| |
A PROPOSED CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
WSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics
Societal concerns
over the loss of agricultural lands and degradation of natural resources,
over air and water pollution and the depletion of nonrenewable energy,
and over food safety, have stimulated concerted efforts to develop
sustainable agricultural systems that retain profitability. These
problems, however, are complex, requiring solutions developed by
farmers, by scientists of many disciplines and by industry, and
supported with educational programs to promote adoption through
partnerships with producers, processors, marketers and consumers.
Such complexities require strong leadership and coordination.
Washington State University, a land grant institution, has statewide
responsibilities for research and teaching. The university's College
of Agriculture and Home Economics (CAHE), with a statewide agricultural
research and extension system, has a history of leadership and has
the technical and educational resources to build the coalitions
required. An improved Washington sustainable agriculture program
can be accomplished through the development of an organizing structure,
a WSU center for sustainable agriculture. The center will lead in
the development of coalitions of producers, processors, marketers
and natural resource managers to assemble field-oriented regionally
and environmentally appropriate practices. Expected outcomes of
a center include more production and conservation alternatives,
improved public cooperation and understanding, increased food safety
education, better stewardship of private and public lands, optimization
of farm level resources, and better matching of technologies and
practices to regional needs.
Introduction
The Present Situation
The outstanding success of U.S. agriculture, in achieving low cost
and abundant food supplies, has been possible through maximized
technology. Yet in recent years agriculturists, environmentalists,
food scientists and the public at large have come to recognize that
our maximum production strategy has serious ecological, environmental
and economic consequences that undermine the sustainability of our
production systems. If agriculture cannot be both sustainable and
profitable the viability of rural life in our state will continue
to be threatened.
Some of the public views agriculture as environmentally destructive
because of its perceived reliance on synthetic inputs, high energy
consumption and as a source of environmental pollutants. Fertilizers
and pesticides or their metabolites are found in surface and ground
waters. Aerial transfer of pesticides has caused crop damage and
has led to health concerns. Soil erosion is depleting our arable
land base and polluting our streams and reservoirs. Induced resistance
of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics, and by plant pathogens,
weeds, insects and mites to pesticides render these valuable compounds
useless.
Conservation practices in agriculture and natural resources are
current subjects of great public interest. Consumer groups are also
raising more questions about the quality and safety of food in the
marketplace. In fact, representatives of various factions that claim
to represent the public are playing an oversight role in monitoring
agriculture and natural resources, and are increasingly recommending
courses of action that are laudable in intent but are often untested
or impractical.
Producers, processors and marketers have a growing awareness of
their responsibility to control the dissemination of environmental
pollutants. They are also keenly aware that our agricultural system,
though highly productive, has become complex and often marginally
profitable. Attempts to manage our present system have frequently
resulted in conflicting federal and state policies.
Uniqueness of Washington's Agriculture
Within the framework of national food and fiber production and
the preservation of natural resources, Washington has several unique
features. Our rich environmental diversity has provided a strong
base for agriculture and natural resources. Agriculture is our main
industry, with a 1988 value of $3.6 billion for the top 40 commodities,
and with significant add-ons through the sale of agricultural supplies
and machinery and through food processing and marketing. Added to
this is a notable forest industry, wild lands, wet lands, aquaculture,
outdoor recreational lands and facilities, wildlife resources, and
sport and commercial fisheries. Several state and federal agencies
are responsible for managing these resources, but leadership and
coordination are urgently needed. Sustainability is vital to the
economy of Washington. It implies profitability and competitiveness
via the development and preservation of national and international
markets. We are highly dependent on an export economy for agricultural
and forest products, with 25% of crops presently exported overseas.
Governments and consumers in market countries display increasing
concerns over their food imports, particularly in the area of chemicals
used in producing food.
The Role of WSU CAHE
The development and promotion of sustainable agriculture is dependent
on research and education. Consequently, Washington State University's
College of Agriculture and Home Economics is uniquely suited to
play a pivotal role in the state. It is a mission of the College
to conduct research in response to the public's needs. The College
has the necessary leadership, and research and teaching skills to
assist in the development of alternative approaches in crop and
animal production, rural development and natural resource management.
It also has a statewide extension system skilled in interacting
with farmers to help them choose among alternative production practices,
and to encourage consensus among and between rural and urban communities.
For some thirty-five years, a number of WSU faculty have had long-term
resident experiences in less developed countries, helping to increase
food production and to manage natural resources - lessons in more
simplified input systems that are relevant to sustainability in
the U.S.
