Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Like I've claimed so many times, we can grow a lot more good food on a lot 
less land and provide a lot more work for a lot of unemployed. But my little 
soapbox doesn't reach very far. IATPs and the Leopold Centers DO reach a wide 
audience, and it's about time.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
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   "Only 270,025 acres—roughly equivalent to the average cropland in one of 
Iowa's counties—would be needed to grow enough fruits and vegetables for the 
six-state region."


On Job Creation—Local Fruits and Vegetables vs. Corn and Soybeans
http://iatp.typepad.com/thinkforward/2010/04/on-job-creation-fruits-and-vegetables-vs-corn-and-soybeans.html
by Ben Lilliston Sunday, April 4, 2010 by Think Forward

It turns out that foods that are better for you may also be better for 
farmers and local job creation. A new study by the Leopold Center for 
Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University found that expanding fruit 
and vegetable production in the upper Midwest could bring significantly more 
economic benefits than conventional corn and soybean production on the same 
acreage.

The study, by Iowa State Research Scientist Dave Swenson, looked at the 
potential for fruit and vegetable production in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, 
Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It identified 28 kinds of fruits and 
vegetables that farmers are able to grow in the region. Currently, much of 
the fruits and vegetables in the region come from other parts of the country 
or even outside the country.

A new study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State 
University found that expanding fruit and vegetable production in the upper 
Midwest could bring significantly more economic benefits than conventional 
corn and soybean production on the same acreage.

Some key findings on the economic impacts on the region as a whole:

    * Increased fruit and vegetable production in the six states could mean 
$882 million in sales at the farm level, and more than 9,300 jobs. Corn and 
soybean production on that same acreage would support only 2,578 jobs.

    * If half of the increased production was sold in farmer-owned stores, it 
would require 1,405 such stores staffed by 9,652 people.

    * Only 270,025 acres—roughly equivalent to the average cropland in one of 
Iowa's counties—would be needed to grow enough fruits and vegetables for the 
six-state region.

Previous research found that smaller sized farms (50 acres and smaller) are 
more likely to produce fruits and vegetables than standard-sized farms so it 
is likely that more, smaller farms would be needed. Researchers assumed that 
50 percent of fruit and vegetable production would be directly marketed 
in-state by farmer-owned stores. Local and regional ownership of the food 
chain will be essential for maximum job creation.

The study breaks down the numbers by state and metropolitan region so it's 
easy to get a sense of what your neck of the woods could be doing to create 
new local food jobs.

The barriers to transitioning toward more fruit and vegetable production in 
the Midwest are enormous. Farmland is hard to come by as values are seen as a 
better investment than the stock market. U.S. farm policy greatly 
incentivizes corn and soybean production in a number of ways, including 
helping farmers to manage risks and supporting research for those crops. And 
then there's the lack of infrastructure needed to help local food systems 
serve a booming market. Despite these barriers, this study gives us a 
guidepost for the potential economic benefits of a new model for agriculture 
that produces healthier and more locally grown food.
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Think Forward is a blog written by staff of the Institute for Agriculture and 
Trade Policy  covering sustainability as it intersects with food, rural 
development, international trade, the environment and public health.