Focusing on Stewardship for
Long-term Sustainability
Developed by:
Cinda Williams, University of Idaho Extension
Kevin Laughlin, University of Idaho Extension
Susan Donaldson, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Univ. of Idaho Extension
Topics to be covered:
Living n
 The whole-property concept
 Integrating the lessons you’ve
learned
 Viewing your property through a
sustainability lens
 How others are making it work
 Monitoring and assessing progress
 How you’re making it work
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What is “sustainability”?
Living n
 According to the U.S. EPA,
sustainability means “meeting the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs.”
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What about sustainable agriculture?
 According to SARE, sustainable
agriculture involves farming systems
that are profitable, environmentally
sound and good for people and
communities.
 They must be:
– Economically sustainable
– Environmentally sustainable
– Socially sustainable
USDA NRCS
So you want to be a
steward of your land?
Steward: a person who manages another's
property or financial affairs
Living n
Environmental stewardship: the
responsibility to take care of our natural
resources to ensure they are sustainably
managed for current and future
generations
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What does it mean to be a steward
of a small-acreage property?
“The practice of carefully managing land
usage to ensure natural systems are
maintained or enhanced for future
generations.”
-The Land Stewardship Center
USDA NRCS
Guiding principles of
land stewardship
Living n
 Caring for the system as a whole
 Conserving resources
 Maintaining, building and enhancing
stability in nature
 Honoring cultural values and ethics
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Putting it all together with a
whole-property perspective
Use what you’ve learned about:
Living n
Inventory and goals
Soils
Water
Wildfire threat reduction
Plants
Animals
Enterprises
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The whole-farm or whole-property view
Redrawn by
A. Miller from
www.sare.org
Applying a “systems” approach
 System: a group of interacting,
interdependent elements that function
together as a complex unified whole
www.unesco.org
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Whole-farm nutrient balance
www.extension.org/pages/Whole_Farm_Nutrient_Balance
An alternate view of the whole-farm
nutrient balance
Inputs
Managed
outputs
Feed
Meat and milk
Animals
Irrigation
water
Feed
Manure
Crops
Manure
Fertilizer
Legume N
Losses or soil storage
Livestock and Poultry Environmental Stweardship
Farm
boundary
Applying systems thinking to
your property
Living n
 What are the components of your
system?
 How are they interrelated?
 How does an action on one
component affect other parts of your
system?
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Systems diagram activity
www.icra-edu.org
A systems thinker:
 Seeks to understand the
big picture
Living n
Observes how elements
within systems change
over time, generating
patterns and trends
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Being a systems thinker
Changes perspectives
Living n
 Identifies the circular
nature of complex causeand-effect relationships,
i.e. interdependencies
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Developing your goals with
sustainability in mind
Environmental
concerns
Economic
factors
Social issues
www.sare.org
Putting sustainable goals
into action
Soils
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Do a soil test for
nutrients, organic matter
content, etc.
Outcome:
Improved soil quality
2. Plant cover crops and till
in as green manure
Putting sustainable goals
into action
Plants
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Assess existing vegetation
Outcome:
Healthy pastures and
healthy animals
2. Improve grass mixture
3. Implement rotational
grazing
Putting sustainable goals
into action
Business
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
1. Research and identify a
feasible niche market
Outcome:
Make a profit from
your small-acreage
enterprise
2. Develop a business plan
Make your own goals!
Short-term Actions
Long-term Goals
The living soil
 How do the practices we employ
on our land influence the soil?
USDA NRCS
Improving soil quality
 Work on the basics of high-quality
soils
Living n
– Reduce tillage
– Add organic matter (plant cover crops)
– Reduce applications of synthetic-based
chemicals
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Assess your soil quality
 Monitor for:
Living n
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Earthworms
Organic matter color, roots and residues
Subsurface compaction
Soil tilth
Erosion
Water-holding capacity
Drainage and infiltration
Crop condition
pH
Nutrient-holding capacity
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Protecting our water
 Water quantity
– Reduce unnecessary water loss by covering
soil (cover crops, mulch, etc.)
– Increase water-use efficiency by proper
irrigation
USDA NRCS
energyfarms,.net
 Water quality
– Prevent runoff of soil into water bodies
– Prevent contamination by livestock by
installing buffers or providing off-stream
watering
USDA NRCS
USDA NRCS
What are you doing to
conserve water?
Living n
 For your crops or pasture?
 For your animals?
 In your landscape?
 In your home?
NDEP
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Sustainable water use
Living n
 Build well-structured soils that
retain water
 Design for infiltration of water,
rather than runoff
 Plant species that are droughttolerant and disease-resistant
 Capture, conserve and recycle water
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Drought index
What about floods?
The bright green color indicates flood warnings.
How would drought or a flood
affect you?
Living n
 In the short term?
