The relationship betweem the Agricultural Systems
Initiative goals and the bioeconomy
Recent national events and
projected long-term global trends clearly show that a petroleum-based
economy cannot be sustained, that alternative sources for energy and
chemical feedstocks are necessary, and are likely to come from more
direct products of photosynthesis such as crops, crop residues, and
other dedicated plant materials. The emergence of this bioeconomy
presents several opportunities and cautions of historic potential
for agriculture in general, and for Iowa in particular.
- First,
growth of the bioeconomy supports the transition from an agricultural
economy that is based on the production of low-value commodities to
one that allows the capture of added value within rural communities
and the consequential reinvigoration of local economies.
- Second,
because large production and biomass removal demands may be placed
on Iowa’s soil and water resources, production and management
systems that do not deplete these resources are imperative.
- Third,
because the bioeconomy creates a reliable market for a wide range
of potential crops, the emergence of alternative cropping systems
and issues of soil, water, and air quality can be positively addressed.
The Agricultural Systems Initiative will focus
on supporting the third ‘opportunity’
listed above. Because multiple species may in the future be used within
a common market, designing landscapes composed of different species
that serve multiple functions seem closer to reality than at any time
in the recent past. This will require determining spatial and temporal
relationships between different crops, how these relationships might
interact with other landscape components, and how timing of harvest
might affect feedstock flows to the market as well as affect environmental
services on the landscape. Iowa crops will likely remain dominated
by corn and soybeans. However, opportunities to ‘do better’
than what is being done with corn and soybeans across all landscape
positions must be considered and the systems that will perform better
must be developed.
