Browsing by Author "Reid, Chantal D"
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Item Open Access A new context for agroecology: establishing the foundation in the southeastern US considering the implications of climate change(2018-04-25) Snyder, SaraAgroecology is grounded in indigenous knowledge. Current agroecological research is primarily focused on Latin America, reflecting an area where substantial indigenous populations actively practice it. This project aimed to examine agroecology in the southeastern US as a possible practice given the forecasted climate change. A list of plant species used by the Siouan peoples was compiled from archaeobotanical records of Hillsborough, North Carolina. For three of these species (maize, nightshade, and sunflower), changes in the timing of key phenological stages were computed using Julian Day and growing-degree-days between 1950-2099 based on meteorological records and climatic model projections. Records indicate the use of 37 species that were cultivated and foraged. All three species showed decreases of 1.6-2.2 days/decade in the number of days required to reach maturation, which ranged from 137.7 to 227.7 days. Corn and nightshade showed similar decreases in total number of days to reach flowering, decreasing 1.6 days/decade and 1.5 days/decade respectively. However, sunflower had a 1.5 days/decade increase to reach flowering. This increase reflected that sunflower was beginning growth earlier but progressing slower, thus requiring a longer time to reach flowering. The indigenous knowledge of this region has potential to expand and challenge the dominant idea of local agriculture. However, the results indicate that the exact ways in which plants were cultivated and foraged cannot be replicated given the dramatic changes that will alter plant phenology timing within this century. Instead, this project highlights novel local plants that could be incorporated into diet and underscores the need for further research on plant response to climate change.Item Open Access Agroecology and Women-Run Farms: A case study of women farmers in the United States(2021-04-30) Gomori-Ruben, LiannaWomen’s farm labor has always been an integral part of agriculture in the United States. How that labor has been understood and documented has changed over time. Today, women are on record as the primary decision-makers of more farms than ever before. This shift in leadership may have implications for natural resource management, agriculture, and food systems. Experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognize the vulnerabilities of globalized food systems in the face of climate change and call for nations to transition to agroecology. The FAO has identified women as important leaders of agroecology projects worldwide due to their roles in families and communities. This research is an exploratory mixed-methods case study that collected and analyzed data from a total of 88 participants in the United States using a web-based survey and semi-structured interviews. The findings show that the women farmers who participated in the study realize benefits around food security, nutrition, healthy ecosystems, and social cohesion for their local communities, and their practices and approaches align with the FAO’s ten elements of agroecology.Item Open Access Bourbon Industry By-Product: A Sustainable Solution(2015-04-24) Harmon, KimberlyBourbon production is an American tradition that has spanned generations; providing substantial opportunities for economic growth. The production of whiskey has survived economic depression, government regulations and decades of technological advancement. As the bourbon industry continues to flourish, the large volume of by-product has become a source of frustration.
The primary research question I address in my project is: What is the most sustainable solution to bourbon industry by-product? The bourbon industry’s high volume of by-product can be converted into a resource to reduce its negative environmental footprint. However, finding the most environmentally and economically efficient process, while maintaining a positive relationship with the surrounding community is a challenge. To recommend a best practice for by-product, I determine the sustainability of different alternatives. Specifically, this project focuses on the following objectives:
· Identify existing and possible alternatives for bourbon industry by-product.
· Compare the environmental impact of each alternative using a life cycle assessment.
· Compare the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback for each alternative.
· Compare the relative environmental, economic, and community impact of each alternative via a quantitative analysis.
Currently, many distilleries either discharge their by-product to the local sewer system or convert the spent grains into a cattle feed source. Simply reducing the moisture content of the by-product with a centrifuge or screw press creates a product known as wet distiller’s grain (WDG). A more energy intensive alternative involves centrifuging the by-product, condensing the liquid to a concentrated syrup, and drying the solids. This product is known as dried distiller’s grain with solubles (DDGS). The third alternative in this study involves the use of anaerobic digestion to convert the by-product into renewable energy, while using the biosolids as fertilizer.
An environmental life cycle assessment, financial analysis, and quantitative analysis were performed on WDG, DDGS and anaerobic digestion processes. Heaven Hill Brands was used as a case study for life cycle modeling, cost and community impact analysis. Heaven Hill Brands is a producer and distributer of distilled spirits.
