paradigm shift in agriculture for sustainable rural...

Seminar in Rural Sustainability:

Sustainable Agriculture

Paradigm Shift in Agriculture for

Sustainable Rural Development

Photo Credit: Stanford Produce

Module Readings1. Beus, C.E. and Dunlap, R.E. 1990. Conventional versus Alternative Agriculture: The Paradigmatic Roots

for the Debate. Rural Sociology, 55: 590-616. http://www.soc.iastate.edu/class/325/beus.pdf

2. Ikerd, John E. 1998. Sustainable Development as a Rural Economic Development Strategy: http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/sa-cdst.htm

3. Stinner, D H, Paoletti, M G and Stinner, B R (1989). In search of traditional farm wisdom for a more sustainable agriculture: a study of Amish farming and society. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 27: 77-90.

4. Anderson, Molly D. 2008. Sustainable agriculture and rural development in the United States: Progress and priorities. Supplement to Non-governmental Organization Major Group Paper for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)-16, 5-16 May 2008. Retrieved from http://www.foodsystems-integrity.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/US_NGO_Supplement.2103954.pdf

5. McFadden, Steven. 2003. History of Community Supported Agriculture Part 1 and 2: http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml and http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0204/csa2/part2.shtml

6. Biofueling Rural Development: Making the case for linking biofuel production to rural revitalization: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/PB_biofuels.pdf



http://www.soc.iastate.edu/class/325/beus.pdf

http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/sa-cdst.htm



http://www.foodsystems-integrity.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/US_NGO_Supplement.2103954.pdf



http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml



http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0204/csa2/part2.shtml

http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/PB_biofuels.pdf

Module Outline

History of Agriculture

Current Agriculture Structure

Paradigm Shift: Conventional to Sustainable

Alternative Agriculture Development: Biofuels

Discussion/Conclusions



Module Objectives

1. Understand historical trends in rural agriculture

2. Understand paradigm shift from conventional to sustainable

agriculture in a rural community setting

3. Illustrate advantages/constraints for shift in North America

4. Understand driving forces in adaptation of alternative agricultural

strategies for rural development

5. Question the viability of sustainable agriculture in rural

development?



History of Agriculture in Rural

Communities

Please view the following videos

1. www.youtube.com/watch?v=oieJ8X7nCwo

2. www.youtube.com/user/marketnewsgroup#p/u/1/txw_nUXiRuY



Photo Credit: University of Manitoba Archives

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oieJ8X7nCwo

http://www.youtube.com/user/marketnewsgroup

U.S. Agricultural Trends



Increased use of

machines

Expensive Inputs

•Not all farmers

could/would invest

Increasedspecialization

Larger quantities of

a limited number of products

Fewer farms

needed to meet the

same demand

Structural change in agriculture sector to

Industrialized Agriculture

The Industrialized Agriculture in

the U.S.A

“The fundamental purpose of industrialization is to enhance productivity and economic efficiency by making it possible to produce a greater value of output from a given amount of input”.

Agriculture became more mechanized, which allowing farmers to consolidate more land, labor, and capital under their control.

Industrialization has brought tremendous economic benefits by reducing cost and increasing the availability of food, it has done so by imposing significant costs on nature and society through environmental degradation and growing social inequity.



Industrialization Path

Development of food processors,

such as meat packing, which is

controlled by large corporations

Development of food retailers,

such as Wal-Mart.

Development of Fast Food

restaurants, such as McDonalds

and KFC



Mechanization

Horses and Mules

MachinesBiological

and Chemical Sciences

Improved Management

Practices



Mechanization led to:

•Decline of land devoted to oats and a rise in soybean acreage

•Corn is now produced on more area than any other crop in the U.S.

•Double cross hybrid seed varieties that made it more resistant to pests

and diseases

Increased agricultural production due to:

•Technology

•Animal Husbandry

•Cropping Practices

People & Agriculture

Farm labor requirements declined due to:

– Mechanization

– Economic conditions

– The end of western expansion of agriculture

Demands changed

– Transition from home-grown fruits, vegetables, oats, and wheat to purchased, canned, frozen, and instant food products

Eventually food demand stopped increasing with income leaving farmers and ranchers to depend on export markets to sell excess production



Trends Shaping the Future of

Agriculture “Peak oil”

Agriculture industry relies on cheap and accessible

energy

Oil is hard to extract

Industrialized agriculture era will come to the end, if

the current practice is continued

Current practice should be changed, such as Concentrated

Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)

New trends are needed, such as farming with the

ecosystem



Example of current practice:

Concentrated Animal Feeding

Operations (CAFO)

CAFO represent the pinnacle of industrial agriculture.

CAFOs specialize in one species of livestock or poultry.

CAFOs are not farms; they are industrial production

systems.

