Sustainable Horticulture!!
Carl Motsenbocker
Co-State Louisiana SARE Director
School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences
www.lasare.agcenter.lsu.edu
The primary goals of sustainable agriculture include:
Providing a more profitable farm income.
Promoting environmental stewardship, including:
Protecting and improving soil quality
Reducing dependence on non-renewable resources, such as fuel and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and
Minimizing adverse impacts on safety, wildlife, water quality and other environmental resources
Promoting stable, prosperous farm families and communities
(SARE, sare.org)
Sustainable Production Farm profitability Environmental
stewardship Quality of life for farm
families and rural communities
Sustainable Goals
Sustain economic viability
Sustain environmental stewardship
Sustain social responsibility and quality of life
Sustainable is Not Always Organic
But it is innovative
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Answer: “Sustainable” includes many types of agriculture
When is Agriculture Sustainable? Maintains a diverse
ecosystem Reduces
environmental impacts
Minimizes pest problems
It has to be profitable
Sustainability is . . .
A goal A direction A guiding principle
Is Sustainability a Philosophy or a Set of Practices?
Sustainability has to be adaptable and supportive of community environments
Sustainability is Profitable
Includes production and processing
Business concepts and marketing
Sustainable is Environmental Management
Soil management Crop management Livestock management Water management Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
Don’t Forget Marketing Most sustainable operations fail not from poor
production practices but from lack of marketing
USDA S.A.R.E. & the Louisiana Program
SARE = Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
SARE PDP = Professional Development Program
Mutual goal of both programs is to teach technical skills and to provide information
Focus on agriculture professionals
Louisiana SARE
Dr. Owusu Bandele, Southern University Agricultural Center
Dr. Carl Motsenbocker, LSU AgCenter
Model State Program Ms. Emily Neustrom, State Program Assistant La SARE Board http://www.lasare.agcenter.lsu.edu
Community Food Program Components
• nutrition education• market gardening• community gardening• youth gardening• school gardening• community supported agriculture
(CSA)• micro-enterprise development
• gleaning• consumer education and marketing• buying clubs• business training• community kitchens• farm to school programs• farmers’ markets.• food policy councils
In the United States, approximately 80 % of the population and almost 73 % of Louisiana residents, live in metropolitan areas (US Census Bureau, 2007).
The complexity of the food production and transport system has increased as food production has shifted to centralized production areas with food typically traveling from 1500 to 2500 miles from farm to consumers table (Halwell, 2002).
Food insecurity: is where people skip meals or eat too little and they tend
to have lower quality diets or rely on emergency food because they are unable to afford necessary food for their families.
US poverty rate was 12.6 percent in 2005 with 37 million people, including 13 million children living in households at risk for hunger or that experience hunger (US Census Bureau, 2007).
The poverty rate for Louisianans was 17.1 % in 2005 with almost 25 % of children in Louisiana living in poverty.
Many Louisianans and Americans do not get enough to eat on a daily basis and often depend on emergency food sources.
Food Access
In many low-income areas, full-service grocery stores are not available.
Example, in Old South Baton Rouge (OSBR), Louisiana there are no full-scale grocery stores and availability of fresh fruits and vegetables is limited.
Residents must travel out of the neighborhood to larger grocery stores as the local markets generally have few fresh produce available. Public transport available?
The elderly poor, with little disposable income and fragile health issues often find it difficult to travel out of the neighborhood for grocery items.
Urban Agriculture Local Food Systems
Why buy local food? It is fresher, tastier and more nutritious.
It supports local farmers and keeps more of your food dollar working in your hometown.
It conserves energy and reduces output of greenhouse gases.
It gives you a better picture of how your food is produced.
Community Food Programs
School Gardening
Can we interest students in science through gardening and garden-based activities?
Can we impact children’s attitudes towards preference for fruits and vegetables?
Community Gardening
Youth Gardening
Market Gardening
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)“Partnership between local community members and local growers that work together to create and maintain an economically stable food system, encourage land stewardship, and promote community development.”
Farmers Markets
Union Square, NYC
Nationally the estimated number of farmers markets has increased almost 250 percent from 1994 to 2006
Over 3700 farmers markets currently operating in the US
(USDA-AMS, 2007).
Assist development of recipes and food production.
Preparing, cooking, filling, labeling, flash-freezing and cooling food for sale.
Community Kitchens
Ex: Jubilee Project Inc., East Tennessee (http://www.jubileeproject.holston.org/)
Garden sessions Garden based nutrition
education Garden tastings Farm field trips Local food in school
lunches
Farm to School Programs
Alice Waters, Edible Schoolyard www.edibleschoolyard.org
http://www.esynola.org/
Community Food Program Components
• nutrition education• market gardening• community gardening• youth gardening• school gardening• community supported agriculture
(CSA)• micro-enterprise development
• gleaning• consumer education and marketing• buying clubs• business training• community kitchens• farm to school programs• farmers’ markets.
Salinas, CA to Baton Rouge, LA 2100 miles
Charles and Jaynell Glaser, New Roads, LA 36 miles to Red Stick Farmers Market
Food Miles: Lettuce
Community Food Shed
Urban Agriculture
