Publications by Colleges and Departments (MSU - Bozeman)
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Item Sustainability Dimensions of a North American Lentil System in a Changing World(2019-10) Warne, Teresa; Ahmed, Selena; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Miller, Perry R.Food production and consumption are among the largest drivers of global change. The adoption of lentil in production systems and in plant-based diets is a food system solution that can support the environmental, socio-economic, and human health dimensions of sustainability. The purpose of this study is to evaluate producer and consumer perceptions of the sustainability profile of the lentil system in Montana (USA), and the surrounding region that includes Idaho (USA), North Dakota (USA), Washington (USA), and Canada, in the context of global change. Surveys were conducted with lentil producers (n = 63; conventional n = 42, organic n = 15, and mixed management n = 6) and consumers (n = 138) in the rural state of Montana (USA). The most prevalent agronomic reason for including lentil in production systems reported by producers is to diversify crop rotation (92%). The most prevalent economic reasons for including lentil in rotation reported by producers is to capitalize on dryland production (95%) and to serve as a cash crop (87%). With respect to lentil consumption, the most prevalent health-related perceptions were that eating lentils helps to improve nutrition (88%), feel satiated or full (85%), and support a plant-based diet (81%). Consumers and non-consumers of lentils alike reported they would increase lentil consumption based on environmental (78%), economic (75%), and health and nutrition (72%) information contrasting lentils and animal-based protein sources. Overall, findings highlight how the lentil system supports multiple dimensions of sustainability based on the perspectives of study informants. Additionally, findings elucidate barriers and opportunities for promoting lentil in agricultural systems and diets. Impacts of market, policy, and climate change on lentil production, and lack of consumer knowledge on benefits of lentils to help meet food security through a sustainable diet, challenge sustainability dimensions of lentil in the food system.Item Climate Change Perceptions and Observations of Agricultural Stakeholders in the Northern Great Plains(2018-05) Grimberg, Bruna; Ahmed, Selena; Ellis, Colter; Miller, Zachariah J.; Menalled, Fabian D.Communities reliant on subsistence and small-scale production are typically more vulnerable than others to disasters such as earthquakes. We study the earthquakes that struck Nepal in the spring of 2015 to investigate their impacts on smallholder communities and the diverse trajectories of recovery at the household and community levels. We focus on the first year following the earthquakes because this is when households were still devastated, yet beginning to recover and adapt. Through survey questionnaires, focus group discussions, open-ended interviews, and observations at public meetings we analyze physical impacts to farming systems and cropping cycles. We investigate respondent reports of loss and recovery through a new social-ecological recovery assessment instrument and find that diversification of livelihoods and access to common resources, alongside robust community institutions, were critical components of coping and recovery. There was widespread damage to subsistence farming infrastructure, which potentially accelerated ongoing transitions to cash crop adoption. We also find that perceptions of recovery varied widely among and within the typical predictors of recovery, such as caste and farm size, in sometimes unexpected ways. Although postdisaster recovery has material and psychosocial dimensions, our work shows that these may not change in the same direction.Item Opportunities and Trade-offs among BECCS and the Food, Water, Energy, Biodiversity, and Social Systems Nexus at Regional Scales(2018-01) Stoy, Paul C.; Ahmed, Selena; Jarchow, Meghann; Rashford, Benjamin; Swanson, David; Albeke, Shannon; Bromley, Gabriel T.; Brookshire, E. N. Jack; Dixon, Mark D.; Haggerty, Julia Hobson; Miller, Perry R.; Peyton, Brent M.; Royem, Alisa; Spangler, Lee H.; Straub, Crista; Poulter, BenjaminCarbon dioxide must be removed from the atmosphere to limit climate change to 2°C or less. The integrated assessment models used to develop climate policy acknowledge the need to implement net negative carbon emission strategies, including bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), to meet global climate imperatives. The implications of BECCS for the food, water, energy, biodiversity, and social systems (FWEBS) nexus at regional scales, however, remain unclear. Here, we present an interdisciplinary research framework to examine the trade-offs as well as the opportunities among BECCS scenarios and FWEBS on regional scales using the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB) as a case study. We describe the physical, biological, and social attributes of the UMRB, and we use grassland bird populations as an example of how biodiversity is influenced by energy transitions, including BECCS. We then outline a "conservation" BECCS strategy that incorporates societal values and emphasizes biodiversity conservation.Item New Curricula for Undergraduate Food-Systems Education: A Sustainable Agriculture Education Perspective(2014-12) Jordan, Nicolas; Grossman, J.; Lawrence, Patrick G.; Harmon, Alison H.; Dyer, William E.; Maxwell, Bruce D.; Cadieux, K.V.; Galt, Ryan; Rojas, A.; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Ahmed, Selena; Bass, Thomas; Kebreab, E.; Singh, V.; Michaels, T.; Tzenis, C.New undergraduate degree programs that address food systems have appeared at a number of North American universities in the past decade. These programs seek to complement established food- and agriculture-related courses of instruction with additional curricular elements that build students’ capacity to address complex food-systems issues (e.g., food sustainability, security, quality, equity and justice) in the course of their work in food-related professions. Here, we examine these emerging food-systems curricula, building on our collective experiences developing food-systems degree programs at University of British Columbia, Montana State University, University of California-Davis and the University of Minnesota. We present the conceptual framework that underlies our efforts, based on the premise that our degree programs should help students build “systemic” capacities that complement disciplinary training provided by various specialization “tracks.” Thus, we intend for our graduates to have a dual preparation, in both a particular specialization, and in overarching systemic capacities that enhance their ability to address complex food-system issues. We assess our current curricula in light of our framework, and outline high-priority pathways for further development of these curricula.