Cynthia Fiser is a PhD candidate in the Landis Lab at Michigan State University, Department of Entomology and a 2024 KBS Broader Impacts Fellow. Her research looks at the ecological and social impacts of perennial prairie strips in row crop agriculture.
Change starts with people. Grassroots efforts that encourage people to learn, adapt, and share with others can help facilitate both community and individual capacity building. In the academic community, we pride ourselves that we know what the problems are, and it is our research that will be the solution. However, isolating the problem from the affected community can cause a disconnect in how effective the solution truly is. Theoretically, yes, it should work. But does it? Why not? Who decides if it works?
In 2022, only two years into my doctoral research, I noticed a problem. My research focuses on the biodiversity of arthropods that provide ecosystem services – such as pollination and pest predation in row crop agriculture. Perennial prairie strips are a conservation solution developed by Iowa State University researchers that were first implemented at MSU’s research station in 2019; since then, MSU scientists have studied how the strips are impacting water, soil, crop health, and arthropod-based ecosystem services. Despite nearly a decade of research on the proven benefits of prairie strips in the Midwest, US… where were they? According to USDA statistics (2023), Michigan had only 109 acres of prairie strips as opposed to thousands of acres in nearby Midwest states.
Research into the adoption of conservation practices in agriculture describe social or economic barriers that are broadly attributed to regions or crop-specific growers. But what about rural Michigan? I needed people: landowners, farmers, and most importantly, Conservation Districts (CDs); which are federally funded, county-based groups for local conservation projects. For the last two years, I have attended multiple CD meetings in three Michigan counties to establish a relationship and propose an engaged research project. With the support of my local CDs, the KBS Broader Impacts Fellowship, and funding through the North Central – Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NC-SARE) Graduate Student Grant, we are finally ready to embark on this project.
In January and February 2025, we will host discussion-based focus groups with participating farmers in several Michigan counties on the barriers or opportunities for prairie strip adoption. We hope to go beyond generalizations to address key needs in these communities. By partnering with CDs, we can reach a broader audience of farmers and create resources for public distribution. No pay walls necessary.
I am immensely grateful for the continued partnership with MSU-Extension MiSTRIPS and the KBS Outreach and Extension Coordinators Misty Klotz and Liz Schultheis. Funding, mentorship, and support from the KBS Broader Impacts Fellowship proved how valuable community-engaged research is in the academic community – particularly in agriculture. It is necessary to shift from using farms as tools for conservation, to working with farmers to integrate conservation-oriented values and practices.
As my Conservation District partners have said: “solutions come from the ground; work from the ground up”.
If you’re interested in learning more about our project, or have questions or comments, please contact me at fisercyn@msu.edu.