A historical role in the development of sustainability practices
includes such tactics as disease-resistant cereals, mite integrated
pest management (IPM) in tree fruits, use of crop residues as animal
feed, range and forest land stewardship programs, water quality
monitoring, and alternative crop rotations. Plant pathologists have
developed ways in which crop rotations and soil management can control
root pathogens of cereals and other crops, and the integrated mite
control recommendations for pome fruits protect predatory mites
and significantly reduce pesticide applications. Biological control
of rangeland weeds is an active area of investigation. Agronomists
and soil scientists have assisted with comparison studies between
conventional and organic farming and other sustainability practices.
Biotechnology research includes various means of inserting into
crop plants exotic genes that combat insects and plant diseases.
Projects within the national Low Input Sustainable Agriculture
(LISA) program are underway in dryland cereal production, comprising
Washington and five other western states; horticultural production
systems, mainly of berries and vegetables, in western Washington
and Oregon; agroforestry involving orchards and meat animal production;
and economic comparisons of alternative production systems. Increasingly,
faculty positions are joint research and extension appointments.
Extension has introduced an innovative grant program to encourage
faculty to undertake subjects addressing environmental concerns
and related issues. There is significant support, through the reallocation
of internal resources, for research in biotechnology and genetic
engineering. A database of SA publications relevant to the Pacific
Northwest is underway, as well as surveys of traditional and alternative
agriculture farmers. These present activities set the framework
for implementation of a more focused and holistic statewide sustainable
agriculture program.
Coordination Needed
A WSU Center for Agricultural Sustainability can enhance the coordination
of resources within CAHE to address diverse issues. A center will
lead and coordinate research and extension thrusts and will integrate
disciplines for solving problems. A center needs to develop the
means of ensuring clientele involvement, namely farmers, processors,
marketers, resource managers and the concerned public; and to develop
coalitions of the above clientele with agricultural researchers
and extensionists, environmentalists, biotechnologists and genetic
engineering specialists and cooperatives' producers. In short, a
center will provide a public forum for many interests, seeking regionally
responsive solutions.
A number of states have developed centers or institutes to promote
agricultural and environmental sustainability. As many as 35 state
extension services now have sustainable agricultural educational
programs. Federal agencies and private foundations are modifying
policies to encourage SA research and education.
Sustainable Agriculture Defined
Sustainable agriculture (SA) envisions concepts of food and environmental
continuity and profitability. One definition developed by the American
Society of Agronomy states: "A sustainable agriculture system
is one that, over the long term, 1) Enhances environmental quality
and the resource base on which agriculture depends, 2) Provides
for basic human food and fiber needs, 3) Is economically viable,
and 4) Enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a
whole." While this definition provides a useful point of departure,
WSU CAHE anticipates that a more inclusive vision will also encompass
the state's forests, aquaculture and other natural resource interests.
A Center for Sustainable Agriculture
There are increasing interdependencies between agriculture, public
sentiment, and the environment. Clearly, the CAHE is evolving, redefining
its role with Washington State food and agriculture. In this process
it is necessary to foster a more active clientele partnership in
the College's programs.
CAHE research, extension and resident instruction programs are
organized around academic disciplines. This pattern has evolved
through our need for specialized knowledge of agricultural technologies
to apply to production environments. It is not surprising then,
that most of our programs have emphasized production agriculture,
with less attention directed to the human and environmental impacts
of these technologies.
Under our existing organizational structure and rewards system,
there has been little encouragement for faculty to work in interdisciplinary
teams or to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries. Disciplinary
compartmentalization does not address the need for systems-oriented
research, and for education that reflects food system interdependencies,
and thus makes the development of research and educational teams
difficult.
While CAHE research and extension programs have made great strides
in addressing the changing agricultural situation, they have not
kept pace with the rapidly growing public involvement in agriculture.
With proper organization and resources, WSU CAHE can be the focal
point of an urgently needed public forum for food, agriculture and
natural resources.
A Common Ground
A Center for Sustainable Agriculture would serve as a common ground
for amalgamating the wide range of Washington agriculture, natural
resources, and food system interests. For those aspects that are
production oriented, profitability must be preserved. Food safety,
agricultural practices, environmental protection and water quality
are high on the minds of the public. It is an opportune time for
the CAHE to redirect its priorities in order to coordinate the interests
of the people and communities of Washington. Many other state educational
and research entities, as well as natural resource management agencies,
have responsibilities that relate to sustainability. The College
must ensure that these groups are more actively included in planning
and execution of field-oriented programs.
