Building a Resilient Future for Agriculture in Alabama

Keywords: Agriculture, Southeast U.S., Climate change adaptation, Irrigation,
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Saturday
Session Start / End Time: 2/26/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/26/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 24

Abstract

Today, multiple and interacting pressures on agricultural production, such as growing food demands, environmental degradation, and climate change, demands that we rethink our conventional agriculture practices. Shifts to sustainable agricultural practices (SAP), including crop rotation, crop diversification, and (farm) water management, have demonstrated progress towards achieving economic, environmental, and social sustainability of farming operations. However, the factors conducive to SAP adoption and implementation are often context dependent. Therefore, a more regional focus on these factors constraining or influencing adoption can be quite informative. Alabama in the southeastern United States provides an ideal test case to study how different socio-economic and biophysical characteristics determine adoption of such practices. Since no one solution will be appropriate for all farmers within a region, there is a need to promote the adoption of a combination of technological and nature-based solutions. Using a perception geography approach, this exploratory study attempts to understand and map the perceptions of agricultural extension agents about the factors that are perceived as drivers and barriers to the adoption of SAP in the state. Furthermore, these views will be compared with regional climatic, ecological, and/or social trends to develop a holistic understanding of the real and perceived barriers to their adoption. A regional understanding of the geographical distribution of differences in the drivers of and perceptions towards SAP adoption will facilitate identification of the challenges and incentives needed to spur the adoption of these practices by farmers in the Deep South.