Contact: Maridith Geuder
Frank M. Howell of Mississippi State University is among a dozen scientists recommending major cooperative efforts between the nation's urban areas and nearby rural communities.
Howell, a sociology professor, is part of a blue-ribbon panel created by the Ames, Iowa-based Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. In a just-released report, he and other members urge rural and urban leaders to adopt a closer working relationship to share resources and develop policies to solve common problems.
CAST, an international consortium of 37 scientific and professional societies, works to identify and communicate science-based information on food, fiber, agricultural, natural resources and related issues that affect the public and private sector. Its latest report examines issues ranging from urban sprawl and business development to the agricultural sector's contributions to urban communities.
Howell and his colleagues come from some of the nation's leading land-grant institutions of higher learning. Other universities represented include Texas A&M, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Cornell, Clemson, Ohio State, Purdue, and Virginia Tech. Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and the American Farmland Trust of Washington, D.C., also have members.
With John K. Thomas of Texas A&M, Howell has developed data to document "metropolitan" farming, including trends, types of crop or livestock being grown, and precise locations of agricultural operations.
"We often assume that only buildings grow in cities, but our research has identified a significant amount of agricultural production in the fringe areas of cities," Howell said. "We often find agricultural sales amounts are highest in the urban fringe areas."
Battles over the rural-urban interface, where suburban growth has occurred, often involve issues of conflicting land use. Animal production in the midst of neighborhood development is one such conflict area, he explained.
"Our work identifies the magnitude and extent of plant and animal production in these areas, showing that urban-based agriculture has been significant in volume and economic amount but specialized in the commodities produced in the 'shadow' of the city," Howell said.
The interaction between agricultural and urban development has significant implications for other policy issues such as zoning, transportation and the environment. In all, the panel's report identifies five areas in which agriculture can play a significant role:
--Comprehensive planning to increase public support of the rural-urban agro ecosystem;
--Public policy issues, including land use, food systems, and human capital development.
--Higher education initiatives in curriculum development and community support.
--Research in topics such as urban soils, pest management and farmland preservation.
--Partnerships between traditional agricultural groups and urban interest groups.
The full text of the CAST report is available at http://www.cast-science.org/.