About 6 times a year for the past
three years I have made the trek from my school in southeastern Pennsylvania to
my home in Chicago, Illinois. While every 12-hour drive offers a new set of
adventures, my favorite by far is the first one of the year in late August. The
never-ending farms that stretch from Illinois to central Pennsylvania are just
reaching harvest. I love looking at the swaying golden wheat, the infinite
fields of rich-green soybeans, and the cornfields that even the most
directionally competent person would get lost in. While I do adore the view, I
also have to acknowledge that looks can be deceiving. This form of intense
annual agriculture, which may be visual pleasing, actually causes several
significant issues, such as increased greenhouse gases; increase pesticide use,
and decreased food security due to vulnerable crops. These environmental and
food-related issues are exacerbated even more since the global demand for grain
is currently dramatically increasing. Our world simply cannot economically or
socially afford for much longer these issues in intense annual agriculture.
Thus, in order to combat these issues, we must reevaluate the agricultural
system and begin to shift toward a more sustainable, secure system of perennial
agriculture.
Before
we examine the benefits of perennial agriculture though, we must first
understand the issues associated with annuals. Annuals, which are defined as a
crop that completes its life cycle within one year and then dies, have been
popular since the domestication of crops, about 10,000 years ago. Our Neolithic
ancestors realized that the annuals, such as wheat, maize/corn, soybeans, etc,
adapted better to soil conditions. In addition, annuals seeds were preferred
over perennials because annual seeds were bigger and easier to handle. Due to
this, the selection pressure was unintentionally applied to the annuals, thus
making them even more desirable. As these annuals rose to dominance, their
environmental issues became more apparent. These issues stem from the fact that
annuals have a shorter growing season and shallower, less dense roots than
perennials. This trait limits the nutrients and the water available to them.
Thus, annual plants require an excessive amount of fertilizers and pesticides,
which are associated with increase greenhouse gases and runoff of dangerous
chemicals. In addition to the required inputs, the root structure of the
annuals also makes them more susceptible to temperature changes, which, at a
time of climate change, is troubling.
In
order to combat the negative impacts of annuals while also ensuring food
security in a world of shrinking resources, we must begin to develop perennial
crops. Perennials are defined as crops that live longer than two years. So
while annuals die after one year, perennials can be harvest multiple times over
several years before they die. Even though perennials have been ignored for
centuries, they are actually extremely beneficial. Unlike annuals, perennials
have long, dense root system and a long growing season. This trait makes them
more effective in maintaining topsoil by reducing water and nitrate lost. This
also means that the perennials require much less inputs due to increase access
to nutrient in the soil, thus decreasing cost and mitigating greenhouse gas
emission. In addition, the root structure and resilience of perennials allows
them to be planted on more-marginal lands. In other words, perennials can be
planted on lands that are less fertile; therefore they can be used to increase
the economic and biological diversity of farms. Lastly and most importantly,
perennials are more resilient to social, political, health, and environmental
disturbances. Since they do not rely on annual seed preparations or constant
inputs, a perennial will still be productive even when there is a lack of human
interference.
The
question that now faces us is: “is adapting perennials physically and
economically feasible?” In short, the answer is yes. Adapting perennials is
physically possible both in the sense of domestication/hybridization and crop
yield. Domestication/hybridization would consist of breeding wild perennials
for desirable traits. One could also crossbreed an annual, such as wheat, with
a perennial relative in order to achieve an intermediate. In relation to crop
yield, it may seem counterintuitive to have an intense root system AND a high
crop yield. This is because carbon is captured and used in photosynthesis to
produce energy, which is then allocated to different parts of the plant. Thus,
if more is going to the root less would go to producing seeds. Luckily though,
plants are flexible organisms that respond to selection pressures. This means
that depending on a plants environment, the resources available can expand or
shrink. So, by putting a perennial in a fertile environment, there would be an
adequate amount of resources for both an intense root system and a high crop
yield.
When
it comes to economic feasibility is when the idea of shifting to perennials
becomes difficult. Currently, less than $1.5 million dollars directly supports
perennial grain projects. In order to achieve an efficient perennial system,
much more resources and funding will be necessary. These resources would have
to come from both the private and public sector. Even when perennial grains are
developed, there will still need to be programs and monetary incentives to
persuade farmers to make the shift.
Once the resources of secured though, they will be nothing to stop this
necessary shift to a sustainable, perennial agricultural system.
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