Sustainable Agroecosystem Management – Integrating Ecology Economics and Society

Patrick J. Bohlen, Gar House1420052144, 9781420052145

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.

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Table of contents :
SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT: Integrating Ecology, Economics, and Society……Page 3
Contents……Page 6
Preface……Page 9
The Editors……Page 12
Contributors……Page 14
Table of Contents……Page 0
1.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 17
1.2 CHALLENGES FOR AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY……Page 18
1.3 THE EMERGENCE OF AGROECOLOGY AND THE AGROECOSYSTEM CONCEPT……Page 20
1.4 THE NEED FOR NEW APPROACHES TO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION……Page 21
1.6 PRESERVING AND RESTORING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES……Page 22
REFERENCES……Page 24
Section I: Ben Stinner’s Contribution to Agroecosystem Science……Page 26
2.2.1 THE EARLY YEARS……Page 27
2.2.2 THE MIDDLE YEARS……Page 28
2.3 AGROECOSYSTEMS AS FARMS……Page 29
2.4 AGROECOSYSTEMS AS WATERSHEDS—LINKING ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF AGROECOSYSTEMS MANAGEMENT……Page 30
REFERENCES……Page 32
3.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 35
3.2 SUGAR CREEK METHOD CONCEPT 1: FARMERS AND THE RESEARCHERS WORK AS A TEAM……Page 36
3.3 SUGAR CREEK METHOD CONCEPT 2: ECOLOGICAL PROCESS AND MODES OF INTENSIFICATION……Page 38
3.4 SUGAR CREEK INTEGRATING CONCEPT 3: COUPLING SOCIAL AND NATURAL SYSTEMS IN FRAGMENTED LANDSCAPES……Page 43
3.5 SUGAR CREEK INTEGRATING CONCEPT 4: CREATING VALUE……Page 47
REFERENCES……Page 49
Section II: Unifying Concepts and Principles of Sustainable Agroecosystem Management……Page 53
4.2 SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE……Page 54
4.3 FIRST PRINCIPLES……Page 55
4.3.1 COMMON SENSE……Page 56
4.4 FIRST PRINCIPLES OF AGROECOLOGY……Page 57
4.4.1 ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF AGROECOLOGY……Page 60
4.4.2 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES OF AGROECOLOGY……Page 61
4.4.3 ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES OF AGROECOLOGY……Page 62
REFERENCES……Page 64
5.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 66
5.2 CHALLENGES FACING INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE AS WE ENTER THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY……Page 67
5.3 A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMS APPROACH……Page 69
5.4.1 HOW SHALL WE PROCEED?……Page 70
5.4.2 NEW PARADIGM MODELS……Page 71
5.4.3 WHAT ELSE IS NEEDED?……Page 72
REFERENCES……Page 73
6.2 THE NECESSITY……Page 74
6.3 THE ANCIENT CHALLENGES FOR AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES……Page 76
6.4 THE POSSIBILITY……Page 77
6.6 PERENNIAL GRAINS RESEARCH……Page 79
6.9 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PERENNIAL POLYCULTURE……Page 80
REFERENCES……Page 84
7.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 85
7.3 CURRENT ENERGY USE……Page 86
7.4 WORLD POPULATION GROWTH……Page 88
7.6.1 LAND RESOURCES……Page 90
7.6.2 WATER RESOURCES……Page 92
REFERENCES……Page 93
8.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 97
8.2 INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLON……Page 99
8.2.1 THE HOLON’S ECOLOGY OF CONTEXTS……Page 100
8.2.2 THE HOLON AS NARRATIVE……Page 101
8.2.3 PERSISTENCE OF THE HOLON……Page 102
8.3 THE VARIETY OF FARMS……Page 103
8.4 HOLON AS A TOOL FOR INTERDISCIPLINARITY……Page 104
REFERENCES……Page 105
Section III: Ecological Foundations of Agroecosystem Management……Page 107
CONTENTS……Page 108
9.2 PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (HOW DID WE GET HERE?)……Page 109
9.2.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF AGRICULTURAL REDUCTIONISM……Page 110
9.2.3 COMPLEX SYSTEMS……Page 112
9.3.1 NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS……Page 114
9.3.2 CONTRASTING NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS……Page 115
9.4.1 BELOWGROUND AND ABOVEGROUND LINKAGES……Page 118
9.4.2 BIOLOGICAL BUFFERING……Page 120
9.4.2.1 Soil Communities……Page 122
9.4.2.2 Aboveground Food Webs……Page 123
9.4.2.3 Plant Pathogens and Parasitic Nematodes……Page 125
9.4.2.4 Weeds……Page 126
9.5.1 NEW PARADIGM FOR AGRICULTURAL DESIGN (FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES)……Page 130
9.5.2 OPPOSITION TO ECOLOGICALLY PRINCIPLED AGRICULTURE—ROADBLOCKS TO CHANGE……Page 132
9.6 ADOPTING A SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……Page 134
9.7.1 THE NEXT GREEN REVOLUTION……Page 136
9.8 CONCLUSIONS……Page 138
REFERENCES……Page 139
