Agroecology: the ecology of sustainable food systems

This book reflects indepth information of farming matters of today nourishment output systems. Those of us involved in demanding ideas and concepts to accomplish sustainability should gaze at the assistance of this book. Some sections demand rudimentary information of Ecology while other sections demand higher grade of ecology and Biology. The publication presents demonstrations from distinct components of the world (tropical and temperate zones) in order that it should be very helpful to agronomists, and agroecologists from nations other than the US. As an agroecologist I highly suggest this book. I find it very helpful to educate Agroecology and Ecology, in both farming schools and Biology students.

Agroecosystems are plants and animals interacting within a shared physical environment that has been modified by human practices to produce food, fuel, and other products. In other words, agroecosystem analysis rests upon a holistic view of human-nature interactions.

Agroecology is the study of agroecosystems. Agroecology, the study of agroecosystems, draws from the fields of agronomy, genetics, and pest ecology to understand the entire system of food production. However, the social sciences, such as sociology, political science, and anthropology, have been helping to inform agroecosystem principles. This has caused the definition of agroecology to broaden to include social systems.

Agroecosystem management, in terms of its ecological components, rests upon the principles of sustainable yields, natural pest regulation through diverse rotations, and building biologically rich soils. The goal is to design farming systems that more closely mimic natural systems. Agroecologists seek to optimize the recycling of nutrients and organic matter, creating an energy loop that requires minimal (if any) synthetic inputs.

Special features of agroecosystems include crop rotations, which provide not only crop nutrients but also help to break up the life cycles of weeds, pests, and disease, reducing the need for herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. Polyculture, where multiple crops inhabit a single field to enhance yields and biomass, is another important feature of agroecosystem management.

Agroforestry systems, in which trees and/or livestock cohabitate and compliment each other, are also gaining in popularity among agroecologists. Animal integration, in which livestock are integrated into a farming system, is yet another feature of ecosystem management. Livestock help to not only increase biomass output, but they also play an important role in recycling nutrients (such as the nitrogenrich manure that can be applied on fields to fertilize crops). The ultimate goal is to integrate components in a manner that increases overall biodiversity, improves biological efficiency, and maintains the selfregulating capacity of the agroecosystem.

Agroecosystems also have a social component. Recent conceptions of agroecology draw as much from the social sciences as the biological sciences. Wellmanaged agroecosystems are designed to ensure that their development processes are locally controlled by indigenous knowledge, with the idea that in the end, no one knows the local natural systems better than the area farmers. Beyond this, agroecology seeks to strengthen communities by encouraging local partnerships between people and development groups by teaching principles of agroecology to community members.

The popularity of agroecology has increased ...