Plant-soil-water nexus: Agricultural systems research

Authors: Ashworth, Amanda; Owens, Phillip; HIPP, JAMIE - University Of Arkansas; DUREN, COLBY - University Of Arkansas; POPP, MIKE - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/2020
Publication Date: 1/14/2020
Citation: Ashworth, A.J., Owens, P.R., Hipp, J., Duren, C.D., Popp, M. 2020. Plant-soil-water nexus: Agricultural systems research. Abstract. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Foster Our Future.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Knowledge, data, and understanding is key for advancing agriculture and society. Not all sectors of U.S. societies have advanced at the same rate and there is currently a critical need for sustainable agricultural management tools on Native American Tribal Lands. Tribal Reservations have very basic soil information and limited access to conservation programs provided to other pasture-based producers in the U.S. These communities also have the highest incidence of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, all of which are linked to food insecurity. Consequently, there is a need to close the agricultural technology and data gap, particularly for basic soil information and agricultural productivity on Tribal Lands. This project will advance research on Tribal Lands and develop a critical partnership with the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, which is the only effort of its kind focused on promoting healthy soils and food systems on Native American Lands. Soils vary across landscapes and function based on inherent properties. Because of this, traditional soil maps do not translate functional properties - necessary for optimizing land use. The proposed, innovative digital soil mapping process, known as “knowledge-based inference mapping” is ideal for areas with limited resources and provides field-to-national scale information. It can provide the first ever soil maps and interpretations on Tribal Lands. This project will integrate multiple data sources ranging from traditional expert knowledge to remote sensing for precision agriculture platforms that ultimately promote water and nutrient-smart agriculture. This integrated platform will be tested on experimental sites (through objectives listed below), and later scaled-up on Tribal Lands. Ultimately, this research will integrate functional soil maps for culturally important agroecological systems that realize optimum returns and accomplish conservation goals. Proposed projects are divided into three systems-based approaches: i) determining how spatially variable soil-landscape attributes impact preferential grazing; ii) linking precision agricultural and digital soil mapping to improve on-farm profitability and sustainability; and iii) using Big Data to develop digital soil data and interpretations for agricultural resource management plans on Tribal Lands. The proposed research will also provide foundational information for future research that advance technology-use on Tribal Lands. This projects will increase Native American students in agriculture, and give back to their tribal communities to promote the production of healthy, sustainable, and nutritive foods by integrating these modern technologies. Through spurring water and nutrient smart agriculture, these technologies will advance system innovation towards practices that promote healthy soils and water conservation on degraded Tribal Lands.