10.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 147
10.2.1 SOIL AS A METAPHOR……Page 148
10.2.2 VITALISM AND HUMUS THEORY……Page 153
10.2.3 RISE OF MODERN AGRICULTURE AND SPECIALIZATION……Page 155
10.2.4.1 Alternative Agriculture Movements……Page 156
10.2.4.2 Research Traditions……Page 159
10.3.1.1 Ecology and Nature as Conceptual Frameworks……Page 162
10.3.1.2 Applications of Theory to Agriculture……Page 164
10.3.2.1 Natural Systems; Biology, and C and N Cycling……Page 166
10.3.2.2 Agricultural Systems; Biology, and C and N Cycling……Page 167
REFERENCES……Page 169
11.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 177
11.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND……Page 178
11.3 DEPENDENCE OF AGRICULTURE ON BIODIVERSITY……Page 180
11.4.1 POLLINATORS……Page 181
11.4.2 INSECT PESTS……Page 182
11.4.3 DISEASE CONTROL……Page 185
11.5 CULTIVATED PLANTS AND WILD RELATIVES……Page 186
11.7 BIODIVERSITY IN THE SOIL……Page 188
11.8.1 OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL RISKS……Page 191
11.8.2 BIOSAFETY ISSUES……Page 193
11.9 CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY……Page 195
11.9.1 SHIFTS IN AGROECOLOGICAL ZONES……Page 196
11.9.2 PESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE……Page 197
11.10 CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINING FOOD PRODUCTION……Page 198
REFERENCES……Page 199
12.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 204
12.2.1 THE HORSESHOE BEND SITE……Page 205
12.2.2 SAMPLING AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES……Page 206
12.3.1 CROP BIOMASS……Page 207
12.3.3 LITTER BIOMASS……Page 209
12.3.4 CHANGES IN WATER-STABLE AGGREGATES……Page 210
12.3.5 CHANGES IN delta13C IN AGGREGATES……Page 211
12.4.1 AGGREGATE DISTRIBUTION……Page 212
12.4.2 CARBON AND NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS……Page 213
12.4.3 CARBON-13 CONCENTRATIONS AND CARBON TURNOVER……Page 215
REFERENCES……Page 216
Section IV: Managing Acroecosystems and Research to Support Multiple Functions and Outcomes……Page 219
13.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 220
13.2 MULTIFUNCTIONAL AGROECOSYSTEMS……Page 221
13.3 CASE STUDY WATERSHEDS……Page 223
13.3.2 CHIPPEWA RIVER……Page 225
13.3.3 SCENARIO DEVELOPMENT……Page 226
13.4.1 WATER QUALITY……Page 227
13.4.2 FISH POPULATIONS……Page 228
13.4.4 CARBON SEQUESTRATION……Page 230
13.5.2 NET FARM INCOME……Page 231
13.5.3.1 Reduced Sedimentation……Page 232
13.5.4 ECONOMIC BENEFITS……Page 233
13.6 CONSEQUENCES OF DIVERSIFYING AGRICULTURE……Page 234
13.7 POLICY IMPLICATIONS……Page 235
REFERENCES……Page 236
14.1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW……Page 241
14.2.1 FEASIBLE ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC DOMAINS IN AGRICULTURE……Page 242
14.2.2 CONCEPTUALIZING SUSTAINABILITY AS A FITNESS LANDSCAPE……Page 243
14.3.1 THE ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S RANCHES……Page 244
14.3.2 REAL-WORLD SUSTAINABILITY SCENARIOS FOR FLORIDA RANCHLANDS……Page 252
14.4 BROADER IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT……Page 259
REFERENCES……Page 261
15.1 SUMMARY……Page 264
15.3 FARM MAKEUP……Page 265
15.4.1 SOCIAL CHANGES……Page 266
15.4.2 FARM POLICY CHANGES……Page 267
15.4.3 ECONOMICS AND MARKET CHANGES……Page 268
15.4.4 TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES……Page 269
15.5 ENVIRONMENT……Page 270
15.6 FUTURE CHALLENGES IN AGRICULTURE……Page 271
15.7 CONCLUSIONS……Page 272
REFERENCES……Page 273
16.1 INTRODUCTION……Page 275
16.2 BACKGROUND……Page 276
16.3 PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH IN AGRICULTURE……Page 277
16.4 CRITIQUE OF CONVENTIONAL RESEARCH……Page 278
16.5 APPLICATIONS OF PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES IN RESEARCH ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: EXAMPLES FROM NORDIC AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH……Page 279
16.5.1 ORGANIC TOMATO PRODUCTION GROUP……Page 280
16.5.2 CROP PRODUCTION GROUP……Page 281
16.5.3 QUALITATIVE INDICATORS FOR BIODIVERSITY AT THE FARM LEVEL……Page 283
16.6 KEY FINDINGS FROM THE EXAMPLES……Page 284
REFERENCES……Page 285
17.1 THE EXISTING SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE……Page 287
17.2 FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY……Page 288
17.2.1 CHANGING OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD NATURE……Page 289
17.2.2 WHAT WOULD A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY LOOK LIKE?……Page 291
17.3 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: LEARNING HOW TO VIEW AND ADAPT YOUR COMMUNITY USING ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES……Page 296
REFERENCES……Page 298