[MPWG] Question of the Month: Tracking non-traditional crops

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

Here is a slight twist on the question of the month:  I already asked the 
question and I am providing some information for your input and 
discussion. 

For a better understanding of the relevance of this question to 
sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants, please see the 
sections BACKGROUND TO THE QUESTION and NOTE, at the end of this e-mail.

-Patricia

- - - -

QUESTION:  HOW (OR DOES) THE USDA EVALUATE THE ROLE OF NON-TRADITIONAL 
CROPS, BOTH IN TERMS OF MONITORING THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE AGRICULTURAL 
SECTOR AND IN TERMS OF PROGRAMS TO FOSTER THEIR CULTIVATION? 

This question was posed to the Economic Research Service after I saw 
November 2005 Agricultural Income and Finance Outlook 
(http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/so/view.asp?f=economics/ais-bb/). 
There were two references that touched upon the non-timber forest product 
sector:
>Cash receipts for greenhouse/nursery (a major growth industry), 
vegetables, and fruits and nuts are forecast to continue to expand in 
2005. (p. 5)
>Figure 10 - Forest Products
Otherwise, I found no concrete info on what the non-traditional sector is 
contributing to agriculture. 

THEIR RESPONSE:
According to the NRCS, they do look at some of this info but do not track 
it to the detail I'm asking about.  That sort of tracking is done through 
"Ag census and the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS)."  With 
regard to programs, there are no programs set up specifically for the 
purpose of non-traditional crops.  But, existing programs that allow a 
farmer/rancher/landowner to sign up for cost-share can include 
non-traditional crops.  They also offered to put me in touch with someone 
from NASS or to answer any further questions.  I simply hav enot had time 
to follow up on this.  But, if any of you are interested in doing so, 
please do, or if you already have information in this regard, please 
share.

BACKGROUND TO THE QUESTION: 
Another way of looking at "sustainable use" of medicinal plants is to 
consider it in terms of sustainable production of the raw materials. 
Sustainable production might involve one of the following two activities: 
harvesting from the wild or cultivation (Pls. note: the synthetic 
production of plant-based chemicals is not in the scope of this question). 
 Many medicinal plants are wild-harvested and not all species can be 
cultivated.  But, when cultivation is an option, I wanted to explore how 
or whether this sector might be tracked and what programs/incentives for 
farmers to consider cultivating these species. 

What does this have to do with sustainable use and conservation? 
Many medicinal plants are non-timber forest products - i.e. they are 
materials harvested from forested areas.  The economic contribution and 
social importance of non-timber forest products to our society is largely 
misunderstood.  Cultivation of medicinal plants (and other non-traditional 
crops) may not only enhance rural economic development but can also 
contribute to preservation of these important species.  We need to 
understand what avenues there are for monitoring and reporting on this 
sector in order to inform the public and policymakers alike. 

NOTE: 
The term "non-traditional" is being loosely defined here in two ways.  One 
regards to the species themselves.  I am talking about plants that are not 
mainstream agricultural crops, such as corn, grains and (these days) 
soybeans.  Many medicinal plants easily fall into the non-traditional 
category.  But, I am also referring to non-traditional management regimes, 
such as agroforestry or intercropping, that is not necessarily the norm in 
the U.S. 
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