The federal government awarded University of Wisconsin researchers $2.1 million to fund a project intended to promote sustainable vegetable production on behalf of producers and processors.

UW agricultural economist Paul Mitchell said they are trying to provide a systematic way for growers to actively participate in the development of sustainability systems for the foods they produce.

“Everyone is interested in sustainability,” Mitchell said. “We have to figure out a way to feed the world as best as we can.”

Mitchell said this is important because Wisconsin is the second largest state in terms of vegetable processing.

Mitchell said they are using a lot of the funding, which comes from the United States Department of Agriculture, for consumer research and data collection. He said they want to develop a regional assessment tool and a list of practices to develop a summary of how well a certain crop is doing in a specific region.

“We’re meeting in the middle to figure out how to raise food sustainably,” Mitchell said.

In an email to The Badger Herald, Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Agriculture Jed Colquhoun said the project will study the relationship among agricultural sustainability endeavors behind the farm gate, the food supply chain and consumers.

Colquhoun said the research will determine whether implementation of reasonable sustainability practices on the farm that protect the environment promote grower economic solvency and contribute to the community are valued by consumers in the marketplace.

Colquhoun said the project also focuses on agricultural practices supported by the best available science so growers, the food supply chain and customers can make informed decisions.

“We want to match up desires of consumers with what farmers can deliver,” Mitchell said.

The study focuses on green bean and sweet corn production, Mitchell said.

He added they also hope to use what they find as a model for other crops, something that he said nobody else is doing yet.

According to Colquhoun, participants in this project are also working under the umbrella of the National Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture, which is led by UW. He said they are taking a similar approach to grower-led and science-based sustainability programs with several agricultural commodities at a national level.

The project – from the beginning of the proposal development process all the way through the adoption of results – focuses heavily on grower involvement, according to Colquhoun.

He said they want to ensure practices that promote social and environmental responsibility are also reasonable for the grower.

“The strong involvement of the agricultural community is a great example of the Wisconsin Idea, in this case extending the classroom well beyond the borders of Wisconsin in a national approach,” Colquhoun said.

Colquhoun said this is important because UW has long been a leader in grower-led, science-based sustainability solutions.

He said they are also in the process of developing a course that will be offered in spring semester of 2013.

He said the course will be titled “Assessing Agricultural Sustainability Through Experimental Learning,” and students will gain practical experience working directly with farmers in diverse food systems to address agricultural sustainability.