Soil Erosion Risk Factors and the Impacts of Diversification on Organic Strawberry Farms along California’s Central Coast

Author

Kay Sterner, Pomona CollegeFollow

Graduation Year

2017

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Bowman Cutter

Reader 2

Marc Los Huertos

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2016 Kay E. Sterner

Abstract

Soil erosion is a major issue that threatens to undermine our current system of agriculture. Due to the fact that this system is in turn the number one cause of erosion, agricultural practices in the United States need to be rethought. This study explores how traditional ideas of erosion risks are related to observed erosion on organic strawberry farms along California’s Central Coast. In addition, diversified farming systems are addressed as a possible solution for the current unsustainability of our farming practices. The data from this research suggest that diversity of crops on farms could be linked to less soil erosion. These results are promising for the future of diversification as a new framework for agriculture.

Recommended Citation

Sterner, Kay, "Soil Erosion Risk Factors and the Impacts of Diversification on Organic Strawberry Farms along California’s Central Coast" (2017). Pomona Senior Theses. 174.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/174