Another method of sustainable agriculture is Natural Systems Agriculture (NSA). Natural Systems Agriculture is designing an “agricultural community modeled on the structure of the native ecosystem of the region.” For over twenty years, The Land Institute has been conducting research on this method by trying to mimic the tallgrass prairie of central Kansas. The two elements in the structure of the tallgrass prairies that The Land Institute has identified are the dominance of herbaceous perennials instead of annuals and the occurrence of these plants in mixtures instead of homogenous monocultures. Their research priorities include testing whether perennial plants can produce high seed yield without sacrificing vigor or perennialism and determining whether perennial polycultures out yield perennial monocultures in seed production. (The Land Institute) The goal of their research is to recreate a natural tallgrass prairie system that gives sufficient yield. The Land Institute plans to implement NSA into mainstream agriculture within the next 25-50 years. If you would like to be directly involved with NSA research through their fellowship programs or would simply like to learn more about The Land Institute, please visit their website at www.landinstitute.org.

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