By Blake Jackson
Cornell researchers have identified a major reason why many U.S. farmers hesitate to adopt agroecological practices such as crop rotation, compost use, reduced tillage, cover crops, and flower strips. Although these strategies improve farm resilience and deliver environmental benefits, many farmers believe they require significantly more labor than they actually do.
The research team surveyed more than 500 fruit and vegetable growers across the country and conducted nearly 50 detailed interviews with farmers in New York and California. Participants consistently cited labor - especially cost, time, and added complexity - as the main obstacle to implementing seven of the eight agroecological practices studied.
Notably, farmers who had never used these techniques perceived higher labor demands than those with firsthand experience.
“When people talk about agroecological practices, they often assume it’s not really viable in the U.S. context,” said second author Rachel Bezner Kerr, professor of global development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). “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.”
Researchers, including collaborators from The Nature Conservancy, emphasized the need for stronger farmer-to-farmer learning networks to correct misconceptions and build confidence in these methods.
“When you look around the world at how agroecology is operationalized, and how it really thrives, it’s often based on a social component which is underdeveloped in the U.S.,” said first author Jeff Liebert, Ph.D. ’22, now at the University of British Columbia.
“Agroecology is really about context-specific, place-based solutions, and there are a lot of opportunities to help develop local, farmer-led movements and to find ways to support farmers connecting with one another.”
Although these practices involve more complex management, previous studies show they often pay off through higher productivity, improved biodiversity, better water and air quality, and reduced vulnerability to droughts and floods. “There’s robust scientific evidence that these practices can build resilience for farms to climate impacts,” Bezner Kerr said.
However, adoption remains especially low on large farms, which face greater labor shortages, rising wage pressures, and a stronger push toward mechanization. Liebert warned that continued mechanization could limit meaningful farm work and reshape rural communities. Many farmers interviewed expressed deep care for their land, workers, and communities - even as structural challenges make their decisions increasingly difficult.
Photo Credit: depositphotos-simazoran
Categories: New York, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables