Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies

by Gliessman; Stephen R.

• ISBN13: 9780849308949
• ISBN10: 0849308941
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-09-25
• Publisher: CRC Press

Summary

Agroecologists from around the world share their experiences in the analysis and development of indicators of agricultural sustainability in Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies. The authors build on the resource-conserving aspects of traditional, local, and small-scale agriculture while at the same time drawing on modern ecological knowledge and methods. They define the relationship between agroecology and sustainable development.Leading researchers present case studies that attempt to determine 1) if a particular agricultural practice, input, or management decision is sustainable, and 2) what is the ecological basis for the functioning of the chosen management strategy over the long term. They discuss common findings, define the future role of agroecology, and explore strategies for helping farmers make the transition to sustainable farming systems.Preserving the productivity of agricultural land over the long term requires sustainable food production. Agroecosystem Sustainability: Developing Practical Strategies covers topics that range from management practices specific to a particular region to more global efforts to develop sets of indicators of sustainability. It links social and ecological indicators of sustainability. From this foundation we can move towards the social and economic changes that promote sustainability in all sectors of the food system.

Table of Contents

Section I Increasing Sustainability
The Ecological Foundations of Agroecosystem Sustainability	3	(12)
Stephen R. Gliessman
Increasing Sustainability in Mediterranean Cropping Systems with Self-Reseeding Annual Legumes	15	(14)
Fabio Caporali
Enio Campiglia
Manipulating Plant Biodiversity to Enhance Biological Control of Insect Pests: A Case Study of a Northern California Organic Vineyard	29	(22)
Clara I. Nicholls
Miguel A. Altieri
An Assessment of Tropical Homegardens as Examples of Sustainable Local Agroforestry Systems	51	(16)
V. Ernesto Mendez
Improving Agroecosystem Sustainability Using Organic (Plant-Based) Mulch	67	(28)
Martha E. Rosemeyer
Section II Assessing Sustainability
Nitrogen and the Sustainable Village	95	(10)
Erle C. Ellis
Rong Gang Li
Lin Zhang Yang
Xu Cheng
Nematode Communities as Ecological Indicators of Agroecosystem Health	105	(16)
Deborah A. Neher
Field-Scale Nutrient Cycling and Sustainability: Comparing Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems	121	(16)
Joji Muramoto
Erle C. Ellis
Zhengfang Li
Rodrigo M. Machado
Stephen R. Gliessman
Section III Combining Social and Ecological Indicators of Sustainability
Assessing Agricultural Sustainability Using the Six-Pillar Model: Iran as a Case Study	137	(16)
Abbas Farshad
Joseph A. Zinck
Coevolutionary Agroecology: A Policy Oriented Analysis of Socioenvironmental Dynamics, with Special Reference to Forest Margins in North Lampung, Indonesia	153	(24)
Remi Gautheir
Graham Woodgate
Operationalizing the Concept of Sustainability in Agriculture: Characterizing Agroecosystems on a Multi-Criteria, Multiple Scale Performance Space	177	(26)
Mario Giampietro
Gianni Pastore
Index	203