Agricultural & Resource Economics

OSU Agricultural and Resource Economics faculty, Susan Capalbo and John Antle, were recently awarded a $4 million share of a grant to study climate change in the inland Pacific Northwest, with the aim of ensuring the long-term viability of cereal-based farming in the region. The study will primarily focus on wheat production and will utilize a computer model to study the affect of farming techniques on factors such as crop yields, water usage, nutrient levels, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon dioxide removal from the air.

Capalbo and Antle will focus on the economics of the study, which will include compiling information from growers along with cropping methods data, to evaluate the likelihood of farmers adopting techniques given various policy and climate scenarios which may arise in the future, as climate change occurs. Capalbo suggests that farmers should look at both the short and long-term considerations of their operation. She says,” Agriculture has traditionally been looked at in terms of maximizing net returns or minimizing costs, but we need to look at managing the ecosystem so it’s resilient to change and sustainable in the long run.” Antle adds that the research will be valuable even without its climate change focus, in that it gives important information on farming techniques. He says, “The research aims to understand what makes systems sustainable.”

In addition to the focus on farming methods, AREC faculty will collaborate with the department of agricultural education and general agriculture and other partners on the grant, to develop an educational component with curriculum for K-12 students. The education component will include workshops, materials, and online resources for agriculture and science teachers who are primarily based in the Columbia Basin of Oregon and the Palouse Region of Washington and Idaho.

http://naturalresourcereport.com/2011/02/osu-4-million-climate-change-grant/