SOUTHERN-SPECIFIC RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES


From the more general planning at the national level and the interpretation of national initiatives relative to the Southern Region, there emerge a series of more specific issues, problems, and opportunities that are particularly relevant to the Southern Region and which deserve special and more focused attention.

In previous editions of the Southern Region Strategic Plan, a very large percent of such opportunities have been developed into specific regional activities new research projects, redirected efforts, joint efforts with Southern Extension Directors, and/or incorporated into state research programs.

Similarly, in this revision, some specific topics were revalidated, some deleted, and others were identified as new research opportunities deserving special focus and attention in the Southern Region.

Table 4 shows these opportunities listed by title shown with the relative priority established by vote of the Southern Directors. A brief description of each opportunity follows the table.

Table 4 

Title of Opportunity                            Priority Ranking

Environment and Natural Resources
     Sustainable agriculture                                 3
     Biodiversity                                           10
     Southern wood supply                                   16

Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health
     Risk and return assessment                              7
     Nutrition and food safety as major linkages between agricultural
       veterinary and medical research                      12

Processes and Products
     Adding value to crops before harvest                   15

Economic and Social Issues
     Revitalizing rural economies                            5
     Policy analysis and economics of sustainable 
        production systems, natural resource management 
        and environmental regulation                         9
     Economic and policy analysis of industrialization of
        southern agriculture                                11 

Animal Systems
     Mitigating environmental problems with intensive animal agriculture
          operations                                         1
     Biologically-based pest management technologies         2
     Animal health monitoring systems                       13
     Gene mapping for equine and aquaculture species        14

Plant Systems
     Exploring value-added genes through conventional 
         breeding programs and molecular biology             4
     Precision agriculture                                   6

Environment and Natural Resources

Sustainable Agriculture
The development of sustainable agricultural systems requires research that incorporates technical and managerial information in an integrated package for decision-making. The inputs and practices should have minimal environmental impact. Because of large areas of marginal and/or low fertility soils and high pest populations, agriculture in the Southern Region requires high inputs. Federal farm programs restrict the flexibility needed to exercise options that would reduce input variables. Designing production systems that are profitable, socially acceptable, and environmentally compatible offers a great challenge.

Biodiversity
Maintaining biological diversity in natural and managed communities is essential for the long-term health and stability of the system. A holistic approach is needed to ensure all elements of the system are considered in its management or treatment. Studies at the ecosystem level are needed to understand the complex relationships that exist among the component parts. Biophysical modeling offers an approach in dealing with large interactive systems and in explaining the complex relationships among the organisms and their environment. Management guidelines are needed to optimize the productivity and stability of biologically diverse plant and animal communities.

Wetlands Conservation and Management
Because of its vast coastal zone, drainage system, and topography, the Southern Region has abundant wetland resources. These areas are important natural systems that provide benefits for water flow, habitat for wildlife and aquatic organisms, and unique vegetative communities. Many wetland areas also are suitable for agricultural, forestry, and recreation activities, creating serious land-use conflicts. There is the possibility that new farm policy legislation could include wetlands as a part of a modified conservation reserve program. Research is needed to help define the characteristics of wetlands, provide guidelines for their management, and address policy alternatives for administration of any new farm program.

Southern Wood Supply
Increasing demand for building products and pulp and paper coupled with drastic reductions in timber harvests on public lands is causing a severe drain on private forest resources in the Southern Region. Federal regulations related to endangered species and other environmental issues require the preservation of millions of acres of western forests. Research is needed to stimulate wood production on private, non-industrial ownerships in the South the class of ownership with the greatest potential for increasing timber production in the United States. Policy alternatives should be developed that provide incentives for long-term investment in forestry practices that will ensure a reliable wood supply for the future.

Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health

Risk and Return Assessment of Food Safety, Policies, and Processes
In response to increasing concerns about food safety, changes in regulations, technology, and processes are being proposed. Understanding the economic implications and resulting consumer behavior is crucial to the success of these proposals. Economic analysis is needed to provide decision makers with information about the costs of new technology and processes, and the effects of risk reduction and risk perceptions of consumers' willingness to pay for increased safety, and the impacts of new regulations and technology on food production and processing industries.

Nutrition and Food Safety as Major Linkages Between Agricultural, Veterinary and Medical Research
There is growing awareness of the linkage between what we eat and human health. Production of food is associated with agricultural industrial hazards that begin on the farm and end in the processing plant. Certain diseases are transmissible from animals to man and vice versa. Health care delivery systems are increasingly coming around to total management systems with more emphasis on preventing rather than treating disease. In this environment, there is an excellent opportunity to seek marriages between research in agriculture and in human and veterinary medicine research that may emphasize food safety and nutrition, and the role of nutrition in disease prevention and treatment, but which reaches out much more broadly. Institutional and programmatic linkages are being developed in several Southern institutions. An initiative that brings these efforts together at the regional level would offer major synergism to the participants.

Process and Products

Adding Value to Crops Before Harvest
Characteristically, the Southern states are exporters of raw agricultural products. The major economic activity from agriculture results from processing and adding value to these raw products. One or more product-specific initiatives could be undertaken to stimulate the investment or reinvestment in post-harvest processing through development of new knowledge and policy options.

Economic and Social Issues

Revitalizing Rural Economies
Real household incomes have declined and poverty rates remain high in many rural areas in the South. Although considerable variation exists, the South lags behind other regions on many indicators of economic well-being. Research is needed to analyze alternative policies and programs to revitalize persistently poor areas, stimulate growth and development, and to facilitate the transition of local communities. The fiscal and political feasibility of strategies to develop infrastructure, understand poverty, promote entrepreneurship, and create jobs needs to be studied to provide guidance to local communities.

Policy Analysis and Economics of Sustainable Production Systems, Natural Resource Management and Environmental Regulation
Economic analysis is needed to determine the characteristics of production systems that will be economically feasible in the global marketplace and acceptable to consumers as a basis for further research planning. Research comparing the economic and financial parameters for alternative production systems is needed by decision makers considering their adoption. This will need to include the analysis of the impact of changes in federal commodity programs that are called for in the 1996 Farm Bill. Southern agriculture may be particularly vulnerable to these changes given its high dependence on crops such as rice and cotton. The aggregated impacts of widespread adoption of new or modified production and resources systems must be understood in terms of their potential affects on commodity and product markets, resource values, related industrial sectors, and the overall structure of agriculture.

Economic and Policy Analysis of Industrialization of Southern Agriculture
The structure of several agricultural sectors, particularly the pork, dairy, and beef sectors, has changed rapidly in recent years with the prospect for a continuing trend toward industrialization in agriculture. Vertical integration will continue to evolve as segments of the industry strive to maintain sufficient control along the production and processing chain in order to realize economies of scale and market advantage. These changes have raised issues about market access, vertical integration, captive supplies, ownership versus control of resources, and so forth. A better understanding of the implications of these structural changes is needed to help producers adapt and position themselves for survival. Research is also needed to analyze alternatives for the public sector in its roles of providing marketing information and regulating environmental quality.

Animal Systems

Mitigating Environmental Problems with Intensive Animal Agriculture Operations
Large and intensive swine, poultry, dairy, and beef cattle operations are having increasing problems in dealing with solid and liquid waste as well as odors related to their operations. There is a growing need to develop methods for reducing or avoiding these problems and to devise alternatives that are environmentally sound and sustainable.

Biologically-Based Pest Management Technologies
Because of the importance of the animal industries in the South and the impact of the Southern environment on parasites and disease, there is a need to develop effective biologically-based (biocontrol) techniques to mitigate or manage animal pest populations.

Animal Health Monitoring Systems
These procedures optimize health and well-being and increase productivity in intensive production systems and provide for early detection of exotic or imported disease.

Gene Mapping for the Equine and Aquaculture Species
In the South, there is particular interest in developing additional gene maps in these economically important species which can be used to enhance production, disease resistance, and reproductive efficiency.

Plant Systems

Exploring Value-Added Genes Through Conventional Breeding Programs and Molecular Biology
In modern America, consumers have demonstrated their willingness to pay for food and other agricultural products that they perceive to be safer, of higher quality, more convenient, and more readily available in all seasons. The South is in a unique position, because of favorable climate and other geographical features, to take advantage of breakthroughs in plant genetics that would create competitive advantage through meeting these consumer desires.

Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture provides the potential for Southern farmers to balance agronomic inputs and yield to optimize economic return while protecting water quality. Implementation will require a high level of technology and technology transfer, economic evaluation and refined management skills. Enhancement of technologies involving mapping techniques for geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), variable rate application machines and related sensor development will be critical to the future development of sustainable management practices.

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Updated 7-31-96