Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1992

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agricultural Economics

Major Professor

Larry A. Johnson

Committee Members

Greg Pompelli, Kim Jensen

Abstract

This study focuses on sustainable agricultural systems. Much debate in the agricultural arena has centered on the definition of sustainable agriculture, but a general consensus, as well as the legal definition, concludes that a sustainable agricultural system is both environmentally and economically sound. The purpose of this study was to determine whether such systems can meet these goals.

Conventional cropping systems were converted to sustainable systems using crop rotations and different tillage systems. A comparative statics approach was used to evaluate these systems. A representative farm, the static condition, was developed for Haywood County Tennessee. The farm was assumed to have 460 acres cropland and grew cotton, com, wheat, soybeans. The variables for the study were the different cropping systems. The representative farm had five different scenarios: 1) conventional farming systems, 2) sustainable farming systems, 3) conventional farming systems enrolled in government programs, 4) sustainable farming systems enrolled in government programs, and 5) integrated farm management options incorporated into conventional systems.

A microcomputer-based farm decision support system—Sustaining and Managing Agriculture Resources for Tomorrow (SMART) was used for the analysis. The center for SMART is Planetor, which provides an economic and environmental assessment for farm situations. Planetor indicates soil erosion rates, pesticide leaching and surface run-off potential while also providing economic indications such as overall net returns and resource allocation.

For these farms, the farm utilizing sustainable farming systems enrolled in government programs was found to be the most profitable with an average projected annual net income of $30,070, while also having the smallest levels of predicted erosion. However, this farm also had indications of potential water quality problems due to increased chemical use. The farm utilizing integrated farm management options had the least total expense ($114,589) and also managed to receive an average annual net income of $10,940. Therefore, the results indicate that sustainable systems can be both environmentally and economically sound.

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