 In the midterm (3 years)?
 In the long term (5 years)?
 What is your contingency plan?
 What will you do differently?
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Protecting and preserving
your space
Was wildfire
part of your
long-term
plan?
Make a plan for protecting and preserving your space
Managing plants for sustainability
 Promote ecological balance with plant
diversity
 Maintain vegetative cover
 Enhance or provide organic matter
 Enhance nutrient recycling
 Promote pest population balance through
biological strategies
Raising healthy animals –
a systems approach
Pasture rotation
ATTRA
You can manage parts of the system to decrease
internal parasites and their effects
Managing energy use
 Make use of renewable energy
– Solar
• Pumps for watering and irrigation
• Greenhouses
Living n
– Wind
• Electricity for buildings
– Biofuels
• Oils or fuel from plants
– Energy from animal waste (which is not
a waste after all!)
• Methane digesters
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Creating successful enterprises
 Choose your production system
 Develop your niche
– Your uniqueness is the key
Living n
– Tell your story!
 Value-added products
 Connect to customers and the community
 Understand the bottom line
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Quality lives
 For you and your family
– Physical health: exposure and safety
– Mental health: stress and depression
 For employees
– Fair treatment
– Decent wages and living conditions
 For animals
– Humane treatment of animals
– Low-stress handling
USDA NRCS
Vibrant communities
Living n
 Links between the landowner or
farmer and the community
 Networking
 Partnerships and collaboration
 Lifelong learning
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Vibrant communities
 What can you do?
Living n
– Host public and school tours
– Share what you’ve learned
– Donate food to local food banks
– Buy fresh and buy local
– Join a co-op or support group
What ideas do you have?
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How are others making it
work?
Living n
 Let’s focus on systems
sustainability by looking at some
examples of people who have made
a difference in the sustainability of
land, soil, water, plants, animals, etc.
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The Mestre’s property, Nevada
UNCE, Reno, Nev.
UNCE, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
UNCE, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
UNCE, Reno, Nev.
UNCE, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
S. Mestre, Reno, Nev.
Stewardship by the Mestres
Living n
 Protecting ground and surface water
resources
 Conserving water
 Stabilizing, amending, and covering
soil to increase organic matter and
moisture content and decrease
erosion
 Improved vegetative cover and
better management of grassy areas
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Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Ester, Alaska
Living n
Issues:
 Difficult climate – long
winters, short extreme
summers with long days
 Poor soils – not very
fertile, permafrost only a
few inches below the
surface
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Goals
Living n
 Establish an organic
vegetable, herb and
flower operation
 Use it as a method to
educate others about
environmental issues
and homegrown food
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The enterprise
Living n
 CSA with a 16- to 20-week
season
 Organic herbs, vegetables and
cut flowers
 Grown on 2.5 terraced acres
amended with organic
products including composted
leaves, hay and manure, lawn
clippings, etc.
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Elements of sustainability
 Majority of 30 acres
are not disturbed
and kept forested
 Trees are used as
lumber
 Soil is kept covered
and amended, so
moisture retention
is improved
 Rainwater is
collected from roofs
and used to irrigate
crops and for
firefighter exercises
 Local community is
educated
Fostering awareness in young
people
Living n
 Host field trips for
schools
 Encourage students to
participate in the farm
 Create school gardens
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Monitor and assess your
progress
Living n
Before you took this class, how
were you interacting with your
resources?
What are you doing differently
now?
What do you plan to do differently
in the future?
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Monitor and assess your
progress
Living n
 What results do you want? How
will you achieve your goals?
 How will you know if you
succeeded?
 How are you making progress
toward making your property
more sustainable?
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Where can you continue to get
help?
Living n
 SARE – www.sare.org
 ATTRA – www.attra.org
 Educational organizations
– Universities
– Cooperative Extension
– Community colleges
– Nonprofits
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Where can you continue to get
help?
 Regulatory agencies
Living n
– Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS)
– conservation districts
– state forestry
 Networks (local, state and
regional)
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Where can you get funding?
Living n
 State and private forestry
 Stewardship incentive programs
 USDA/NRCS incentive programs, such
as Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program (WHIP) and
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
 Water quality and watershed programs
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Summary
Living n
 What do sustainability and
stewardship mean to you?
 How will you be a better steward?
 How can you help your neighbors
become better stewards?
 How does systems thinking help you
achieve your goals?
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Participant presentations
Living n
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How are YOU making it
work?
Living n
 How are you integrating what
you’ve learned about your
resources?
 How have you affected your own
property?
 How have you affected your
community?
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 Have your long-term goals changed?
Why?
 What do you hope to accomplish?
 How will your property be more
sustainable?
 Are you a better steward?
You’re on your way to a sustainable
approach to managing all the resources on
your small-acreage property!
UNCE, Reno, NV