The economic and social conditions of the solar corridor cropping system

Abstract Current cropping systems in the American heartland have developed within a specific set of social, economic, and ecological conditions. Corn and soybean cropping systems are shaped by consolidated markets for inputs, processing, and trading, while the development of large-scale livestock enterprises have limited options for diversified farming. The industrialization and resulting specialization of crop and livestock systems has arisen from a productivist outlook in American agriculture which has often had negative economic and social impacts on farmers and communities as well as on natural resources such as soil and water. The current structure of food and agriculture is also proving to be vulnerable to disruption in a changing climate. By diversifying income streams, the solar corridor cropping system may provide a bridge for commodity farmers to contribute to new forms of civic agriculture that build community capitals and enhance resilience in the American heartland.