Bridging the Research Management Gap to Restore Ecosystem Function and Social Resilience

Abstract

Modern technology, knowledge, and organization have greatly increased agricultural productivity, but management has prioritized short-term benefits from the production of food, fiber, and fuel. By not accounting for environmental and social costs, we have compromised the integrity of global ecosystems and caused negative impacts on our social environment. For humans to live sustainably, we must prevent depletion of natural resources and protect their potential for self-replenishment. To continue receiving ecosystem goods and services, we must stop counting the consumption of natural capital as income. Regenerative agriculture could help reverse these negative trends, but a different research approach is needed to understand the impacts of regenerative management. Much component research does not translate into producing sustainable results on managed landscapes. It is important to understand how cropping and grazing management can best regenerate soil and ecosystem function, while producing long-term economic returns. To this end, a framework is outlined that combines small-scale component research and whole-systems research, working in collaboration with farmers who improve the environment and excel financially. This approach addresses questions at commercial scale, and by integrating component science into whole-system responses, it identifies emergent properties that may result in synergistic positive outcomes and avoid unintended consequences.