Presentation by President of the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies Joshua Ginsberg for a forum on sustainable farming practices. www.caryinstitute.org/forum-farm

1. Getting farming right
reflections on ecological sustainability
(nitrogen in the landscape)
November 12, 2016
Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Joshua Ginsberg, President

2. Why do we care about Nitrogen?
“In most estuaries, over-enrichment of N leads to
eutrophication, presently the greatest pollution
problem in coastal marine waters of the United
States “
• Increased acidity of soils, water
• Human health (ozone, particulates)
• Forest health (ozone, acidity)
• Ground (drinking) water contamination

3. (Driscoll et al. 2001)
1. Lightning Strikes
2. Fixation by
microorganisms
3. Atmospheric
deposition
4. Uptake
5. Watershed runoff
6. Denitrification by
bacteria.
Nitrogen Fluxes:
Nitrogen Sources:

4. (Driscoll et al. 2001)
1. Imported food/feed
2. Vehicle emissions
3. Power plant
emissions
4. Fertilizer imports
5. Fixation in
croplands
6. Agricultural
Emissions
7. Atmospheric
deposition
8. Sewage
9. Agricultural Runoff
10. Urban runoff
11. Riverine discharge
Nitrogen Fluxes:
Nitrogen Sources:

5. Eutrophication in US Estuaries
(Bricker et al. 1999)
2
/3 of Estuaries impaired
• 40% high
• 25% moderate
• 35% low

6. Animal waste (manure) and
human waste (sewage) are not
considered as new inputs, as
they represent recycling within
a region

7. Nitrogen in, nitrogen out
into coastal waters where the problems amplify
Boyer et al. 2002 Biogeochemistry

8. Boyer et al. 2002 Biogeochemistry
Food for people, feed for animals can
exceed direct fertilizer use as source of N2

9. Juvenile mussels were rare or absent
when ammonia was high
Strayer & Malcom, Ecol. Appl., 2012

10. Ammonia predicted mussel recruitment

11. What can be done about Nitrogen?

12. Engineering nutrient “sinks”
Riparian zones
USDANaturalResourcesConservationService

13. Engineering nutrient “sinks”
Artificial drainage
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs

14. Engineering nutrient “sinks”
Wetlands
Mitsch WJ, Gosselink JG.. 2000. Wetlands, 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons

15. How do we pay for this?
• Long term investment in our land
• 2012 Farm Bill (to be reauthorized in 2019)
– Food stamps ($750 billion)
– Crop subsidies/crop insurance ($140 billion)
– Environmental programs ($55 billion)

16. Environmental Programs … detail
• Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA)
• Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI)
• Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI)
• Conservation of Private Grazing Land Program
• Conservation Reserve Program (Farm Service Agency)
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
• Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP)
• Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)
• Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)
• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
• Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP)
• Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program
• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
• Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)

17. Can organic agriculture feed the world?
Catherine Badgley and Ivette Perfecto
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems: 22: 80–85
• Maybe
• Organic methods provide enough calories to support the
whole human population eating as it does today
• Nitrogen-fixing legumes (green manures) can replace
synthetic nitrogen fertilizer currently in use
• Gap is small, a developed world problem (poor
farmers use fewer fertilizers)

18. Questions?
With thanks to:
– Peter Groffman
– Dave Strayer
– Stuart Findlay
– Lori Quillen