The Perennialization Project: Perennials as a Pathway to Sustainable
Agricultural Landscapes in the Upper Midwestern U.S.
Principal partners: Iowa State University, US Forest Service Northern Research Station, Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, USDA ARS Soil Tilth Lab,
University of Michigan
Issue At Hand There is a growing recognition that intensive row crop agriculture as currently practiced in the Upper Midwest urgently needs improvement to strengthen its socioeconomic sustainability & ecological resilience. A major constraint to diversifying agricultural systems is the perception that food production & environmental conservation are incompatible goals. |
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Integrating perennial vegetation into agriculturally dominated landscapes has the potential to improve:
Although benefits provided by perennials are known to be significant, information on the type, quantity, and spatial arrangement of perennials is insufficient at present to recommend optimal landscape designs that optimize economic and ecological benefits.
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What We Aim To Do We are an interdisciplinary group of scientists, with expertise ranging from agronomy and hydrology to economics, ecology, and sociology. We aim to generate the scientific foundation for integrating perennials into agricultural landscapes to achieve greater sustainability. Our research spans farm, watershed and landscape scales within the Upper Mississippi River Basin. We intend to support community-led initiatives on how to enhance socioeconomic vitality and environmental quality by integrating perennial vegetation within agricultural landscapes.
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Summary of Perennialization Project Components
Currently, our efforts are focused on seven components that contribute to the project's long-term vision of aiding communities to transform strategic portions of the landscape to perennial plant communities and, thereby, enhance their socioeconomic vitality and environmental quality.
• Developing and testing a watershed-scale computer simulation model (SWAT: Soil and Water Assessment Tool) to simulate effects of perennial cover in agricultural landscapes on water quality and quantity.
• Implementing a replicated watershed-scale field experiment at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Prairie City, Iowa to assess the level of ecosystems services associated with perennial vegetation integrated into watersheds dominated by annual rowcrops.
• Conducting a landscape analysis of baseline biophysical and land use conditions with partners in the Squaw Creek and Clear Creek watersheds as a basis for developing a joint participatory research project.
• PEWI: Creating dynamic decision support tools and partnerships to bridge the gaps among science, people, and policy in the midst of changing rural demographic and landscape patterns.
• Identifying appropriate measures of urban stream health focusing on riparian zone functions and water quality.
• Assessing stakeholder perceptions of alternative landscapes and implications for enhancing economic benefits through increasing perennial cover.
Future Directions of the Perrennialization Project
Research conducted within each of these components is continually shared to inform and guide the overall project. The integration of knowledge, methods, and partnerships is providing a foundation for the development of an interdisciplinary paired watershed experiment (see figure below). Experimental watersheds for this future study will be located within the Upper Mississippi River Basin and will be selected based on priority sites identified in the regional water quality modeling (Study 1 above). Priority sites are expected to benefit maximally from the conversion of strategic portions of the watershed to perennial cover.
For more information, please contact Heidi Asbjornsen (hasbjorn@iastate.edu) or Lisa Schulte Moore (lschulte@iastate.edu), or see the following publications:
Schulte, L.A., H. Asbjornsen, R. Atwell, C. Hart, M. Helmers, T. Isenhart, R. Kolka, M. Liebman, J. Neal, M. O’Neal, R. Schultz, S. Secchi, J. Thompson, M. Tomer, and J. Tyndall. 2008. Targeted conservation approaches for improving water quality: multiple benefits for expanded opportunities. PMR 1002. Iowa State University Extension, Ames, IA. (pdf)
Schulte, L.A., M. Liebman, H. Asbjornsen, and T.R. Crow. 2006. Agroecosystem restoration through strategic integration of perennials. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 61:164A-169A.
Secchi, S., J. Tyndall, L.A.Schulte, and H. Asbjornsen. 2008. High crop prices and conservation: Raising the stakes. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 63:68A-73A.
