Issues

Obama Transition Team Document, submitted by ASA, CSSA, and SSSA January, 2009.

Funding for Science Education and Workforce Development supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Land-Grant University System (LGU), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is essential to secure the health of Americans as well as the future of American Agriculture, forest, grazing and wetland science. Other nations are already making huge investments in science education and research. Such support is critical to compete well. The new economy should be a science-based economy, built on innovation.

Food security is achieved when citizens have access to adequate, nutritious and affordable food which supports an active, healthy life. Food security requires that the production of food not compromise the natural resource base or environment. Today, the United States faces a challenging dilemma: while the U.S. population continues to grow, arable land suitable for food production is declining. The remaining marginal land is susceptible to erosion, salinization, and desertification processes, conditions that can compromise human health as well as air, water and soil quality. The challenge is to produce more with less—less land, water and energy, and fewer inputs.

In recent years, watershed science and the study of natural and managed ecosystems (including agroecosystems) have shown that these systems generate services essential to life. Ecosystem services include: clean air, water and soil; conservation of biodiversity; and wildlife habitat protection, all of which are considered “public goods”, though they are difficult to quantify in economic terms. As we become more aware of the intrinsic value of these ecosystem services to human health and the economy, new markets are developing which value the management practices that provide these public goods.

The U.S. bioeconomy is only one component of a large portfolio of alternative energy solutions to achieve independence from foreign fuels. To craft intelligent, effective policy for the U.S. biofuel sector, environmental, economic and social factors must be considered. These factors include the true costs of biofuel feedstock production to soil and water quality, and conflicts with competing market needs related to food, feed, and fiber. Policies and practices developed to support this economic sector must also incorporate measures to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) production during biofuel feedstock lifecycles.

Crop, grazing and forested lands and wetlands all have the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to ecosystem services. From a GHG management perspective, soil carbon not only stores carbon dioxide (CO₂), but also offers other benefits--it acts as a chemical filter (with soil minerals) for clean water, reduces soil erosion, conserves water, provides microbial habitats and sources of long‐term slow‐release nutrients, and improves soil structure and productivity. This material can be stockpiled using numerous best management practices (BMPs) including sustainable forestry practices; no‐till and conservation tillage in cropped land; cover cropping; and forage, agroforestry, wetland, and grassland management.

Industrial and household pollution jeopardizes the health of the environment and humans. Soil contamination results from many causes, including improper disposal of hazardous substances, and pesticide and nutrient runoff. Pollutants often move between soil, water, and air. Human exposure to pollutants such as arsenic, benzene, cyanide, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other chemicals can lead to developmental problems, chronic illness, and death. Over the past 30 years, soil scientists have identified new ways to limit the mobility of toxins and rehabilitate polluted land. Innovations in agronomic, crop, and soil sciences enable land managers to adopt practices which mitigate soil, water and air pollution, providing important health services to both the environment and mankind.

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