Agroecosystems
Agroecosystems are agricultural systems that encompass the interaction between crops, livestock, and the environment. They involve the management of natural resources, such as soil and water, and the integration of ecological principles into agricultural practices. Agroecosystems aim to optimize productivity while minimizing negative environmental impacts, promoting sustainable and resilient food production systems.
4 Key excerpts on "Agroecosystems"
eBook - ePubUrban Agroecology
Interdisciplinary Research and Future Directions
- Monika Egerer, Hamutahl Cohen, Monika Egerer, Hamutahl Cohen(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Agroecosystems have been conceptualized as systems existing in the intermediate between natural and fabricated/human constructed systems (Gliessman 2001). To move towards sustainability, some practitioners have suggested designing Agroecosystems to mimic ‘natural’ systems. This means using practices that promote species diversity, nutrient cycling, and production, and referencing nature as a checkpoint in sustainable agriculture transitions. While most practitioners of agroecology recognize the philosophical and practical challenges of identifying the “natural” in human-modified systems, scientific practices working towards sustainability often also recognize the importance of complex relationships between species, biophysical factors, and scale and production within the context of society, politics, and environment (Francis et al. 2003). Researchers work to build these understandings by learning from traditional and indigenous knowledge systems (Francis et al. 2003, González Jácome 2011, Vandermeer and Perfecto 2013). It is widely acknowledged (though not always practiced) that the science around agroecology should integrate perspectives outside of academia. This means engaging local communities. Méndez et al. (2015) describes how agroecology has evolved into distinct “agroecologies” under a framework to both: (1) reinforce, expand, or develop scientific research towards advancing sustainability at the agroecosystem scale; and (2) address social science and food system issues through transdisciplinary research – which includes engaging with local, indigenous, or other forms of knowledge – and through participatory research – research involving diverse actors and voices that have historically been excluded from or underrepresented in academia...
- Miguel Altieri, Clara Nicholls(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Economically, agricultural burdens include the need to supply crops with costly external inputs, since Agroecosystems deprived of basic regulatory functional components lack the capacity to sponsor their own soil fertility and pest regulation. Often the costs also involve a reduction in the quality of life due to decreased soil, water, and food quality when pesticide, nitrate, or other type of contamination occurs. Clearly, the fates of agriculture and biodiversity are intertwined. It is possible to intensify agriculture in a sustainable manner in order to secure some of the remaining natural habitats, thus ensuring the provision of environmental services to agriculture. Agroecological forms of intensification can also enhance the conservation and use of agro-biodiversity, which can lead to better use of natural resources and agroecosystem stability (Gliessman, 1999). THE NATURE OF BIODIVERSITY IN Agroecosystems Biodiversity in Agroecosystems can be as varied as the crops, weeds, arthropods, or microorganisms involved or the geographical location and climatic, edaphic, human, and socioeconomic factors. In general, the degree of biodiversity in Agroecosystems depends on four main characteristics of the agroecosystem (Southwood and Way, 1970): • The diversity of vegetation within and around the agroecosystem • The permanence of the various crops within the agroecosystem • The intensity of management • The extent of the isolation of the agroecosystem from natural vegetation The biodiversity components of Agroecosystems can be classified in relation to the roles they play in the functioning of cropping systems...
eBook - ePub- F. Douglas Muschett(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Such viewpoints or perspectives are not independent but are rather intertwined to provide a particular person’s view of sustainable development. The ecological perspective is an essential viewpoint; however, it is only one of several important viewpoints and must be placed in context to be fully understood. In a survey of definitions for the term “sustainable agriculture,” Neher concluded that there were three common themes in such definitions: plant and animal productivity, environmental quality and ecological soundness, and socioeconomic viability. 17 Three definitions of sustainable agriculture illustrate these themes: …Sustainability refers to the ability of an agroecosystem to maintain production through time, in the face of long-term ecological constraints and socioeconomic pressures. 18 Sustainable agriculture is a complex concept incorporating ecological stability and reliance (e.g., conservation of resources and reduction of impacts on the environment), economic viability, the quality of life, and human welfare. 10 Sustainable agriculture over the long-term enhances environmental quality and the resource base upon which agriculture depends, provides for basic human food and fiber needs, is economically viable, and enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. 19 We believe the third definition best describes our concept of sustainable Agroecosystems, but we would add a wildlife component to the definition. We should also acknowledge that agriculture was developed as an enterprise of human activity to even out environmental and economic risk while maintaining a productive base over time. The ecological perspective is one of three key conceptual issues or sets of objectives with potentially important operational implications for sustainable development(Figure 2.1)...
eBook - ePubClimate Change and Crop Production
Foundations for Agroecosystem Resilience
- Noureddine Benkeblia, Noureddine Benkeblia(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...They demonstrate an integrative capacity to apply the skills to new and unique situations, moving beyond the methods of any single discipline to blend the methods of biophysical science with those of socioeconomic investigation in their thinking and their research. These are the types of capacities and competences needed to deal with issues related to climate change in agriculture. 11.10 Conclusions and Outlook Education that prepares graduates to deal with seemingly intractable problems such as system resilience in the face of climate change must go beyond the artificial boundaries of individual disciplines and specializations. Students learn the challenges faced by diverse stakeholders in farming and food systems and understand their incommensurable goals that may appear unique to each player in the system. Short-term production and profits, meeting local food needs while maintaining exports, using renewable resources efficiently while preserving non-renewable resources for the future, maintaining a quality environment for survival of humans and other species are among the challenges not easily addressed in compartmentalized approaches to research and development. Agroecology provides a platform to guide the needed education. There are broad goals to which everyone should subscribe: producing adequate food for a growing human population, creating a level of equity in distribution of food so that everyone can achieve their potential, and preserving a livable environment and quality of life. As summarized in the Brundtland Report (WCED 1987), we need to use resources to meet the needs of our current human population while not reducing opportunities for future generations to make their own choices. More than twenty years of experience using an agroecology approach in education in MSc and PhD courses confirm that the methods work, in different countries and cultures, and in diverse agroecoregions and economic systems...
