“In most estuaries, over-enrichment of N leads to
eutrophication, presently the greatest pollution
problem in coastal marine waters of the United
States “
• Increased acidity of soils, water
• Human health (ozone, particulates)
• Forest health (ozone, acidity)
• Ground (drinking) water contamination
3. (Driscoll et al. 2001)
1. Lightning Strikes
2. Fixation by
microorganisms
3. Atmospheric
deposition
4. Uptake
5. Watershed runoff
6. Denitrification by
bacteria.
Nitrogen Fluxes:
Nitrogen Sources:
15. How do we pay for this?
• Long term investment in our land
• 2012 Farm Bill (to be reauthorized in 2019)
– Food stamps ($750 billion)
– Crop subsidies/crop insurance ($140 billion)
– Environmental programs ($55 billion)
16. Environmental Programs … detail
• Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA)
• Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI)
• Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI)
• Conservation of Private Grazing Land Program
• Conservation Reserve Program (Farm Service Agency)
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
• Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP)
• Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
• Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)
• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
• Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP)
• Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program
• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
• Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)
17. Can organic agriculture feed the world?
Catherine Badgley and Ivette Perfecto
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems: 22: 80–85
• Maybe
• Organic methods provide enough calories to support the
whole human population eating as it does today
• Nitrogen-fixing legumes (green manures) can replace
synthetic nitrogen fertilizer currently in use
• Gap is small, a developed world problem (poor
farmers use fewer fertilizers)