The life cycle assessments performed showed significant impacts. The anaerobic digestion process’s impact to global warming is greater than the WDG process; however, the impact is mitigated by the generation of renewable energy. The credit applied for the production of biogas and the use of the biosolids as fertilizer significantly reduced its impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In the case of WDG and DDGS, a grain credit is applied based on the production of a resource from the spent grains that reduced direct grain demand for animal feed. The environmental impact of the WDG process is insignificant; however, the DDGS operation produces a sizeable impact due to the high energy demand of the process.
The financial analyses determine that wet distiller’s grain produces the highest net present value, internal rate of return, and the quickest payback. The savings for all three alternatives is significant; however, the large capital costs for DDGS and anaerobic digestion affect the financial return. Anaerobic digestion has the lowest net present value. Both DDGS and anaerobic digestion have similar internal rates of return and paybacks.
The quantitative analysis determines that WDG and anaerobic digestion alternatives have near equal overall value. The sensitivity to performance analysis reveals that none of the alternatives are significantly sensitive to GWP or NPV. However, the DDGS operation is sensitive to community impact. The DDGS operation’s sensitivity to community impact is expected based on the operation’s potential odor, visible emissions, noise, the increase in traffic, and the weighting of this particular attribute.
Heaven Hill weighted the community impact as the most influential attribute for the comparison of the three alternative uses of by-product. The organization has found that forming a positive relationship within the community is a priority. Integrity is a core value of Heaven Hill Brands. This integrity is compromised if the concerns of the community are not considered as the company analyzes prospective developments.
This in-depth analysis was used to develop a concrete recommendation for Heaven Hill Brands. The implementation of an anaerobic digestion operation is the most sustainable solution. This alternative is the most environmentally efficient, promotes community well-being with a minimal negative impact and is economically beneficial for the organization. The anaerobic digestion process allows Heaven Hill Brands to create a resource from an existing waste stream; promoting the organization’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Item Open Access Bumblebee Pollination in Central North Carolina: Conservation Through Land Management and Education(2012-04-27) Powell, DanaFor the first time, Bombus pollination activity was studied from a land management perspective using field surveys on managed properties in the Uwharries region of central North Carolina. Summer bumblebee populations were compared for three sites that differed in their management practices. Practices included combinations of prescribed burns, mowing, herbicide treatment, and planting vegetation to maintain open habitat. Surveys of Bombus pollination visits were supplemented by morphometric measurements of captured bees to assess bumblebee colony health. Only two common species of Bombus were found. Abundance and abundance per forage unit were greatest at the recently burned field site, suggesting that this site’s land management practices were most supportive of bumblebee populations. Bumblebee size did not differ significantly between sites. Abundance and diversity was low across all the sites, possibly due to daytime temperatures above many species’ optimal thermal range. Land management strategies are recommended for improving bumblebee conservation in the region. Citizen science and other educational initiatives are also encouraged to promote conservation.Item Open Access Developing a Guide for the Sustainable Agriculture Education Program at the Duke Campus Farm(2013-04-26) Cory-Watson, DamonThe goal of this study was to create a guide that aids individuals and institutions develop educational programs about sustainability for their farms. Interest in such programs is increasing and relatively few guides are available. The Duke Campus Farm is the intended first audience. To create this guide, I assessed current practices in sustainable agriculture education (SAE) using two methods: a curricular analysis of various courses about farming education, and in-person interviews with observations of existing local programs. I evaluated fifty-eight syllabi from 30 post-secondary institutions using three broad “meta-categories”: Content, Tools, and Approach. I performed interviews and observations about local best practices, needs of different ages and useful educational activities. The curricular analysis showed consistency for 14 content areas, 10 tool areas, and 10 approaches. For Content the top five were categories were Sustainable Agriculture Theories and Concepts, Farm Management, Production Methods, Soil and Natural Science. For Tools, these categories were Traditional Academic, Hands-On Experiences, Comparisons, Evaluations, Assessments and Analyses (CEAA), Projects and Community Building. Lastly for Approaches,the categories were Traditional Academic, Experiential Learning, Environmental Education, Cooperative Learning and Multidisciplinary. From the curricular analysis, the Programming for Education in Agriculture and Sustainability (PEAS) tool was created to educate the user about relationships of each of theses meta-categories. From the interviews, recurrent