Land‐Use Change Impact on Soil Sustainability in a Climate and Vegetation Transition Zone

Abstract

A growing world population and climate change are expected to influence future agricultural productivity and land use. This study determined the impact of land‐use change on soil sustainability and discussed the factors contributing to these changes. South Dakota was selected as a model system because corn (Zea mays L.) grain prices tripled between 2006 and 2012 and it is located in a climate and grassland/cropland transition zone. High resolution imagery was used to visually determine land uses (cropland, grassland, nonagricultural, habitat, and water) at 14,400 points in 2006 and 2012. At each point, land‐use change and the USDA land capability class (LCC) were determined. Over the 6‐yr study period, 6.87% of the grasslands (730,000 ha) were converted to cropland, with 93% occurring on lands generally considered suitable for crop production (LCC ≤ IV) if appropriate practices are followed. Converted grasslands, however, had higher LCC values than existing croplands and lower LCC values than remaining grasslands. In addition, 4.2% of the croplands (250,000 ha) were converted to grasslands, and statewide, 20,000 ha of croplands were converted to grasslands in areas limited by excess water (LCC V). The conversion of grasslands could not be linked to one specific factor and may be related to: (i) a desire to increase financial returns, (ii) changes in the land ownership structure, (iii) technology improvements, (iv) governmental policies, (v) climate change, and (vi) an aging workforce. Research and outreach programs that balance the goods and services of different land uses are needed to maintain sustainable agroecosystems.

Cropping pattern changes diminish agroecosystem services in North and South Dakota, USA

“…These types of analyses are improving due to increasing availability of datasets, tools, and new methodology for geospatial analyses. These techniques have been applied recently to smaller scale research to identify local, more subtle trends in land use and cropping patterns specific to the Dakotas (Arora & Wolter, ; Auch et al., ; Otto et al., ; Reitsma et al., ).…”

“…(USDA-NASS, 2019a). Numerous factors have been identified as causes for these changes, including the expanding ethanol and biofuel markets (Feng & Babcock, 2010;Motamed, McPhail, & Williams, 2016), new adapted hybrids, a changing climate (Reitsma et al, 2015), economic incentives, environmental policy (Claassen, Cooper, & Carriazo, 2011;Mehaffey, Smith, & Van Remortel, 2012), and changing farm culture (Wang et al, 2017).…”

“…While several researchers have noted some detrimental effects of these crop pattern changes (Lin, Anar, & Zheng, 2015;Mogren, Rand, Fausti, & Lundgren, 2016;Reitsma et al, 2015), no comprehensive discussion yet exists specific to this region. These rapid, widespread changes will have consequences beyond increasing yield potentials for corn and soybean, and the extent of these consequences can only be understood with a holistic view of agricultural systems.…”

“…These types of analyses are improving due to increasing availability of datasets, tools, and new methodology for geospatial analyses. These techniques have been applied recently to smaller scale research to identify local, more subtle trends in land use and cropping patterns specific to the Dakotas (Arora & Wolter, 2018;Auch et al, 2018;Otto et al, 2016;Reitsma et al, 2015). Cropping pattern changes are especially evident in the eastern part of these two states (Lu et al, 2018;Wright & Wimberly, 2013), often described as the northwest edge of the Corn Belt (Green, Kipka, David, & McMaster, 2018).…”

A Sustainable Rural Food–Energy–Water Nexus Framework for the Northern Great Plains

“…Changes in soil structure and health will affect agricultural productivity. Many regional soils were developed over marine sediments and fossil oil reserves containing high salt concentrations; increasing rainfall or brine spills can result in cation deposition which negatively affects soil (Reitsma et al, 2015). The ongoing disconnect between external owners and occupants often leads to land degradation and resource losses.…”