Agriculture and Natural Resources
The world population is projected to increase from the current 6 billion to around 8.3 billion by 2030. Agriculture and natural resources will have to continue to provide the global population with the food and fiber needed to feed, clothe, and house human and animal populations. Now, more than ever, there is need for secure and sustainable agricultural and natural resource systems that not only continue to meet our food and fiber needs but also prevent degradation of our natural resources. Past agriculture practices have degraded our soil, air, and surface and ground waters.
Over the next few decades the environmental problems associated with agriculture will remain serious. There will, however, be opportunities for agriculture to help improve our global environment through the development and adoption of technologies that minimize soil erosion, reduced-tillage management practices that increase carbon sequestration, and the development of alternative, more sustainable forms of bio-based fuel.
Research Agenda
Many of the technologies developed and adopted in Tennessee for agricultural and natural resource management have the potential to improve and increase production in many parts of the world. For example, since the 1960s the University of Tennessee (UT) has been a leader in the development and promotion of conservation systems such as no-till agriculture, which dramatically reduces soil erosion while improving crop production and reducing input and labor costs. Throughout Tennessee no-till systems have been successfully adapted for a variety of crops, including cotton, wheat, soybeans, maize, and sorghum. In Tennessee, approximately 80 percent of all cultivated acres use no-till systems, the highest adoption rate in the United States and quite possibly the world. In this era of concern about climate change, global adoption of conservation systems has the potential to dramatically increase the amount of carbon sequestered by the soil.
UT is one of the regional centers of the SunGrant Initiative. The initiative is an approach to solving America's energy needs and revitalizing rural communities through land-grant university research, education, and extension programs on renewable energy and biobased, non-food industries. The Tennessee Biofuels Initiative is a research and business model developed by UT that may position the state as a leader in the nation's efforts to reduce dependence on petroleum. The plan proposes the construction and operation of a pilot biorefinery to demonstrate and refine biofuels production technology. The plan also seeks to work out issues related to continuous production streams, transportation of feedstocks like switchgrass, and distribution of products. The principal product of the refinery will be Grassoline™— ethanol derived from cellulosic biomass.
In Tennessee, about 84,000 farms cover about 11.6 millions acres—44 percent of the entire state. Thus, it is not surprising that agriculture in Tennessee affects the environment. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation estimates that up to 41 percent of water pollution in the state may be coming from agriculture, mostly from non-point sources. There are many challenges associated with identifying and ultimately implementing practices that will reduce such pollution. Research by UT’s Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) has focused on the development of novel tools to identify and track the source of non-point pollution. The institute is also developing community-based watershed management plans to improve water quality in rural and urban watershed through voluntary—rather than regulatory—approaches.
Illustrative Projects
- Sungrant Initiative: Southeastern Regional Center - http://sungrant.tennessee.edu
- Tennessee Biofuels Initiative - http://sungrant.tennessee.edu/News/Tennessee+Biofuels+Initiative.htm
- Pond Creek Watershed: Cooperative Restoration and Management - http://pondcreek.ag.utk.edu/
- Oostanaula Creek: Watershed Restoration - http://ocw.ag.utk.edu