advices in the following 4 areas emerged: Activities or Lessons, Infrastructure Design, Participant Management and, Program and Curriculum Design. Results from both methods combined allowed for a powerful decision making tool for various institutions. In addition to highlighting salient factors present, the systematic analysis of syllabi identified gaps that can improve SAE and help clarify a standard for the discipline.Item Open Access Feasibility of Remote Off-grid Processing Facilities in the Philippines(2014-04-25) Dattels, Lindsey; Conde, Bianca; Tao, JingxianThe investigation evaluates the feasibility of moving Improv’eat operations off the grid in terms of energy and water use. Discounted cash flow and risk analyses are used to consider the practicality of incorporating renewable energy technologies (hydropower, solar photovoltaic, solar tube, biomass and combined heat and power) to meet two energy demand scenarios (21kW and 12kW). The viability of rainwater harvesting and its cost savings are analyzed to meet current water demand of 150 gallons/day. Our energy results suggest hydropower offers the highest return and least risk, while solar PV offers the lowest positive returns under all scenarios when including feed-in-tariffs. In terms of water investigation, a rainwater storage unit ~50,000 litter capacity is recommended to meet monthly water demand and provide annual cost savings of USD$103 to USD$109.Item Open Access Identifying barriers to sustainable food production by low resource producers and purchase by low income consumers in Washington and Beaufort Counties, North Carolina(2014-04-25) Hill, Kim; Zhang, HarryServing the interests of our client, Resourceful Communities of the Conservation Fund, our project investigates ways to better connect low-resource producers and low-income consumers of fresh produce in 31 low-income counties in NE North Carolina. To better characterize barriers rural producers and consumers face to produce and access healthy food, we conducted three separate analyses. A general linear model statistical analysis based on the USDA Food Environment Atlas data was used to identify significant demographic and socioeconomic variables that affect food access at the macro-level. For a qualitative analysis, surveys and interviews were used to define barriers producers and consumers face on the intra-county scale. Using Geographic Information Systems, a spatial analysis was developed to understand spatial patterns of food deserts and access barriers. The qualitative and spatial analyses were focused on two low-income counties: Beaufort County and Washington County, NC Community stakeholders, local food producers, consumers, and grocery retailers were interviewed. The statistical analysis focused both on 31 target North Carolina counties and on the entire Eastern Coastal plain. Two general linear models revealed that persistent poverty counties and counties experiencing population loss were more likely to experience little or no access to grocery stores. Race was also a factor, particularly within North Carolina where minorities are more vulnerable to food insecurity. Both Washington and Beaufort Counties exhibit a high level of economic and demographic stratification. Two-thirds of consumers from the survey had problems stretching their food budget, and identified a weekly food box at low or no-cost as the best intervention. Retail grocery stores already can and do buy local food. However, retailers buy locally according to the season and price. Major barriers to connecting low-resource producers and low-income consumers were identified as the decrease in the number of small farms, increasing bureaucracy, high cost of entry, and historical divisions between ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Using the geographic and socio-economic barriers, the spatial analysis identified three food deserts, in SE Beaufort County, NE Beaufort County, and SW Washington County and the main drivers for each.Item Open Access Local Farmers and Food Distribution in North Carolina: A Three-Pronged Approach in Support of the Southeastern North Carolina Food Systems (SENCFS) Program(2011-04-29) Cloak, Laura; Ledford, Deidre; Tocco, NicoleLocal food production has the potential to decrease environmental impacts of the modern globalized food system, stimulate local economic development and strengthen communities. To enhance SENCFS’s ability to foster such economic and community development through a regional food system, our team examined key barriers encountered by farmers and institutions to engage in a regional food system. First, we surveyed farmers and examined the current certification process to identify the main barriers small, limited-resource farmers face in acquiring the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. We recommend that SENCFS provide informational guidance and resources to small farmers throughout the entire GAP process. Second, to advance successful farm to school programs, we interviewed area Child Nutrition Directors to identify barriers between farmers and schools and reviewed successful programs around the country. Given these barriers, we recommend that SENCFS provide informational guidance to Child Nutrition Directors and focus lobbying efforts on increased federal and state funding for local produce purchases. Lastly, as a possible recruitment tool for food service companies operating in the area, we used Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantitatively compare environmental impacts of sourcing options for sweet potatoes. The results of the LCA demonstrate the vast potential a local food system