Research seeking agricultural and ecological benefits in the Everglades

The purposes of this article are, first, to present agricultural, ecological, and hydrological evidence that controlling soil subsidence in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EM) while growing conventional crops may be possible and may additionally resolve some ecological problems related to the hydrological links of the EAA with other regions of the ecosystem; and, second, to describe a research approach designed to confirm these hypotheses. Successful results of this research could both improve ecological conditions in South Florida and make agriculture in the EAA more sustainable. The research seeks to take advantage of similarities between a predominantly sugarcane-rice agriculture and the sawgrass expanse that once predominantly covered the EAA in its natural wetland state. The research proposed here aims to control subsidence with crops that are currently commercially grown in the EAA. This is not meant to preclude research with alternate crops as suggested by Porter et al. (1991) and Jones et al. (1994). Alternate crops may eventually contribute to a sustainable EAA agriculture. However, we are fortunate that sugarcane and other crops in rotation with sugarcane are already profitable systems in the EAA with important ecological advantages, and have potential to become even more ecologically advantageous. Integrated research The research proposed here aims to control subsidence …