Building agricultural resilience with conservation pasture-crop rotations

Authors: Franzluebbers, Alan; GASTAL, FRANCOIS - Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique (INRA)

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/22/2017
Publication Date: 10/31/2018
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J., Gastal, F. 2018. Building agricultural resilience with conservation pasture-crop rotations. In: Agroecosystem Diversity: Reconciling Contemporary Agriculture and Environmental Quality. Chapter 7, pgs 109-121.

Interpretive Summary: Specialization of agricultural operations and commodities in many developed countries of the world during the last half century has led to large production gains, but often at the expense of environmental quality and socio-economic disruption. Soil organic C is a key indicator of soil health that is low with contemporary clean-cultivated specialized crop production practices and high when farms are managed with conservation tillage, cover crops, manure application, and diverse rotations, especially multi-year pasture-crop rotations. A scientist with USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh NC collaborated with a scientist from INRA in Lusignan France to review literature and describe some of the environmental and social changes expected when re-integrating forages in rotation and grazing livestock with traditional row crops in temperate environments. Our thesis was that integrating pastures and crops with other ecologically based practices will lead to dramatic improvement in soil organic C and N contents so that long-term fertility can be restored and environmental quality can be significantly improved to meet the challenges for greater quantity and quality of food production, sustenance of human health, maintenance of wildlife diversity, and balancing our human footprint with Nature’s capacity to serve our needs.

Technical Abstract: Specialization of agricultural operations and commodities in many developed countries of the world during the last half century has led to large production gains, but often at the expense of environmental quality and socio-economic disruption. Soil organic C is a key indicator of soil health that is low with contemporary clean-cultivated specialized crop production practices and high when farms are managed with conservation tillage, cover crops, manure application, and diverse rotations, especially multi-year pasture-crop rotations. A scientist with USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh NC collaborated with a scientist from INRA in Lusignan France to review literature and describe some of the environmental and social changes expected when re-integrating forages in rotation and grazing livestock with traditional row crops in temperate environments. Our thesis was that integrating pastures and crops with other ecologically based practices will lead to dramatic improvement in soil organic C and N contents so that long-term fertility can be restored and environmental quality can be significantly improved to meet the challenges for greater quantity and quality of food production, sustenance of human health, maintenance of wildlife diversity, and balancing our human footprint with Nature’s capacity to serve our needs.