Sustainable Agroecosystem Management: Integrating Ecology, Economics, and Society

About the Book

Emphasizes Centrality of the Ecosystem Perspective Sustainable management of agroecosystems in the 21st century faces unprecedented challenges. Protecting the environment while feeding a burgeoning population that could reach nine billion by mid-century, preserving the world's biodiversity, and sustaining agriculture in an increasingly urban world is a massive undertaking. Avoiding simple prescriptions for the application of ecological principles to agriculture, Sustainable Agroecosystem Management: Integrating Ecology, Economics, and Society emphasizes the continued centrality of the ecosystem perspective, and the need to integrate ecological, economic, and social considerations in agroecosystem science and management. Truly Interdisciplinary in Scope With contributions from distinguished leaders in the field of sustainable agriculture, this authoritative book first delineates the present and future challenges agroecosystems face. It then reviews the important contributions made by Dr. Ben Stinner, a pioneer in the field of agroecosystem ecology. Providing historical background of attempts to connect the ecological and agricultural sciences, this standard-setting resource highlights recent efforts to integrate natural and social science perspectives. It also examines the challenges for developing integrated approaches to agroecosystem management. Through a variety of case studies with global applications, the text makes it abundantly clear that purely technological approaches are insufficient for solving the food systems problems of the future. It explores practical innovative strategies, policies, and research needs necessary to develop management approaches that emphasize whole system productivity, diversify agricultural operations, and sustain multiple functions, including ecological integrity.

Table of Contents:

Agroecosystem Management for the Twenty-First Century: Sustaining Ecosystems, Economies, and Communities in a Time of Global Change. BEN STINNER’S CONTRIBUTION TO AGROECOSYSTEM SCIENCE. Evolution of Agroecosystem Management in the Life of Benjamin R. Stinner: A Reflection on His Journey and Legacy. Ecological Integration of the Social and Natural Sciences in the Sugar Creek Method. UNIFYING CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT. Rethinking the First Principles of Agroecology: Ecological, Social, and Economic. Potential for a New Generation of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems. The Necessity and Possibility of an Agriculture Where Nature Is the Measure. Energy and Human Population Growth: The Role of Agriculture. Beyond Systems Thinking in Agroecology: Holons, Intentionality, and Resonant Configurations. ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT. Ecology-Based Agriculture and the Next Green Revolution: Is Modern Agriculture Exempt from the Laws of Ecology? Agroecosystem Integrity and the Internal Cycling of Nutrients. The Role of Biodiversity in Agronomy and Agroecosystem Management in the Coming Century. Long-Term Consequences of Biological and Biogeochemical Changes in the Horseshoe Bend Long-Term Agroecosystem Project. MANAGING ACROECOSYSTEMS AND RESEARCH TO SUPPORT MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS AND OUTCOMES. Challenges and Benefits of Developing Multifunctional Agroecosystems. Conceptual Model for Integrating Ecological and Economic Sustainability in Agroecosystems: An Example from Subtropical Grazing Lands. Principles of Dynamic Integrated Agricultural Systems. Participatory Approaches and Stakeholder Involvement in Sustainable Agriculture Research. Retrofitting Suburban Landscapes with Sustainable Agroecosystems. Index.

About the Author :
Patrick J. Bohlen , Gar House

Review :
... a fascinating overview of how Utopia might be achieved and the scholarship continues to be impressive: Moses, Aristotle and VIrgil are all name-checked ... . Further chapters offer a rich mix of case studies and conceptual ideas. The book is true to its title and despite some inevitable overlaps, forms a satisfying whole. --S.J. Ramsden, in Experimental Agriculture, (2010), Volume 46 (3) This timely work shows us how the early concept of an agricultural ecosystem has evolved into a focus on the complexity of sustainable agroecosystem management. Concepts, principles, ecological foundations, and multifunctionality provide food for thought and action. This book takes agroecology to the next level. --Stephen Gliessman, Alfred and Ruth Heller Professor of Agroecology, University of California, Santa Cruz Today, agriculture contributes to climate change and loss of biodiversity while placing the world's food system in peril by its dependence on depleting fossil fuels. Agriculture could sequester atmospheric carbon, produce energy sustainably, and restore habitat--but only through a profound transformation of farming practices. This book represents the leading edge of thinking and research on the main issues in this urgently needed transition. It is required reading for anyone involved in agriculture at any level. --Richard Heinberg, Author, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute A superb compendium of the latest thinking on ecologically sound food production written for scholars, growers, and serious laypersons alike. In the world of agroecology, growing food sustainably is something in which all of us can and should be involved. This book helps prepare us for that involvement." --Kurt Cobb, Energy and Environmental Writer, Resource Insights, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA