More Recycling on the Farm Could Reduce Environmental Problems

April 30, 2007
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Growing environmental problems resulting from farming argue for a shift toward practices that use lower inputs of pesticides and energy and promote more recycling of energy and materials, according to an article published in the May 2007 issue of BioScience. The author, Craig J. Pearson, of the University of Guelph, documents how semiclosed agricultural systems—which he terms “regenerative”—could enhance global sustainability of biological resources, curtail greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater contamination, and reduce farming’s reliance on oil imports and water.

A switch to regenerative agriculture would involve a variety of changes, including reduced use of inorganic fertilizers and more on-farm energy generation from wind and from fermentation of biosolids. It would also curtail overcropping and groundwater contamination, the result in part of leakage from manure storage. Yet despite some similarities to organic farming, regenerative agriculture is distinct from it; for example, regenerative agriculture could accommodate some use of fertilizers and pesticides to minimize waste, and it would exploit robotic systems.

The approach would entail more human labor, which is costly, and it may lower yields. However, as Pearson’s summary of several studies of organic farming suggests, price premiums could overcome this disadvantage, and Pearson proposes that social benefits from higher labor density could be expected. He argues that existing funding programs for farmers could be modified to encourage more regenerative agriculture, and suggests that philanthropists and professional bodies could spur the change in agronomic systems.

The complete list of research articles in the May 2007 issue of BioScience is as follows:

The Paddlefish Rostrum as an Electrosensory Organ: A Novel Adaptation for Plankton Feeding
Lon A. Wilkens and Michael H. Hofmann

Regenerative, Semiclosed Systems: A Priority for Twenty-First-Century Agriculture
Craig J. Pearson

What’s in Noah’s Wallet? Land Conservation Spending in the United States
Jeff Lerner, Janet Mackey, and Frank Casey

Noah at the Ballot Box: Status and Challenges
Peter S. Szabo

Species Invasions from Commerce in Live Aquatic Organisms: Problems and Possible Solutions
Reuben P. Keller and David M. Lodge

Amphibian Population Declines: Evolutionary Considerations
Andrew R. Blaustein and Betsy A. Bancroft

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