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Library For the public good: weaving a multifunctional landscape in the Corn Belt

For the public good: weaving a multifunctional landscape in the Corn Belt

For the public good: weaving a multifunctional landscape in the Corn Belt

Resource information

Date of publication
december 2013
Resource Language
ISBN / Resource ID
AGRIS:US201400185286
Pages
525-537

Critics of modern agriculture decry the dominance of monocultural landscapes and look to multifunctionality as a desirable alternative that facilitates the production of public goods. In this study, we explored opportunities for multifunctional Midwestern agriculture through participatory research led by farmers, landowners, and other local actors. We suggest that agriculture typically fosters some degree of multifunctionality that arises from the divergent intentions of actors. The result is a scattered arrangement of what we term patchwork multifunctionality, a ubiquitous status quo in which individuals provide public goods without coordination. In contrast, interwoven multifunctionality describes deliberate collaboration to provide public goods, especially those cases where landowners work across fence lines to weave a synergistic landscape. Using examples from two case studies, we demonstrate the spectrum of patchwork and interwoven multifunctionality that currently exists in the Corn Belt, and present underutilized opportunities for public good creation.

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Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s)

Harden, Noelle M.
Ashwood, Loka L.
Bland, William L.
Bell, Michael M.

Publisher(s)
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