Linking Resilience Theory and Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Understand the Potential for Perennials in the U.S. Corn Belt

Ryan C Atwell,Lynne M Westphal,Lisa A Schulte

doi:10.5751/es-02787-140130

Abstract

Atwell, R. C., L. A. Schulte, and L. M. Westphal. 2008. Linking resilience theory and diffusion of innovations theory to understand the potential for perennials in the U.S. Corn Belt. Ecology and Society 14(1): 30. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-02787-140130

Highlights

Change is both a disruptive and a renewing force in natural and human systems (Gunderson and Holling 2002, Walker et al 2006)
Adaptation of social actors through collaborative learning at the community level may be instrumental in brokering the sort of multiscale system change that would lead to more widespread adoption of perennial cover types in the Corn Belt
Social-ecological systems in the U.S Corn Belt are currently trapped in a static configuration by the convergence of factors across several scales

Summary

Introduction

Change is both a disruptive and a renewing force in natural and human systems (Gunderson and Holling 2002, Walker et al 2006). The dynamic decisions of social actors often heighten the difficulty involved in addressing what are already complex ecological questions This is the case in agro-ecosystems of the northcentral U.S Corn Belt, a region with a long history of change based on the interplay of natural processes and the decisions of its human inhabitants (Axelrod 1985). This region is currently undergoing a period of rapid and uncertain reorganization driven by the increased demand for bioenergy crops (Hinkamp et al 2007). The problems inherent in this trajectory are recognized (Duffy 2006, EPA 2007), it is unclear how they might be addressed in the midst of an uncertain future

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion