Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Publication Title

Ecological Modelling

Abstract

Agricultural production in the United States is undergoing marked changes due to rapid shifts in consumer demands, input costs, and concerns for food safety and environmental impact. Agricultural production systems are comprised of multidimensional components and drivers that interact in complex ways to influence production sustainability. In a mixed-methods approach, we combine qualitative and quantitative data to develop and simulate a system dynamics model that explores the systemic interaction of these drivers on the economic, environmental and social sustainability of agricultural production. We then use this model to evaluate the role of each driver in determining the differences in sustainability between three distinct production systems: crops only, livestock only, and an integrated crops and livestock system. The result from these modelling efforts found that the greatest potential for sustainability existed with the crops only production system. While this study presents a stand-alone contribution to sector knowledge and practice, it encourages future research in this sector that employs similar systems-based methods to enable more sustainable practices and policies within agricultural production.

Keywords

Sustainability, Agriculture production systems, System dynamics modelling, Drivers, Farming policy

Volume

333

First Page

51

Last Page

65

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.04.015

ISSN

0304-3800

Comments

Originally published in Ecological Modelling 333 (2016) 51–65 under the Creative Commons License. All rights reserved.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2016.04.015

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