DESIGNING THE FUTURE - SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED-STATES

Global agriculture is entering a challenging and difficult period with an increasing human population and an accelerating need for food, fib er, feed, and raw materials for other industries. This challenge will need to be met on fewer hectares of available land and a reduced suppl y of the fossil fuel inputs that have catalyzed the increased producti vity of the past five decades. Agriculture in some forms has negative and lasting effects on the environment. The research and education com munity is seeking a more resource-efficient, sustainable system of foo d production that has less negative impact on the environment. This sy stem is characterized by increased resource use efficiency, greater re liance on internal or renewable resources, increased short- and long-t erm profitability, enhancement of soil productivity, minimal negative environmental impact, and social viability for families and communitie s. Agricultural research over the last half century has contributed ma ny components to sustainable productivity, but its focus in the future will be more on systems, interactions among components, and the impac t of the activity on the broader environment and community. Education in agriculture is moving from a concentration on memorizing detail and cook-book approaches to a development of creative thinking and proble m solving skills. We are building the capacity to access and apply a w ide range of information resources. There is a growing congruence of c lassroom teaching and adult education in extension, an evolution that will lead to better curriculum planning for a life-long educational an d learning experience. All the key players in US agriculture will take greater responsibility for their own learning in this system, being e mpowered to conduct both on-station and on-farm research, design learn ing activities, and evaluate progress and applications of information to real world challenges. This paper describes what is happening in th e US in research, in teaching, and in extension. We also envision a ne w paradigm for education in the future. Instead of preparing to react or adjust to a predictable future, an empowered rural populace can beg in to design a more desirable future. With increased focus on scarce r esources, fragility of the environment, and the lessons of nature, we can take creative approaches to systems design and begin to make decis ions today to create a more sustainable future for tomorrow.