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Introduction
Introduction
As west Michigan's farming communities face growing environmental challenges, sustainable agricultural practices will play a critical role in supporting local ecological and economic prosperity.
With increasing local concerns about environmental issues like soil degradation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss, it is crucial for these communities to adopt sustainable practices that can help mitigate these issues and promote long-term ecological wellbeing.
Sustainable agriculture offers solutions that benefit both the environment and the economy of west Michigan. This page explores how the implementation of sustainable farming techniques in west Michigan can improve ecological health while also ensuring the economic stability of farming communities.
Why This Matters
Why This Matters
This research aims to answer the question: "How can sustainable agriculture practices in west Michigan contribute to both ecological health and the economic stability of farming communities?"
This is a critical topic for further study because while many of the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable agriculture have been documented, research about west Michigan specifically is still lacking. Given west Michigan’s large economic reliance on agriculture, understanding how sustainable practices from across the world can be adapted to this region is essential for promoting long-term ecological balance and economic resilience.
Literature Review
Literature Review
Out With The Old: Dangers of Industrial Farming
Out With The Old: Dangers of Industrial Farming
The need for sustainable agriculture has grown in response to the increasingly negative environmental impacts of industrial farming practices, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss.
A study by Smith and Johnson (2021) highlights the significant contributions of industrial agriculture to these environmental issues. The article claims that practices such as monocropping and excessive chemical inputs by means of pesticides and chemical fertilizers exacerbate soil degradation and water contamination.
Protecting Resource Systems With Agroecology
Protecting Resource Systems With Agroecology
Faucon et al. (2023) proposes that agroecology, which integrates ecological principles into farming, can enhance biodiversity while supporting resilient farm systems. This perspective is critical for west Michigan, where maintaining soil fertility and water quality is essential for long-term agricultural sustainability.
Avasiloaiei et al. (2023) highlights how carbon farming strategies, such as crop rotation and organic fertilization methods, can enhance soil health and reduce carbon emissions. This exemplifies a way to simultaneously address climate change and improve farm productivity.
Money is Green: Profitability of Sustainability
Money is Green: Profitability of Sustainability
Economically, sustainable agriculture has the potential to improve farm profitability by reducing input costs and increasing market access for environmentally friendly products. Feliciano (2022) suggests that sustainable farms often achieve long-term profitability by lowering costs associated with chemical inputs and benefiting from the premium prices of organic products, which is a growing market.
The transition to sustainable methods, such as using organic fertilizers or renewable energy sources, can help stabilize farm incomes by reducing dependence on external inputs and fluctuating energy costs, as explored by Mathur et al. (2022).
Waste Not Want Not: Integrated Farming Systems, Co-Products, and Intercropping
Waste Not Want Not: Integrated Farming Systems, Co-Products, and Intercropping
Meena et al. (2024) demonstrate that Integrated Farming Systems (IFS), which combines crops, livestock, and other farm components, can improve resource efficiency and reduce waste while increasing overall farm profitability. In the context of west Michigan, IFSs could provide a model for enhancing both ecological health through nutrient recycling and biodiversity, and economic stability by increasing the productivity of individual small farms and diversifying their income streams.
Similarly, Venslauskas et al. (2022) highlights the environmental benefits of using nutrient and co-product flows, such as manure for biogas production, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve farm sustainability. These practices not only contribute to ecological health but also provide economic benefits by reducing input costs and generating renewable energy.
One of the most promising areas of sustainable agriculture, highlighted by Qian et al. (2022), is the use of intercropping to reduce the reliance on chemical fertilizers while maintaining high yields. Their research on oat and sunflower intercropping demonstrates that this method can reduce the need for artificial nitrogen inputs. This is particularly relevant for west Michigan’s farms that struggle with soil health and fertilizer runoff.
Overcoming Integration Barriers
Overcoming Integration Barriers
Despite the potential benefits, the literature also points to significant barriers to the adoption of sustainable practices. Feliciano (2022) and Dong and Li (2023) emphasize that upfront costs, lack of access to knowledge networks, and market uncertainties can discourage farmers from transitioning to sustainable methods. In west Michigan, these barriers are amplified by the small scale of many farms, where the financial risks associated with changing established practices is a considerable roadblock.
Feliciano’s study on horticultural farmers reveals that while market demand for sustainable products can drive adoption, many farmers remain hesitant due to perceived risks. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis conducted by Avasiloaiei et al. (2023) indicates that while carbon farming strategies present opportunities for enhanced sustainability and financial opportunity, barriers related to farmer education, support systems, and policy frameworks must be addressed to foster widespread adoption.
This suggests that policies supporting sustainability education, subsidies that favor sustainable agriculture methods, and other financial incentives could play a crucial role in encouraging sustainable agriculture in west Michigan.
Food Facts: Top West Michigan Food Producers
Food Facts: Top West Michigan Food Producers
Allegan County ranks first in Blueberry cultivation, with 16,900 acres harvested, yielding 87,500,000 lbs, and a value of $120,470,000
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2024).
Ottawa County ranks first in Cucumber cultivation, with 29,000 acres planted, 28,500 acres harvested, and a production of 427,500,000, lbs valued at $58,737,000
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2024).
Muskegon County ranks first in Apple cultivation, with 37,000 acres harvested, yielding 1,340,000,000 pounds, and a value of $350,209,000
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2024).
Van Buren County ranks first in Tart Cherry cultivation, with 26,500 acres harvested, yielding 133,000,000 pounds, and a value of $22,571,000
(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2024).
