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Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review

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Sustainable Agriculture Literature Review SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE LITERATURE REVIEW March 2011 Prepared for Boulder County Parks and Open Spaces by: NATURAL CAPITALISM SOLUTIONS ! ! "#$%&!'())! ! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2!5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! Cropland Policy The mission of Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) is to conserve natural, cultural, and agricultural resources and provide public uses that reflect sound resource management and community values. The Department manages 25,000 acres of agricultural land 18,000 of those acres are managed as cropland or irrigated pastureland. BCPOS is in the process of developing a cropland policy to guide management of these lands. The Cropland Policy will tie the Department’s daily management practices and the County Comprehensive Plan’s broad directives regarding the management of open space and agricultural land. The policy will outline the guiding principles staff will use to make management decisions on open space properties managed as cropland. Defining these principles will streamline decision-making processes during planning and make it easier for open space tenants and the residents of Boulder County to understand the goals of our cropland program. Visit the department’s webpage at www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org for more information. About this Report This literature review will examine sustainable agriculture practices in an effort to inform the discussion for Cropland Policy for Boulder County Parks and Open Space. It will explore some of the challenges faced by producers and ways in which producers can continue to take a leadership role in making their operations and their communities more sustainable. Agriculture is a critically important part of Boulder County. It helps to keep land as open space, preserve the rural culture, and increase the economic security of the county and its residents. Making wise decisions about the future of agriculture in the county is important to all of its citizens. This report seeks to provide a fact-based foundation for such conversations. The scope of this literature review is restricted to data-based considerations about approaches and practices related to sustainable agriculture. This report is not intended to give exact answers to problems on specific farms. No opinions, unless supported by experimental results, will be discussed. The emphasis will be on papers published in peer-reviewed journals, with additional non-peer-reviewed journals included only if they influence the development of science-based ideas or if data were unavailable. In these instances, the non-peer reviewed data will be noted. If printing this report, please print on recycled content paper. This publication was prepared by Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS) a 501c3 non-profit based in Hygiene, Colorado. www.natcapsolutions.org !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2! "#" 5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! ! ! ! "#$%&!'())! ! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2!5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! Table of Contents Executive Summary........................................................................................................ 7! 1. Climate......................................................................................................................... 9! 1.1 Climate of Northern High Plains Colorado ............................................................ 10! 1.2 Potential Impacts of Climate Change.................................................................... 14! 1.3 Agricultural Impacts to the Atmospheric Climate................................................... 17! 1.4 Mitigation and Sequestration of GHG Emissions in Agriculture ............................ 19! 2. Energy........................................................................................................................ 24! 2.1 Breakdown of Energy Use..................................................................................... 25! 2.2 Energy Generation ................................................................................................ 31! 3. Water Use .................................................................................................................. 36! 3.1 Supply and Demand.............................................................................................. 37! 3.2 Irrigation Management .......................................................................................... 40! 3.3 Water Conservation............................................................................................... 45! 4. Water Pollution.......................................................................................................... 48! 4.1 Agricultural Water Pollution................................................................................... 49! 4.2 Sediment Pollution ................................................................................................ 50! 4.3 Fertilizers as Water Pollutants............................................................................... 51! 4.4 Pesticides as Water Pollutants.............................................................................. 53! 5. Soil Health ................................................................................................................. 55! 5.1 Overview of Soils in Boulder County..................................................................... 56! 5.2 Soil Conservation .................................................................................................. 56! 5.3 Organic Matter, Cover Crops, and Green Manures .............................................. 64! 5.4 Soil Amendments .................................................................................................. 69! 6. Inputs ......................................................................................................................... 73! 6.1 Agricultural Use of Inputs ...................................................................................... 74! 6.2 Fertilizers............................................................................................................... 76! 6.3 Pesticides.............................................................................................................. 79! 6.4 Seeds .................................................................................................................... 79! 6.5 Current Regulations .............................................................................................. 82! 7. Pest Management ..................................................................................................... 87! 7.1 Pesticide Usage .................................................................................................... 88! 7.2 Application Rates of Pesticides............................................................................. 92! 7.3 Pesticide Resistance............................................................................................. 98! 7.4 Integrated Pest Management.............................................................................. 100! 8. Biodiversity ............................................................................................................. 101! 8.1 Food Security ...................................................................................................... 102! 8.2 Impact of Reduced Biodiversity........................................................................... 104! 8.3 Management ....................................................................................................... 108! 9. Labor........................................................................................................................ 112! 9.1 Agricultural Employment ..................................................................................... 113! 9.2 Demographics ..................................................................................................... 115! 9.3 Occupational Health and Performance ............................................................... 117! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2! "$" 5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! ! ! ! "#$%&!'())! ! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2!5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! 10. Human Health........................................................................................................ 121! 10.1 Food Safety....................................................................................................... 122! 10.2 Health Effects.................................................................................................... 123! 11. Local Economy ..................................................................................................... 129! 11.1 Income............................................................................................................... 130! 11.2 Farm Size.......................................................................................................... 130! 11.3 Infrastructure ..................................................................................................... 133! 11.4 Competing Resource Use ................................................................................. 134! 11.5 Direct Marketing ................................................................................................ 137! Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................... 139! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2! "%" 5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! ! ! ! "#$%&!'())! ! !*+,-#./#012!34$.%+1-+$2!5.-2$#-+$2!627.28! List of Figures Figure 1: Precipitation Rates for Western U.S. 2009-2010 ...........................................................12!
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