Additional sustainable agriculture research and adoption is needed in the U.S. to address persistent challenges that threaten farms, farmers, rural communities, and public health and ecosystem services, including air quality, water supply, and biodiversity. The urgency to transition to a system with greater sustainability has accelerated, as evidence shows that climate change, particularly shifts to more extreme and more variable rainfall, is already exacerbating the consequences of practices that lead to soil erosion, water pollution, and risks of flooding and drought.

To gain insight into the state of U.S. sustainable agriculture and agroecology, the authors developed a 28-question mixed-method survey that was administered to scientists in fields related to climate change, ecosystem services, food insecurity, and farmer livelihoods. The respondents (N = 168) represented diverse locations, institutions, and career stages.

Sustainable agriculture, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), should reduce such undesirable outcomes through a system that will broadly “satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

Agroecology has in some contexts been understood to be most relevant to crop production and practices at the farm scale, it has increasingly been interpreted as also encompassing environmental, social, economic, ethical, and community development issues. Considering the expanding interest in but limited adoption of sustainable agriculture and agroecology research and practice, the goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of opportunities and barriers surrounding these fields in the U.S. the authors focused on the scientific community, because research, education, and extension critically affect the array of practices and tools available for farmers and ranchers.

KEY FINDINGS

Respondents provided varied definitions of sustainable agriculture. The most common themes identified were related to social viability and well-being (included in 40% of responses), economics (40%), and the enhancement of natural resources (26%).
- Other themes appearing in a relatively large percentage of responses included biological diversity (19%), equity and justice (15%), ecology (13%), reducing environmental damage (15%), and local considerations (12%).
To gain a better understanding of respondent experiences specifically related to policy engagement, the survey asked them to indicate the degree to which policy engagement was part of their job, and whether it was important or should be avoided.
- To this question, 73% of respondents considered policy engagement to be important, whereas just 26% stated that policy engagement is part of their job.
- Just 17% of respondents were satisfied with the amount of training they had received for policy engagement, and no respondents were very satisfied in this area.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH

The results provided further evidence that research in sustainable agriculture, including agroecology, is underfunded, given current needs. In the survey, 85% of respondents cited lack of funding as an important obstacle to sustainable agriculture research. Investing in research is a lever for the transition to agroecology, not only through the quantity of funding but also through the scope and structure of funding programs. A majority of survey respondents (61%) indicated that the insufficient duration of long-term financial support is a barrier to the complex, systems-based research required in this field. In addition, respondents largely agreed that USDA requests for applications (RFAs) should encourage agroecology directly while also prioritizing several areas that are critical to advancing agroecology, such as research promoting broad public benefits, interdisciplinary approaches, social justice, and racial equity.

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"Encouraging and preparing researchers to share the results of their work [in sustainable agriculture and agroecology], including through media and policy engagement, may be an important lever to enhancing the transition to a more sustainable agriculture system." @UCSUSA #agroecology #sustainableagriculture Read the full @JAFSCD article, "The state of sustainable agriculture and agroecology research and impact: A survey of U.S. scientists," for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2020.092.009