A center would serve as a conduit among researchers, educators,
producers, marketers, consumers, environmentalists, and other special
interest groups. It would provide a vehicle for carrying out field-oriented
research in which clientele, particularly producers, can help establish
priorities for specific on-farm documentation and on-station research
to meet immediate needs.
Integration of Disciplines and Functions
A sustainable agriculture center coordinates a critical mass of
expertise from several disciplines. CAHE has specialists in education;
plant and animal production, protection and marketing; biotechnology;
natural resources and environment; the social sciences; and food
science and nutrition.
A center can optimize the College's assets and attract new resources.
It can enhance the abilities of individuals and departments to accomplish
their objectives, and stimulate creativity in new and important
directions. The integration of disciplines also ensures that the
human, ethical and environmental aspects of agriculture are addressed.
By giving increased attention to location-specific on-farm documentation
and on-station research, a center can strengthen the blend of research
and extension functions. Extension personnel will be better able
to contribute to research and to draw on regionally appropriate,
research-based information. Correspondingly, researchers will be
more in tune with producers' actual situations and can collaborate
more meaningfully with producers and extension personnel in resolving
problems.
Regional Responsiveness
Washington State is extremely diverse ecologically, economically,
socially, and culturally. Many production and marketing systems
have evolved-intense small fruit and vegetable systems in the shadow
of the urbanizing west coast; irrigated tree fruit, viticulture,
vegetable, livestock and forage systems in the Columbia Basin and
central region; rain fed cereal, legume and livestock systems in
the eastern region. Within each region exist subsystems based on
the cultural history of the people, market availability, climatic
and natural resource characteristics, and so on.
It is a continual challenge to extend university resources to the
unique needs of each region. In part, this concern is addressed
by the positioning of extension offices and research units throughout
the state. What is needed is a concentration of regional resources,
organized in locally appropriate ways, to respond to unique local
needs. A sustainable agriculture center with regional subunits could
do this by focusing interdisciplinary teams on prioritized problems.
The Center's Mission, Functions and Activities
Major directions and programs and outputs can help to envision
the characteristics of a SA center for Washington.
Primary Mission
To help producers, consumers, organizational leaders, and businesses
of Washington State in the stewardship of their individual and shared
resources in order to assure future food and environmental quality
and economic viability through the:
- Development of alternative production and marketing systems
- Support of research projects that provide needed SA tactics,
i.e. biotechnology, water management, soil conservation, biological
control, IPM, alternative animal feeds, etc.
- Dissemination of knowledge and information on sustainable agriculture
systems
- Solicitation of resources from federal, state and private sources
to test, develop and promote alternative systems
- Facilitation of active partnerships with clientele, interest
groups, agencies and organizations
Primary Functions
Primary functions of a CAHE Center for Sustainable Agriculture
are:
Research. Identify and test interdisciplinary
sustainable agriculture practices which involve on-farm testing
and on-station system-oriented regionally appropriate research.
Support specific research projects that develop tactics supporting
SA.
Education. Serve as a source of information
on SA systems and actively educate the public and producers on environmentally
sound and economically viable and socially acceptable management
practices.
Communication. Provide a public forum for
communication and coalition building among consumers, producers,
and WSU faculty to find a common ground for problem-solving through
innovative strategies for agricultural sustainability.
Coordination. Coordinate, integrate and
seek funding for research, extension and resident instruction in
SA. Link the center's activities and programs with those throughout
WSU and other state, federal and international agencies. Provide
an infrastructure which encourages WSU faculty to participate in
SA programs.
Principal Activities
Initially, the main activities of the center would be to:
- Conduct on-farm and on-station testing and research, including
case studies;
- Develop and administer a grant pool to support research and
educational activities;
- Conduct educational forums, conferences and training programs;
- Produce newsletters, bulletins, user guides and other training
materials and grant information;
- Develop and maintain a computer-based information retrieval
system on SA;
- Provide promotional communications;
- Evaluate the center's programs.
Implementation Strategy
A promising means of evolving more viable sustainable agriculture
in Washington is through the building of coalitions. Producers,
processors, marketers and conservationists, not necessarily mutually
exclusive terms, all have environmental and food safety goals that
are parallel but that may promote conflicting strategies to achieve
these goals owing to economic or practical considerations. With
statewide centers at the county level, WSU's College of Agriculture
and Home Economics has the capacity to involve all interested parties
in the planning and development process and thus to provide the
means to test alternative agricultural systems under conditions
that ensure a participatory process. The beneficiaries of such coalitions
are the public at large and future citizens.
