Solar Corridor Science Framework INFEWS White Paper
Howard Davis, CEO Louis Simpson Foundation/Africa Blue
Dr. Brady Deaton, Chancellor Emeritus, University of Missouri and President of
the Deaton Institute for University Leadership, University of Missouri
The scientific gap in the knowledge about how the sun should be optimized in farming
system design and practice is costing the world an estimated up to 50% of agricultural
productivity loss. We estimate and recommend NSF should spend $20 to $30 million a
year of the INFUSE budget in an entire new focus of FEWS research which should
provide a new framework for farming systems throughout the United States and the
world through US leadership. This white paper describes why this focus on the
systemic science gap and what level of funding for Solar Corridor Science research is
necessary for a new farming system framework based upon maximum use of sunlight.
Everything we eat comes from the sun. Whatever we ate for lunch today came from the
sun.
The most salient and presumed energy element of photosynthesis in the Food Energy
Water System (FEWS) framework is solar energy, not solar panels to pump water or
make electricity, but the direct solar energy to deliver light from the sun to the
plant. Radiant sunlight is the most profound requirement of all food production systems,
but completely bypassed or ignored as the beginning or principal framework for farming
systems optimization. This is historically logical as water and nutrients were critical, but
manipulation of these elements alone not now adequate to increase FEWS output by
80% to 100% to feed the world population of over 9 billion in 2050. This lack of focus
on maximizing sun to all leaves on the plant at the foundation of farming systems has
been the practice for thousands of years. This lack of focus is a knowledge gap
reflected in research budgets of major government and institutional funders of scientific
research in aspects of the farming systems in the United States.
Maximizing sunlight’s impact on the photosynthesis process has never been the focus
of farming systems framework for all elements of farming, but as only one among many
elements of plant breeding since the burgeoning activity in genetic manipulation of seed
exploded in the last 50 years. Hence, global agriculture led by the agricultural sciences
in the United States has smashed rows closer and closer and tried to manipulate crop
genetics to overcome the obvious increased plant-on- plant shade during the entire crop
cycle. The overwhelming focus for farmer practice and research for FUDA, USAID and
other agencies has been designed and executed for the science and management for
water and nutrient delivery to the root zone--not sunlight--as the foundation. This was
appropriate and excellent work and should continue, but now within a framework that is
formulated around the most important element in the photosynthesis process, sunlight.
Both the ASA members Louis Simpson Foundation (LSF) and The Deaton Institute for
University Leadership (DIUL) believe through new solid and broad research largely
unknown at this time, a revolutionary transformation in thinking, research focus and
farming system design is imperative in the United States and globally to optimize all
farming systems to maximize photosynthesis as the framework of design, not as an
artifact of plant breeding. Our institutions are dedicated to facilitate this transformation
of 21st century agricultural research and farming systems, putting the "E" as the
centerpiece of science based farming systems sunlight use in the nexus of FEWS. We
believe this is a most important scientific consideration for priority research
in FEWS because it is optimization of the dollar free sunlight while all other factors cost
money. Radiant sunlight in farming systems represents an opportunity for a quantum
leap for the FEWS nexus to be able to feed the world abundantly.
Critically important, we further believe optimization of sunlight use is an essential key
farming system framework to eliminate global extreme poverty -- fulfilling the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. The SDG was just adopted by the United Nations in September under United
States leadership with a 2015 to 2030 timeline.
The potential doubling of the output of US agriculture based on the ASA members'
scientific research and elimination of extreme poverty is our priority in our presentation
regarding the 10 year funding of Solar Corridor Farming Systems because such
productivity in the FEWS is at stake for the next 35 years to 2050.
We are confident that research indicates a tremendous leap in US and global
agricultural productivity of FEWS and production levels will be the outcome if the NSF
funds the gap in science, enabling its application and dissemination through the
extension programs of universities throughout the world which our institutions are
designed to facilitate, farmer cooperatives and organizations, and our new Internet
Global Farmer AP media initiative which could use INFUSE funding for the application
of Big Data to every farm in the world.
The Solar Corridor Science and its Farming Systems Research Range
While other presentations are being made in our Solar Corridor Community of over 100
scientists at ASA, we acknowledge Groundbreaking ASA
researchers LeRoy Deichman and Robert Kramer have uncovered the need for this new
conceptual framework for farming system design globally. They created the term "The
Solar Corridor" to describe it. These University of Missouri centered scientists over the
last 40 years have proven that certain high yielding corn hybrids doubled their yields per
lineal foot of crop row by doubling the distance between the rows and creating a corridor
of sunlight by orienting the row pattern to the path of the sun across the day to eliminate
crop shading between rows of corn. This corridor of light facilitates day long sunshine
on a maximum number of leaves. This effect doubles the use of farmland by opening a
corridor to plant a lower crop for intercropping between the corn rows, optimally a high
value commodity or vegatable such as legumes. The University of Missouri findings are
being demonstrated and tested in Africa by the Louis Simpson Foundation at the
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Malawi.
Based upon broad existing research in intercropping, animal husbandry, combined with
this groundbreaking proven principle of the Solar Corridor, University of Missouri
researchers believe with creative use of intercropping of a variety of crops planted in
sequence in the Solar Corridor from March through November, land use efficiency could
be greatly enhanced. We are likely to see land index use increase up to 2.2 from
current baseline of 1.0 in the typical one crop per year Missouri farming mono-cropping
which alternates corn and soybean by the typical Missouri farmer. By using Solar
Corridor Science, the farmer can possibly double farmer income if all crops are
optimized genetically for maximum sun use, whether rainfed or irrigated.
Our institutions envision a coordinated study using ASA scientists and institutions
across the United States and the developing world over a 10 year life of FEWS funding.
We recommend coordinating research in every state through regionally significant Land
Grant Universities in Centers for Applied Agricultural Research which offer a broad
geographic, soils types, and climatic conditions of significance in their regions which
parallel existing regional USDA funding of agricultural research. Perhaps 3 lead
universities each region of West, Midwest, East and South could facilitate consistent
research in every state for every element of research effecting crop yields, farmer
financial sustainability, and ecological sustainability. Solar Corridor Farming Systems
Science we believe is a very flexible framework within which virtually all other elements
of farming systems including soil, water, nutrient delivery, plant breeding and
physiology, insect and all other elements of cross cutting system research can be
consistently evaluated nationally. We envision a Big Data constant micro and macro
data integration of all farming systems elements to maximize INFEWS funded research
for further research an of equal importance, developing new extension tools like our
Global Farmer AP.
We recommend a call for proposals for a broad, nationwide multiyear institutional
research project on the Solar Corridor Farming System Science. We will be
enthusiastically involved with the NSF in helping define the scope, breath, and nature of
the scientific research within and around the groundbreaking Solar Corridor Farming
System Science.
Attached is a simple matrix for a start of research consideration on the Solar Corridor
Farming System Science.
Howard Davis
Brady Deaton