Perennial crops can be used to produce food while providing ecosystem services, but many wonder whether they can compete with biofuel development. Perhaps a better question is, do they have to?
Perennial crops are expected to provide some of the ecosystem services that we need such as carbon sequestration, clean water, improved soil quality, and wildlife habitat. So what’s the hold up?
These issues presented in a paper by Dr. Lee DeHaan, titled “Perennial Crops are a Key to Sustainably Productive Agriculture,” were discussed at an ISGP Conference at Eckerd College. The conference, Production and Sustainability, was convened April 24–25, 2015, and was part of a series of conferences in which the ISGP teamed with educational institutions to help students understand the nexus of science and policy.
