AGROECOLOGY, ECOSYSTEMS, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Summary

We hear a lot about how agriculture affects climate change and other environmental issues, but we hear little about how these issues affect agriculture. When we look at both sides of the issues, we can develop better solutions for sustainable agriculture without adversely affecting the environment. Agroecology, Ecosystems, and Sustainability explores a modern vision of ecology and agricultural systems, so that crop production can be sustainably developed without further environmental degradation.

With contributions from experts from more than 20 countries, the book describes how to make the transition to modern agroecology to help the environment. It examines the global availability of natural resources and how agroecology could allow the world population to reach the goal of global sustainable ecological, agricultural, and food production systems. The book discusses important principles that regulate agroecological systems, including crop production, soil management, and environment preservation.

Making the link between theory and practices, the book includes examples of agroecology such as an interdisciplinary framework for the management of integrated production and conservation landscapes and the use of mechanized rain-fed farming and its ecological impact on drylands. An examination of how ecology and agriculture can be allied to ensure food production and security without threatening our environment, the text shows you how natural resources can be used in a manner to create a "symbiosis" to preserve ecological systems and develop agriculture.

Table of Contents

Soil Biogeochemistry: From Molecular to Ecosystem Level Using Terra Preta and Biochar as Examples, Bruno Glaser
Factors and Mechanisms Regulating Soil Organic Carbon in Agricultural Systems, Yadunath Bajgai, Paul Kristiansen, Nilantha Hulugalle, and Melinda McHenry
Carbon Capture and Use as an Alternative to Carbon Capture and Storage, Bruno Glaser and Per Espen Stoknes
Agroecology of Agromicrobes, Manindra Nath Jha, Shankar Jha, and Sanjeet Kumar Chourasia
Management of Rhizosphere Microorganisms in Relation to Plant Nutrition and Health, John Larsen, Miguel Nájera Rincón, Carlos González Esquivel, and Mayra E. Gavito
Mechanized Rain-Fed Farming and Its Ecological Impact on the Drylands: The Case of Gedarif State, Sudan, Yasin Abdalla Eltayeb Elhadary
The Paradox of Arable Weeds: Diversity, Conservation, and Ecosystem Services of the Unwanted, Jaime Fagúndez
Proteomics Potential and Its Contribution toward Sustainable Agriculture, Abhijit Sarkar, Md. Tofazzal Islam, Sajad Majeed Zargar, Vivek Dogra, Sun Tae Kim, Ravi Gupta, Renu Deswal, Ganesh Bagler, Yelam Sreenivasulu, Rungaroon Waditee-Sirisattha, Sophon Sirisattha, Jai Singh Rohila, Manish Raorane, Ajay Kohli, Dea-Wook Kim, Kyoungwon Cho, Abdiani Attiq Saidajan, Ganesh Kumar Agrawal, and Randeep Rakwal
The Food System Approach in Agroecology Supported by Natural and Social Sciences: Topics, Concepts, Applications, Alexander Wezel, Philippe Fleury, Christophe David, and Patrick Mundler
Agroecology Applications in Tropical Agriculture Systems, Noureddine Benkeblia and Charles A. Francis
Agroforestry Adaptation and Mitigation Options for Smallholder Farmers Vulnerable to Climate Change, Brenda B. Lin
Agroecology for Sustainable Coastal Ecosystems: A Case for Mangrove Forest Restoration, Mona Webber, Dale Webber, and Camilo Trench
Suggesting an Interdisciplinary Framework for the Management of Integrated Production and Conservation Landscapes in a Transfrontier Conservation Area of Southern Africa, Munyaradzi Chitakira, Emmanuel Torquebiau, Willem Ferguson, and Kevin Mearns
Agroecology in Central Appalachia: Framing Problems and Facilitating Solutions, Sean Clark
Can Agroecological Practices Feed the World?: The Bio- and Ecoeconomic Paradigm in Agri-Food Production, Lummina G. Horlings
Vermont Agricultural Resilience in a Changing Climate: A Transdisciplinary and Participatory Action Research (PAR) Processm Rachel Schattman, Ernesto Méndez, Katherine Westdijk, Martha Caswell, David Conner, Christopher Koliba, