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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #409854
Research Project: Sustainable Agricultural Systems for the Northern Great Plains

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Title: ICLS and Past, Present and Future Sustainability

Author
item Hendrickson, John
item Liebig, Mark
item Archer, David
item Clemensen, Andrea

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2023
Publication Date: 11/7/2023
Citation: Hendrickson, J.R., Liebig, M.A., Archer, D.W., Clemensen, A.K. 2023. ICLS and Past, Present and Future Sustainability. Meeting Abstract. 1.

Interpretive Summary: Integrated crop-livestock systems or ICLS have been promoted as a sustainable option to minimize environmental impacts of agriculture. However, there are a series of factors that may change the structure of ICLS in the future. These include climatic changes, a focus on nutrition rather than calories, the use of artificial intelligence and robotics. To ensure that ICLS continues to be a sustainable food production paradigm, there are some concepts to be considered. This include aligning land use with land potential, including perennials in agricultural systems, development of unique economic opportunities, understanding the role of secondary compounds and identification of genetic material specific to ICLS. While advances in technology may push to simplify ICLS, the previously mentioned concepts can be used to simplify management complexity not the system itself.

Technical Abstract: Integrated crop-livestock systems or ICLS have been promoted as a sustainable option to minimize environmental impacts of agriculture. ICLS incorporate both crops and livestock either locally or regionally to provide for a synergistic sharing of resources across enterprises. Despite the perceived advantages of ICLS, the trend has been for crops and livestock enterprises to be decoupled. Here we briefly discuss how agriculture has become increasingly specialized, the current state of specialization, and then delve into factors that will be shaping the future of ICLS. Since we are based in the USA, that will be our focus area. The goal of this proceedings paper is to stimulate discussion on the future structure and function of ICLS and whether ICLS can be sustainable in a changing technological, social, and economic landscape.