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Agroecology and Agroecosystems By Stephen R. Gliessman

Agroecology and Agroecosystems By Stephen R. Gliessman. Jeremy Nelson. Intro. Agriculture more than an economic activity to maximize production and profit Environmental and social components too Sustainability as a means to balance the interactions

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Agroecology and Agroecosystems By Stephen R. Gliessman

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  1. Agroecology and AgroecosystemsBy Stephen R. Gliessman Jeremy Nelson

  2. Intro • Agriculture • more than an economic activity to maximize production and profit • Environmental and social components too • Sustainability as a means to balance the interactions • Agroecology as a way to achieve sustainability

  3. Agroecology • Agriculture as a stream, individual farms are points along it • Upstream impacts on farms • Labor availability and cost • Market access for goods produced • Legislative policies – water & pesticide use, animal care • Downstream effects of farms • Soil erosion and groundwater depletion • Pollution of water, air, soil, food

  4. Agroecology cont. • Ecosystems: • Functional system of relations between organisms and environment • Maintain relative equillibrium; thus sustainable • Agroecosystems work to balance biological, physical, chemical, ecological, cultural interactions • To achieve andsustain yields • Created through human manipulation of an environment for agproduction

  5. Agroecosystems cont. • Created through human manipulation of an environment for agproduction • Changes key aspects of the natural ecosystem; called emergent qualities • 4 key qualities • Energy flow • Nutrient cycling • Population regulation • Dynamic equilibrium

  6. Application • Indigenous farm systems are sustainable agroecosystems • Example of how cultures and local environments coevolved to balance all the needs of people • Ecological, technological, soio-economic • Illustrates importance of… • Intimate knowledge of local ecology • Perceiving the farm as part of a much larger system

  7. Conclusion • Agricultural systems cannot be regarded solely as production driven by economic forces • Nor can we disregard interrelations of agriculture and ecosystems • “By properly selecting and understanding the ‘upstream’ inputs into agriculture, we can be assured that what we send ‘downstream’ will promote a sustainable future” (Gliessman 2004: 113)

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