Sustainable Agriculture and America’s Wildlife
Wildlife are among America’s most treasured assets, yet wildlife populations face a wide range of challenges. These include ongoing threats of habitat loss and degradation, both direct and indirect.
Some of America’s most iconic wildlife species, including bison, grizzly bears, and bald eagles, are associated with grand protected landscapes, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. However, nearly half of the nation’s land is privately owned and predominantly devoted to agricultural purposes, while also serving as home to many wildlife populations. Our farming and ranching lands support a rich variety of wildlife and the ecosystems upon which they depend. These working landscapes, and the people who live and work in them, are often overlooked in wildlife conservation efforts, but are deeply deserving of our respect and attention.
The National Wildlife Federation believes that society and wildlife are deeply and intimately connected. The natural systems—air, water, land—upon which we all depend are also key components of sustainable agriculture. America’s farmers and ranchers play a crucial role in protecting and restoring the nation’s wildlife. This includes not only directly supporting wildlife habitat in agricultural landscapes, but also preserving and restoring the country’s great water, air, and soil resources. We are strongly committed to the prospect that the practices that are best for wildlife are also central to supporting the nation’s farmers and ranchers and America’s continued leadership in agricultural production. The Federation’s sustainable agriculture programs aim to support leading farmers, ranchers, and conservation professionals who strive to advance soil health and conservation practices nationwide.
Best Management Practices
Building more sustainable and resilient agriculture in the US will require the actions of thousands of farmers, landowners, advisors, and conservation professionals working together. A wide range of practices can enhance the sustainability and productivity of crop and livestock producers and the land on which they live and work. Our programs focus in particular on sustainable cropland production practices that follow the principles of soil health:
- Keep the soil covered as much as possible
- Minimize soil disturbance
- Use a diverse array of crops
- Maintain continual living plants and roots throughout the year
- Integrate livestock into the landscape
Farmers can use several practices to achieve these principles, including reduced tillage (or no-till) systems, cover crops, diverse crop rotations, and sustainable pasture management (including rotational grazing methods). These practices reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter and water infiltration, and decrease nitrogen loss, all while providing water quality and air quality benefits through retaining nutrients. Many of these practices offer clear benefits to farmers, wildlife, and climate.
Our Outreach Approach
When it comes to management decisions, including choices about conservation, farmer decisions are based on factors such as values, tradition, routines, and risk. For any new practice to be adopted, it needs to match the decision-making framework of the individual farmer. Luckily, most agricultural best practices solve common problems and can help set up farmers for success in the long term. Our sustainable agriculture programs assist in making sustainable agriculture more practical and appealing to the larger farming community by improving outreach and promotion of conservation practices. To have better success, outreach to farmers needs to carefully consider the decision-making processes of farmers, especially those who are still hesitant to adopt these practices.
Testimonials
“The training really opened my eyes to the concept of middle-adopters and the need to understand their behaviors and attitudes in order to make them more confident and willing to adopt new strategies. Also, the training helped me to think more specifically about a target audience and goals when creating workshops and events.”
“Excellent format with a mix of presentations and discussions. The presenters were top notch. They were patient and informative which was valuable.”
“This training gives a different take on overall understanding how to ‘sell’ what we do. Those skills are never taught in an NRCS training.”
“This training was one of most well-organized trainings I’ve attended. I enjoyed having the material presented in different ways (presentation, group discussion, etc.) so participants stayed engaged, and the handout helped me to remember the material after the training was over.”
“The training was a great resource to get me started in the outreach portion of my job, I can’t wait for my fellow employees to have this training and learn more about outreach techniques.”