Is Agroecology Too Much Work? Cornell University Research Says No

A study by Cornell University researchers surveyed more than 500 fruit and vegetable farmers nationally and conducted in-depth interviews with nearly 50 farmers in New York and California about their perceived barriers to adopting agroecological practices. Survey participants listed labor cost, time, and complexity as the main barriers to their using compost, reduced tillage, intercropping of different plants, flower strips, crop rotations, cover cropping and border plantings. However, farmers who had not tried the practices estimated that they would take more time than they actually did. In addition, researchers say the practices can pay for themselves through increased productivity. The study results appeared in Agriculture and Human Values. Second author Rachel Bezner Kerr comments, “This paper really shows that actually it is possible for American farmers to use these practices and that the barriers are lower than they may have thought.”