has to assist Food Service Companies meet their stated social and environmental goals when conservation agriculture is supported.Item Open Access Perceptions of Campus Farm Missions at Liberal Arts Institutions: An Exploratory Case Study of the Ivy Plus Sustainability Working Group and Duke Endowment Schools(2016-04-29) Pineault, Madelyn; Vining, ErinTraditionally associated with land-grant institutions as a means for technical farming instruction and experience, campus farms have expanded into the liberal arts space where farming and food systems may not be a primary component of an institution’s mission or history. In these contexts, the motivations for establishing a campus farm and the missions that they follow are diverse and less evident. In an effort to provide the Duke Campus Farm and broader liberal arts community with insights into how campus farm missions are stated and realized at peer institutions, we conducted a multi-case, exploratory study of campus farms at institutions in the Ivy Plus Sustainability Working Group and The Duke Endowment. The goal of our study is to determine how students and staff view the missions and goals of the campus farm at their institution and how these perceptions align with the official mission and goals of the farm. Interviews with campus farm staff and student survey responses from the schools of interest revealed mission themes of education, community, and production. Official missions aligned with staff and student perceptions in most cases and were strongly focused on education. Dissimilarities between official missions and staff and student perceptions revealed challenges to meeting the mission as well as impacts realized beyond the official mission. Further analysis identified trends in staff and student responses showing that campus farm staff members seek to better integrate farm activities with university academics as well as integrate with the broader farming community. Campus farms also attract students from diverse program areas and students are gaining education in agriculture and food systems despite diverse motivations for farm engagement beyond education. In contrast to land-grant institutions, community building and engagement were common themes in campus farm missions and student motivations for involvement. We provided recommendations to our client, the Duke Campus Farm, and to other campus farms in the liberal arts community to help them better fulfill their missions and gain insights from other campus farms.Item Open Access Policy Opportunities to Increase Cover Crop Adoption on North Carolina Farms(2012-04-27) Miller, Lee; Zook, Katy; Chin, JenniferCover cropping is an agricultural practice that produces on-farm benefits while contributing to broader public sustainability goals. However, cover crops have not been widely adopted in the United States, while the barriers to farmer adoption of cover crops have received little research attention. This study considers the relative importance of the barriers that farmers overcome to adopt cover crops in North Carolina and identifies the resources that enable successful adoption. We used an email survey of NC farmers to gather quantitative data about cover crop use and preferences, supplemented by qualitative interviews with experts on cover crop adoption. Our data show that farmers in NC overcame three broad categories of challenges to adopt cover crops: agronomic, input costs, and knowledge transfer. The level of these challenges varies depending on farm size and income, age of farmer, farming experience, and whether information to plant cover crops was obtained through extension, farmer networks, or private industry. Timing for planting, in particular, challenges farmers regardless of their demographic characteristics. We recommend a holistic policy approach that strengthens diverse knowledge transfer networks, bolsters farmer incentives through existing cost-share programs, and invests in applied research to develop varieties that better complement common cash crop rotations.Item Open Access Policy Opportunities to Increase Cover Crop Adoption on North Carolina Farms(2012-04-27) Chin, Jennifer; Zook, Katy; Miller, LeeCover cropping is an agricultural practice that produces on-farm benefits while contributing to broader public sustainability goals. However, barriers to farmer adoption of cover crops remain poorly understood. This study seeks to determine the relative importance of the barriers that farmers overcome to adopt cover crops in North Carolina and identify the resources that enable their success. We implemented an email survey of NC farmers to gather quantitative data about cover crop use and preferences, supplemented by qualitative interviews with experts on cover crop adoption to determine the influence of policies on farmers’ decision to implement cover crops. Our data show that farmers in NC overcame three broad categories of challenges to adopt cover crops: agronomic, input costs, and knowledge transfer. The level of these challenges varies depending on farm size and income, age of farmer, farming experience, and whether information to plant cover crops was obtained through extension, farmer networks, or private industry. Timing, in particular, was a challenge for farmers regardless of their demographic characteristics. We recommend a holistic policy approach that strengthens diverse types of knowledge sharing through on-farm demonstration, bolsters farmer incentives using existing cost-share programs, and invests in applied research to develop varieties that are more easily incorporated into a cash crop rotation.Item Open Access Policy Opportunities