Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century (2010) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix A: Statement of Task
Pages 537-538

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From page 537...
... Although there are many systems of farming that are directed toward reducing costs and environmental impacts, the study will focus on food and fiber production that systematically pursues: • Greater incorporation of natural processes such as nutrient cycles, nitrogen fixa tion, and pest-predator relationships into the production process; • Reduction in the use of off-farm inputs and release of farming byproducts (pollu tion) with the greatest potential to harm the environment or the health of farmers and consumers; • Greater productive use of the biological and genetic potential of plant and animal species; • Improvement of the match between cropping patterns and the productive potential and limitations of agricultural lands to ensure long-term sustainability of current production levels and resiliency under projected climate change conditions; and • Profitable and efficient production, with emphasis on improved farm management and conservation of soil, water, energy, and biological resources.
From page 538...
... agriculture in both the domestic and world economies; • A description of problems in the farm economy and challenges in agricultural pro duction that are driving changes in approaches to farm management in the U.S. and abroad; • An update of the 1989 report's review of the economics of alternative farming sys tems and of methods used to develop cost and productivity comparisons at differ ent levels of analysis, such as the level of individual components of an enterprise, the level of the whole farm, or regional, national, and international levels; • An analysis of progress made in the scientific understanding of systems farming and of the scientific evidence for the contribution of specific practices to the objec tives of maintaining yields, conserving soil, and maintaining water quality, among other goals; • An evaluation of the transferability of systems and practices to different agricul tural settings; • Detailed descriptions of the case studies, including general information about the production operation and its physical and capital characteristics, features of the management systems being used, and indicators of productivity, environmental, and financial performance.


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