Development of regionally suited sustainable agriculture practices,
particularly in the diverse agricultural and natural resource environments
of Washington, requires a well designed implementation plan. Several
logical steps for implementation are suggested, such as:
- Organizational Plan. A center organizational plan should
be developed that is responsive to regional and/or commodity strategies,
and that establishes priorities and schedules for their conduct.
A director of the center should be appointed, to be filled by
an individual best suited for criteria described as necessary
for the position. By similar means, regional full- or part-time
coordinators should be assigned. Leadership should be selected
with adequate representation of research, extension and instructional
faculty.
- Advisory Board. Establish an advisory board for sustainable
agriculture, with representation from state agencies listed in
e., from traditional and alternative agricultural producers, from
the ag-supply industry, from processors, from marketing groups,
from consumer groups, and from natural resource and agricultural
organizations. Because of regional characteristics, there should
be regional representatives on the board. The board would meet
to review the validity of research and educational thrusts coordinated
through the center and to assist in planning future directions.
- Expertise Assessment. A college-wide review of relevant
expertise is needed. A poll is planned to document the skills
and interests of all College faculty and USDA collaborators statewide,
as these might apply to the development of sustainable agriculture
strategies and tactics.
- Resource Development and Allocation. The college should
internally allocate, and obtain from legislative, foundation,
or industry sources sufficient funds to establish a Washington
Center for Sustainable Agriculture. A center headquarters is needed
as well and any necessary satellite units, for support staff,
equipment and supplies, and for publications. A pool must be developed
for funding innovative SA programs through a competitive grant
system.
- Enlist University and State Technical Resources. Encourage
collaborative programs within the university between the College
of Agriculture and Home Economics and other divisions such as
the International Program Development Office, the Water Research
Center, the IMPACT Center (export marketing), Program in Environmental
Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, and various biotechnology
and genetic engineering projects. Develop cooperative SA programs
with other state universities in Washington and agencies such
as the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the Department
of Ecology, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Wildlife,
the State Conservation Commission, the Department of Social &
Health Services, and the Department of Natural Resources.
- Policy Review. Relevant college administration should
review policies to ensure that faculty participation in SA is
encouraged, including criteria to adequately reward participation
of interdisciplinary team members addressing segments of SA issues.
Steps should be taken to assure continuing and predictable funding
for base SA operations.
Primary Beneficiaries and Impacts
Primary Beneficiaries
Consumers. Washington citizens, who have significant environmental
and food safety concerns, are primary beneficiaries. They will participate
directly in the center’s programs through representatives from
such interests as food quality and safety, environment, farm profitability,
etc., and indirectly by being recipients of knowledge and information
about sustainable agriculture.
Producers, Processors and Marketers. Both large and small
scale agricultural and forest producers, including those applying
conventional, transitional, alternative and organic practices, are
beneficiaries through participation in center programs. Producers,
processors and marketers will help determine research priorities
and evaluate the effectiveness of programs.
Growers will do their own on-farm trials or collaborate with research
and extension personnel in designing and conducting appropriate
on-farm testing and documentation and on-station research. Processors
and marketers will receive benefits on matters of food quality and
safety. Field-ready research results can immediately benefit participating
clientele’s own operations. Producers, processors and marketers
will also be key participants in an improved communication and cooperation
process involving faculty, consumers, environmentalists and other
interest group representatives.
CAHE Faculty. Faculty will benefit through broadened applications
of disciplinary knowledge, increased understanding of colleagues’
disciplines, and better knowledge of the public’s needs. New
skills will be learned in collaboration with other team members,
and there will be potential for improved understanding of local
production and management problems and alternatives. Team problem
solving and association with colleagues from other disciplines offers
opportunities for enhanced creativity and has potential for professional
renewal. There will also be increased resources for their programs.
Primary Impacts
The following are expected center impacts:
- More alternative production and conservation practices
- Improved public cooperation and understanding
- Greater clientele involvement in CAHE programs
- Increased visibility of Washington agriculture, and of WSU’s
role with food, agriculture and the environment
- More food safety education
- Improved stewardship of private and public lands
- Optimization in the use of farm level resources
- Better matching of practices and technologies to regional needs
|
|