to Increase Cover Crop Adoption on North Carolina Farms(2012-04-27) Miller, Lee; Zook, Katy; Chin, JenniferCover cropping is an agricultural practice that produces on-farm benefits while contributing to broader public sustainability goals. However, cover crops have not been widely adopted in the United States, while the barriers to farmer adoption of cover crops have received little research attention. This study considers the relative importance of the barriers that farmers overcome to adopt cover crops in North Carolina and identifies the resources that enable successful adoption. We used an email survey of NC farmers to gather quantitative data about cover crop use and preferences, supplemented by qualitative interviews with experts on cover crop adoption. Our data show that farmers in NC overcame three broad categories of challenges to adopt cover crops: agronomic, input costs, and knowledge transfer. The level of these challenges varies depending on farm size and income, age of farmer, farming experience, and whether information to plant cover crops was obtained through extension, farmer networks, or private industry. Timing for planting, in particular, challenges farmers regardless of their demographic characteristics. We recommend a holistic policy approach that strengthens diverse knowledge transfer networks, bolsters farmer incentives through existing cost-share programs, and invests in applied research to develop varieties that better complement common cash crop rotations.Item Open Access SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL DINING: EXPLORING THE INCORPORATION OF AN EASTERN CAROLINA ORGANICS FOOD PRODUCT IN SCHOOLS(2013-04-26) Tran, MargaretThe need for better school nutrition has led to a new national policy, the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) that mandates higher whole grain, vegetable, and fruit product into school meals. The HHFKA creates an opportunity for small organic companies like Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) to create products that will help schools meet the new Nutrition Standards. Once produced, how will an ECO local organic food item be received by school nutritionists? The purpose of this study is to examine what strengths and weaknesses exist in the sweet potato waffle food product that ECO develops for North Carolina public schools. I surveyed school nutritionists following a product tasting. I ask questions about the flavor, student acceptance, nutrition data, price, packaging, and distribution of the product. Nutritionists enjoyed the sweet potato waffle’s flavor and saw it as its most positive characteristic. They believe students will accept the waffle based mainly on its flavor. Maintaining the flavor while tweaking the nutrition data to fit Nutrition Standards will likely be difficult but necessary. Nutritionists prefer a price under 40¢ per serving and will accept a high price if individually wrapped. Nutritionists preferred different packaging, bulk or individually wrapped, dependent on kitchen equipment and meal type. They viewed the product’s package appearance as its most negative characteristic. Additionally, different schools prefer different ways to acquire food from distributors. The data suggests that the client ECO should maintain the waffle’s flavor as much as possible as they adjust other characteristics before final release. This study demonstrates that a local, small company with an environmental sustainability mission such as ECO can use locally grown, grade 2 produce in food products for schools and is able to compete with large suppliers. The study also demonstrates that other small organic companies can enter the school food market. Furthermore, the participating schools serve as a demonstration model for other school systems to include local food products.Item Open Access Understanding the Impacts of Traditional Cooking Practices in Rural Madagascar and a Way Forward with Improved Cookstoves(2018-04-25) Klug, ThomasTraditional biomass cooking practices pose a major threat to human health and the environment in Madagascar, where over 99% of the population relies on solid biomass fuels for energy. Biomass burning is a major contributor to household air pollution, which can impact the respiratory and cardiovascular health of primarily women and children. The need for fuelwood also places stress on the environment as a major driver of deforestation. This thesis quantifies the household air pollution and exposure measured in ~20 households in a village in the SAVA region of Madagascar, in addition to the amount of fuelwood extraction, and the time and health burdens on the local population. This thesis also presents an assessment of the improved cookstove landscape in the SAVA region and tests the efficiencies of several of these stoves to estimate the fuelwood reduction impact these stoves could have. Water boiling tests were performed on three wood-burning stoves and five charcoal-burning stoves sold in the region. It was found that household and individual exposure to particulate matter and carbon monoxide exceeded WHO standards and roughly 42% of individuals were found to have hypertension. Families are estimated to consume an average of 3,088 kg of fuelwood per year and walk an average distance of 3.3 kilometers, three times a week to collect. Of the improved wood stoves tested, two were found to require significantly less fuelwood (up to 1/3 less fuel by weight) than traditional methods. These findings emphasize the problems associated with traditional cooking and the potential for improved cooking technologies to mitigate these issues in energy-poor communities.