Wind - Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems

Agriculture Reference

In-Depth Information

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

practical considerations for establishing and utilizing

windbreaks. Written in a way that will be useful to a wide

audience, including students, researchers, and farmers.

Cleugh, H.A. 1998. Effects of Windbreaks on Airflow, Microcli-

mates and Crop Yields. Agrofor Syst , 41(1):55-84. The

mechanisms by which a porous windbreak modifies air-

flow, microclimates and hence crop yields are addressed,

based upon recent wind tunnel experiments, field obser-

vations, and numerical modeling. This paper is thus an

update to the excellent reviews in Brandle and Hintz

(1988).

Coutts, M.P. and J. Grace. 1995. Wind and Trees . Cambridge

University Press: New York. A full review of the ecolo-

gical and physiological impacts of wind on trees, and the

adaptations trees have developed to withstand these

impacts.

Geiger, R. 1965. The Climate near the Ground . Harvard Univer-

sity Press: Cambridge. The definitive source of infor-

mation on the formation of microclimates and how they

impact living organisms.

Morgan, R.P.C. 2005. Soil Erosion and Conservation . 3rd ed.

Blackwell Publishing: Willingston VT. A complete

review of the processes, control methods, and conserva-

tion programs related to soil erosion, including updated

information on the mechanics of and responses to wind

erosion.

Moss, A.E. 1940. Effect of Wind-driven Salt Water. J For ,

38:421-425. A key research review on how wind and salt

combine to form an important factor in the environment.

Nordstrom, K.F. and S. Hotta. 2004. Wind Erosion from Crop-

land in the USA: A Review of Problems, Solutions, and

Prospects. Geoderma , 121(3-4):157-167. An excel-

lent review of the multiple strategies that can be

employed to reduce or eliminate soil erosion caused

by the wind.

Reifsnyner, W.S. and T.O. Darnhofer. 1989. Meteorology and

Agroforestry . International Council for Research in

Agroforestry: Nairobi, Kenya. A general reference on

wind energy, and an excellent review of how trees in

agriculture can play important roles in the modification

of microclimatological factors and conditions.

Shao, Y. 2001. Physics and Modeling of Wind Erosion . Springer:

New York. A summary of the recent developments in

wind-erosion research, providing a key resource for

researchers and postgraduate students engaged in wind-

erosion studies. Topics range from global climate

change to air quality and land conservation.

In certain cases, an ecological factor may be

limiting in the absence of wind but not limiting

when wind is present. What are some examples?

The most common argument for not using (or

even removing) windbreaks and shelterbelts is

that they take up valuable crop production land.

What are the primary counter-arguments for

this “fencerow to fencerow” farming mentality?

Wind is one of those factors that can simulta-

neously have negative and positive effects.

What are some possible examples of this situa-

tion? How would you manage the wind in these

examples?

What are some of the primary barriers to the

broader use of the free and renewable source of

energy contained in wind?

INTERNET RESOURCES

Wind Erosion Research Unit of the U.S. Depart-

ment of Agriculture

www.weru.ksu.edu

Union of Concerned Scientists: Wind Power and

Agriculture

www.ucusa.org/clean_energy/renewable_energ

y_basics/farming-the-wind-wind-power-

and-agriculture.html