A Comprehensive Approach to Sustainable Agriculture: W. K. Kellogg's Integrated Farming Systems Initiative

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Abstract
Creating sustainable options for farming systems in the USA requires addressing both technological and nontechnological barriers. It is necessary to continue research, development, and validation of technologies that enhance agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship, and the quality of rural life. Changes in agricultural practices, however, will come about only when economic, policy, informational, and attitudinal barriers to adoption of these technologies are reduced. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), through its Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) Initiative, is supporting a cluster of community-based IFS projects. The goals of these projects are: (i) for farmers to adopt more integrated and resource-efficient farming systems that maintain productivity and profitability while protecting the environment and the personal health of farmers and their families, and (ii) to assist farmers and others in rural communities in addressing the barriers associated with adopting more resource-efficient and integrated systems. Each IFS project represents a collaboration among individuals and organizations within a community that share concern for the health of their farming systems in the short- and long-term. All WKKF-funded IFS projects are tied together through leadership development, information networking, and the addressing of public policy options necessary to foster sustainable systems. It is the hope of WKKF that it can assist those with an interest in and commitment to fostering more sustainable agriculture in overcoming the existing barriers and creating an agricultural system that can truly sustain many future generations. Major Issue If more sustainable options are to be created for farming systems in the USA, both technological and nontechnological barriers must be addressed. Changes in agricultural practice will occur only when economic, policy, informational, attitudinal, and technical barriers to adoption of sustainable systems are reduced. This communication describes a new funding initiative at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation called Integrated Farming Systems (IFS), intended to help reduce the barriers to adoption of more sustainable agricultural systems. Literature Summary Many definitions of sustainable or alternative agriculture have been posed in the literature by agricultural professionals. Most definitions refer to resource efficiency, crop or animal productivity, profitability, and environmental protection. It has been suggested that sustainable agriculture must also incorporate social issues such as rural community support and agricultural policy. The IFS initiative is supporting projects that are based on this broader concept of agricultural sustainability. Through the IFS initiative, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will be expanding its support of sustainable agriculture projects. The purpose of this paper is to communicate the foundation's vision of agricultural sustainability and to present details of the current IFS initiative. Study Description The goal of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation IFS program is to fund community-based projects that: (i) help farmers find and adopt integrated and resource-efficient crop and livestock systems that maintain productivity, that are profitable, and that protect the environment and personal health of farmers and their families; and (ii) assist people and their communities to overcome the barriers to adoption of more sustainable agricultural systems so these systems can serve as a foundation upon which rural American communities will be revitalized. Priority is being given to projects that create the kind of dynamic collaborations within which farm families, farm businesses, and rural communities can address the challenges facing them. By encouraging this comprehensive approach to solving problems in our current agricultural systems, the foundation is creating the potential for all of the stakeholders in the system to be involved in framing the issues and envisioning creative solutions. All IFS projects represent a collaboration among individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions within a community that share concern for the health of our farming systems in the short and long term. Highest priority is being given to projects that attempt to carry emerging sustainable approaches to adoption while also building the capacity of farmers and farm families to make more responsible decisions about these approaches. Special consideration is being given to projects that include strategies for: demonstrating their successes to a broader rural audience,disseminating their proposed model to other communities, and developing leadership capacity among members of the community. Intended Outcomes In addition to funding the IFS projects, the foundation will also support information and leadership networking among the projects to tie them together. Through these activities, project leaders from across the USA will work together to overcome the larger policy, economic, and information barriers that stand in the way of more sustainable agricultural systems. Through the W.K. Kellogg IFS initiative, the foundation hopes to assist those with an interest and commitment to fostering more sustainable agriculture in overcoming the existing barriers and in creating an agricultural system that can truly sustain many future generations. Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint Up to 20 IFS projects will be funded by WKKF in a single nationwide cluster. These projects will be tied together by hub activities that include leadership development, information networking, and cluster evaluation.

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