MSU researcher contributes to internationally awarded study on benefits of farm diversification
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EmailOlivia Smith, professor in the MSU Department of Horticulture and the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) Program, examined the social and environmental impact of integrated crop-livestock systems as part of global study
EAST LANSING, Michigan – A team of researchers, including Michigan State University Assistant Professor Olivia Smith, earned international recognition for a 2024 published study finding that agricultural diversification results in positive outcomes for growers and the environment around the world.
The paper, published in Science and titled “Joint environmental and social benefits from diversified agriculture,” analyzed data from 24 studies in 11 countries and found that implementing livestock diversification or soil conservation tended to create beneficial social and environmental outcomes.
The project and findings earned the team one of 19 U.S. national champion recognitions for the Frontiers Planet Prize, as well as one of three international champion awards. The international champions are each awarded $1 million to support continued scientific breakthroughs.
The study was massive in scope, bringing together more than 55 researchers to consolidate regional data from more than 2,600 farms around the world.
Smith, who was hired to the Department of Horticulture in August 2024, focused her study – one of the 24 studies underlying the Science paper – on the benefits of integrating livestock into crop production on farms on the West Coast of the United States.
“Our synthesis that won the award looked at the potential benefits of livestock diversification, crop diversification, soil conservation, water conservation and non-crop plantings – like hedges and flower strips – and found that diverse systems generally lead to better joint outcomes across environmental and social factors, such as human wellbeing and food security,” Smith said.
The study found that diversified farming systems – meaning those that intentionally increase the number of livestock species, use soil conservation practices, include non-crop habitat, etc. – are a promising solution to bring about more sustainable food production because they offer a pathway to farm for environmental sustainability, human well-being and food security.
Smith’s contribution to the project was built on the foundation of her dissertation from her Ph.D. program at Washington State University that found integrating livestock with crop production leads to positive outcomes on biodiversity. Smith worked with integrated crop-livestock farms in California, Oregon and Washington, and her findings were compiled with the group to support the overall conclusion of the Science paper.
“I think the strength of this study is not only the size and geographical scope, but that it integrates analysis of both environmental and social outcomes. Prior work on how diversification impacts farming system sustainability has largely stopped at environmental outcomes, but the social outcomes are also critical to consider,” Smith said.
The Frontiers Planet Prize celebrates breakthroughs in Earth system and planetary science that “address these challenges and enable society to stay within the safe boundaries of the planet’s ecosystem.” The prize puts scientific rigor and ingenuity at its heart, helping researchers worldwide accelerate society toward a green renaissance, the Frontiers Research Foundation says.
Professor Jean-Claude Burgelman, director of the Frontiers Planet Prize, said the planet faces immense threats that require bold, transformative solutions rooted in evidence and validated by science.
“Innovative yet scalable solutions are the only way for us to ensure healthy lives on a healthy planet,” Burgelman said. “By spotlighting the most groundbreaking research, we are helping scientists bring their work to the international stage and provide the scientific consensus needed to guide our actions and policies.”
The researchers found that diversifying on-farm crops and animals and improving habitat, soil and water conservation on individual farms can support biodiversity while improving or, at a minimum, not coming at a cost to yields. Additionally, researchers discovered social benefits and improvement in food security – improved food access or a reduced number of hungry months, for example, particularly in smallholder systems.
The more diversification measures farms employed, the more benefits accrued, researchers observed. Essentially, the team found evidence to move toward agriculture that more closely reflects natural systems.
Using data from 2,655 farms across 11 countries and covering five continents, the researchers combined qualitative methods and statistical models to analyze 24 different datasets. Each dataset studied farm sites with varying levels of diversification, including farms without any practices.
Smith is now partnering with 40 Michigan small-scale, organic farms to examine how to support beneficial biodiversity that can benefit production. The farms span from Grand Rapids to Detroit.
She hopes the information gleaned can be applied to support other small farms in the state that have been historically underserved. Smith will apply similar methodology in her new work as she did in the award-winning study. Michigan ranks second in the nation in agricultural diversity, supporting more than 300 commodities.
Smith is partnering with MSU-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation (DPFLI) and the MSU Student Organic Farm on the grant project that is supported by MSU AgBioResearch and Project GREEEN. Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) and Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA) both wrote letters of support for the project.
Launched by the Frontiers Research Foundation on Earth Day 2022, the prize encourages universities worldwide to nominate their top three scientists working on understanding and putting forward pathways to stay within the safe operating space of nine planetary boundaries that are outlined by the Stockholm Resilience Center.