Theoretical Framework
Theoretical Framework
Ostrom's Socio-Economic Framework
Ostrom's Socio-Economic Framework
This study adopts Ostrom’s Socio-Ecological Systems Framework as a guiding theoretical model to investigate how sustainable agriculture practices in west Michigan can contribute to both ecological health and the economic stability of farming communities. By applying Ostrom’s Socio-Ecological Framework, this study will provide a comprehensive and quantifiable understanding of the interconnected ecological and economic dimensions of sustainability in the agricultural sector of west Michigan.
Ostrom’s SES framework can be broken down into multiple components, as visualized in Figure 1.
Ostrom’s SES framework can be broken down into multiple components, as visualized in Figure 1.
Resource System measurements will include soil health, water quality, and biodiversity.
Resource Units can be measured in terms of agricultural yield of specific products, revenue from crop and livestock sales, and the value of ecosystem services generated, such as carbon sequestration and improved soil fertility.
Governance Systems can be assessed through an analysis of existing policies and incentives that influence farming practices, including the number of farmers participating in sustainable-farming programs, subsidies for sustainable practices, and compliance with environmental regulations.
Actors will be assessed by understanding the perceptions and decision making processes of farmers and other local stakeholders. (Hinkel et al. 2014)
References
References
Avasiloaiei, D. I., Calara, M., Brezeanu, P. M., Gruda, N. S., & Brezeanu, C. (2023). The evaluation of carbon farming strategies in organic vegetable cultivation. Agronomy, 13(9), 2406. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13092406
Dong, H., & Li, T. (2023). Climate economics and finance: A literature review | Climate Economics and Finance - Anser Press. https://doi.org/10.58567/cef01010003
Faucon, M.-P., Aussenac, T., Debref, R., Firmin, S., Houben, D., Marraccini, E., Sauvée, L., Trinsoutrot-Gattin, I., & Gloaguen, R. (2023). Combining agroecology and bioeconomy to meet the societal challenges of agriculture. Plant and Soil, 492(1), 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06294-y
Feliciano, D. (2022). Factors influencing the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices: the case of seven horticultural farms in the United Kingdom. Scottish Geographical Journal, 138(3–4), 291–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2022.2151041
Hinkel, J., Bots, P. W. G., & Schlüter, M. (2014). Enhancing the Ostrom social-ecological system framework through formalization. In Ecology and Society (Vol. 19, Issue 3). https://www.jstor.org/stable/26269623
Jacques, P., & Jacques, J. (2012). Monocropping Cultures into Ruin: The Loss of Food Varieties and Cultural Diversity. Sustainability, 4(11), 2970–2997. https://doi.org/10.3390/su4112970
Lindberg, H. (2018, September 6). Michigan floriculture: Cultivating beauty. Floriculture & Greenhouse Crop Production. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan-floriculture-cultivating-beauty
Mary Dunckel, Michigan State University Extension. (2011, July 28). Michigan leads the nation in the production of blueberries and tart cherries. MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/michigan_leads_the_nation_in_the_production_of_blueberries_and_tart_cherrie
Mathur, S., †, Waswani, H., †, Singh, D., & Ranjan, R.,. (2022). Alternative fuels for agriculture sustainability: carbon footprint and economic feasibility. In Lin Wei (Ed.), AgriEngineering (Vol. 4, pp. 993–1015). https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering4040063
Meena, L., Kochewad, S., Kumar, D., Malik, S., Meena, S., & Anjali. (2024). Development of sustainable integrated farming systems for small and marginal farmers and ecosystem services -A Comprehensive Review. Agricultural Science Digest - a Research Journal, Of. https://doi.org/10.18805/ag.d-5961
Partelow, Stefan. “Coevolving Ostrom’s social–ecological Systems (SES) framework and sustainability science: four key co-benefits.” Sustainability Science, 11(3), Dec. 2015, pp. 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-015-0351-3.
Piso, Z., Goralnik, L., Libarkin, J. C., & Lopez, M. C. (2018). Types of urban agricultural stakeholders and their understandings of govern. . .: EBSCOhost. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=c178648e-6e50-417d-90a7-6b0d9be28de9%40redis
Qian, X., Zhou, J., Luo, B., Dai, H., Hu, Y., Ren, C., Peixoto, L., Guo, L., Wang, C., Zamanian, K., Zhao, B., Zang, H., & Zeng, Z. (2022). Yield advantage and carbon footprint of oat/sunflower relay strip intercropping depending on nitrogen fertilization. Plant and Soil, 481(1–2), 581–594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05661-5
Rasmussen, L. V., Grass, I., Mehrabi, Z., Smith, O. M., Bezner-Kerr, R., Blesh, J., Garibaldi, L. A., Isaac, M. E., Kennedy, C. M., Wittman, H., Batáry, P., Buchori, D., Cerda, R., Chará, J., Crowder, D. W., Darras, K., DeMaster, K., Garcia, K., Gómez, M., & Gonthier, D. (2024). Joint Environmental and Social Benefits Diversified Agriculture: EBSCOhost. (n.d.).https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=38dfc357-e2d4-41c3-9f19-0390dc85c388%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHNzbyZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=176427448&db=asn
Schlegel, T. (2023). Michigan agriculture industry cluster workforce analysis report. Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget, Michigan Center for Data and Analytics. Retrieved from https://milmi.org/_docs/publications/Cluster_reports_2023/Michigan-Agriculture-Industry-Cluster-Workforce-Analysis-Report.pdf
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2023a). Michigan apple and tart cherry production. National Agricultural Statistics Service. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=MICHIGAN
Venslauskas, K., Navickas, K., Rubežius, M., Tilvikienė, V., Supronienė, S., Doyeni, M. O., Barčauskaitė, K., Bakšinskaitė, A., & Bunevičienė, K. (2022). Environmental impact assessment of sustainable pig farm via management of nutrient and Co-Product flows in the farm. Agronomy, 12(4), 760. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12040760%3d#AN=176427448&db=asn
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