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2022 Wics Conference. Water And Integrated Cropping Systems: Driving Research, Teaching, And Extension Impact --Slide Presentation

WICS Conferences

What conference attendees had to say:

"The teaching overview and panel discussion provided many insights on how education pathways are evolving and the need to create diverse opportunities to meet dynamic needs."

"The extension component was valuable in seeing how those doing research can collaborate with and assist extension educators to make a greater impact in the state."

"It was good to learn what relevant research is being conducted and also the work being done in teaching in regards to water and cropping systems."

It was a great first WICS Conference. The discussions have only just begun.

2022 Wics Conference: Driving Research, Teaching, And Extension Impact, Daren Redfearn, Daran Rudnick

WICS Conferences

The Water and Integrated Cropping Systems (WICS) Hub was established to facilitate and provide collaborative opportunities for IANR faculty to leverage their individual and collective knowledge, talents, and interests to drive impact in Research and Discovery, Teaching and Learning, Extension and Outreach. This past year we focused on building connections as well as identifying and prioritizing big challenges and opportunities facing Nebraskans. The faculty identified and organized around the following themes, Digital/Precision Agriculture, Soil Health, Integrated Cropping Systems, Water Quality, and Water Quantity. The Theme Groups are faculty led and multi-disciplinary with representation across IANR Departments and Faculty appointments. We …

The Impact Of Policy Design On Willingness To Pay For Ecosystem Services From Prairie Strips, Karina Schoengold, Badri Khanal, Taro Mieno, Lisa Schulte Moore

Cornhusker Economics

Ecosystem services from farmland conservation are public good benefits. The value of these benefits is primarily measured using methods that determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for those benefits. Prairie strips, a farmland conservation practice, provide ecosystem services such as improved water quality, soil health, and biodiversity (Schulte et al., 2017). The state of Iowa is a major corn producer and contributes significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous to the Gulf of Mexico (Alexander et al., 2008). The development of conventional agricultural systems has also resulted in a significant loss of biodiversity, including a dominant land cover of tallgrass prairie. …

Flint Michigan Drinking Water Crisis, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Briefly covers the Flint, Michigan drinking water crisis including providing some background, a timeline of events, and key takeaways from the perspective of public policy.

This article was originally prepared for distribution to students in Aiken's AECN 357 environmental and natural resources law course.

The Design Of An Agricultural Youth-Centered Rural Development Program In Rwanda, Laetitia Igiraneza Sinyigenga

Honors Theses

Rwanda is primarily a rural, young, and agriculture-based country. The referred variables- agriculture, rural population, and youth- can be creatively merged to engage and empower youth for rural development. This paper indicates the utilization of cross-disciplinary knowledge to design an agricultural youth-centered rural development program in Rwanda. The program uses the interdependence of economic sectors (agriculture and education) with resources (environmental & natural resources and human resources) to boost rural community development. The program’s main activities- mentorship, agribusiness training, tutoring, exposure visits, and community work- highly reflect the requirement for advancing the selected main economic sectors and resources. There is …

Biochar: Properties And Potential Benefits For Agricultural Soil In Rwanda, Andromede Uwase

Honors Theses

Physical and chemical soil degradation is becoming a major challenge for agricultural productivity in Rwanda, which is the most important part of the country’s economy. The wide spreading soil degradation in Rwanda is mainly a result of naturally poor soils coupled with unsustainable soil management leading to, for example, accelerated soil erosion, acidification, nutrient loss, compaction, and to decreasing yields. Biochar, as an end product of pyrolysis of biomass in the absence of oxygen, has been proposed as a soil amendment in remediation strategies because of its positive effects on soil productivity relevant parameters such as soil pH, structure, nutrient …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …