Agriculture and Land Stewardship: Can It Help Move from an Uncertain Present to a Sustainable Future

Agricultural land has many uses besides providing traditional products of food and fiber. Together with natural and other working lands (sometimes called open space), these lands provide products such as biofuels and lands as sites for solar and wind energy and water supply and for open space uses, such as carbon sequestration, flood control, recreation, and habitat restoration. Climate change and multiple demands regarding land use provide uncertainty for future planning. It is important that scientists and policymakers consider the effects of projects on the surrounding areas and communities they are changing where open space lands are involved. One way to do this is an Agriculture and Land Stewardship (ALS) approach which calls for a comprehensive and integrated multidisciplinary and collaborative process that integrates the planning for a specific project with regional and landscape planning to provide a sustainable and resilient future. Critical to the success of this process is an inclusive and open dialogue with landowners and local representatives.