Negative impacts associated with CAFO, such as human

health risks, noxious odors and pollution



From Traditional to GMO’s

Please watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbkLM6tr-nI








A New Shift:

Conventional to Sustainable

Many farmers and consumers have become increasingly dissatisfied with the industrial agricultural system, citing:

- damage to the environment

- reduced quality of food

- increased obesity and disease

- contaminated food

- reduced food security

The following clips from Food Inc. illustrate these concerns:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69gT9LBCMxg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzWDEI5UyMg&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69gT9LBCMxg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzWDEI5UyMg&feature=related

Alternative Food SystemsRationale:

Shorten supply chains

Shift to local and democratic governance

Smaller scale environmental impacts

Equality and economic security for farm workers and farmers

Humane treatment of animals

Priority for community health and vitality



Examples:

•Organic

•Community Supported Agriculture

•Permaculture

•Rotational Crops

Organic

Organic agriculture is a way to farm and a food system

Principles:

Locally available resources

Recycling of nutrients and organic matter

Use of diversity and agro-ecological methods to improve

total farm output and soil fertility

(International Centre for Research in

Organic Food Systems)



Community Supported Agriculture

Introduced in the U.S. in the

mid-1980s

Community interested in safe

food and economic

partnerships to ensure stable

markets for agricultural

products (USDA)

Sharing risks/benefits and

providing mutual support



Photo credit: USDA

Permaculture

“Permaculture is a design system whereby

we find ways of living to allow for

permanent cultures to exist. Where all

humans can live abundantly well while

leaving the planet in better condition then

whence we found it.” – Bill Wilson,

Midwest Permaculture

Please view the following introduction to

permaculture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGEwhBN

f8TQ&feature=related



Photo Credit: Holocene Design

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGEwhBNf8TQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGEwhBNf8TQ&feature=related

Rotational Crops

Crop rotation preserves soil’s nutritional integrity and

protects against disease and insect infestation. Please

view the following short description:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwp1lY2OlK0&feature=related



Photo Credit: Self-Sufficient UK



Building Resilience

Please read the following article illustrating the link of

resilience and community knowledge in agriculture as

presented in a case study of an Amish community:

Stiner, D.H., Paoletti, M.G. and Stinner, B.R., 1989.

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 27, pp. 77–90.

(Found on readings slide)

Please read the following

excerpt…

slow food.pdf



slow food.pdf

Counter Approach for Sustainable

Rural Development and Agriculture:

Biofuels



Please watch this video

Photo Credit: Science News Washington

//mtucifs1/home/public_html/rural_sustain/ag/biofuel_audio.mp4

ConclusionsAgriculture has evolved from local family farms to large-scale

monocultures

The current framework of agriculture is highly mechanized and

industrialized

Alternative food systems provide opportunities for community and

ecosystems resilience

Alternative food systems (i.e.: permaculture, organic, CSA,

rotational crops) has seen an increase in adoption for rural and

community development

Biofuels is another alternative to agriculture and rural

development but uncertainty in policy implications currently exist



Discussion Questions:

Viable or No?

1. In your opinion, what is sustainable agriculture?

2. Can sustainable agriculture be a viable alternative for rural communities?

3. What are the trends in agriculture in your country/communities?

4. What are the limitations to implementing alternative food systems in rural communities?

5. Is biofuels an appropriate alternative for “sustainable” development?



Additional Resources1. Petrini, Carlo. Short excerpt from Slow Food Nation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECzTRG7tjV0 and book Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean and Fair

2. Paul Fieldhouse . 1996. Community Shared Agriculture. Agriculture and Human Values 13 (3) 43-47 http://www.springerlink.com/content/p070658054074768/fulltext.pdf

3. Biofuels: A major rural economic development opportunity: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bbb.104/pdf

4. Block, Ben (2008) “International Commission Calles for „Paradigm Shift‟ in Agriculture” Worldwatch Institute.

5. Pulido, J.S., and G. Bocco. (2003) “The traditional farming system of a Mexican indigenous community: the case of Nuevo San Juan Paranagricutiro, Michoacan, Mexico.” Geoderma 11:

249-265.

6. Deborah Stiles, Greg Cameron, (2009) "Changing paradigms?: Rural communities, agriculture, and corporate and civic models of development in Atlantic Canada", Journal of Enterprising

Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. 3 Iss: 4, pp.341 – 354

7. Ikerd, John E. (2010) “Reclaiming Rural America; Sustainable Community Development” presentation for Town Hall Meeting on Local Sustainable Community Development, Sioux City, IA.

8. United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library Publications Webpage, Community Supported Agriculture page http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

9. International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS) http://www.icrofs.org/Pages/News_and_events/index.html

10. Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org/csa/

11. Organic Agriculture: UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Working Group on Organic Agriculture . 2003. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/y4587e/y4587e.pdf



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECzTRG7tjV0

http://www.springerlink.com/content/p070658054074768/fulltext.pdf

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bbb.104/pdf

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml

http://www.icrofs.org/Pages/News_and_events/index.html

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/y4587e/y4587e.pdf

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