CNH: A Social-Ecological Analysis of Nitrogen in Agricultural Systems of the Upper Midwest

中西部玉米种植过程中氮素流失是造成水污染和温室气体排放的主要原因。该项目以爱荷华州、伊利诺伊州和密歇根州的农场为重点，将解决我们目前对玉米农民的决定与该地区水和空气质量之间联系的理解中的重要空白。 研究人员将完善以前关于氮损失的工作，以考虑农田内的变化，确定影响农民肥料使用决策的因素，并开发一个综合的定量模型，将氮循环的自然动态与农业的社会和经济动态结合起来。该项目的结果将帮助农民和政策制定者评估减少中西部中耕作物水污染和温室气体排放的替代方法。氮圆桌会议将使研究人员，管理人员和利益相关者聚集在一起，该项目将使K-12教育工作者向公众传播研究成果。该模型预计将为美国更可持续的农业提供新的决策支持工具。

Nitrogen loss from corn farming in the Midwest is a major cause of water pollution and greenhouse gas emission. Focusing on farms in Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, this project will address important gaps in our current understanding of the links between the decisions of corn farmers and the quality of water and air in the region. Researchers will refine previous work on nitrogen loss to take variability within farm fields into account, identify the factors that influence the decisions of farmers about fertilizer use, and develop an integrated, quantitative model that couples the natural dynamics of nitrogen cycling with the social and economic dynamics of farming. Results from this project will help farmers and policy makers evaluate alternative ways to reduce water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from Midwestern row crops. A Nitrogen Roundtable will bring researchers, managers, and stakeholders together, and the project will engage K-12 educators to disseminate research results to the public. The model to be produced is expected to provide a new decision-support tool for more sustainable agriculture in the U.S.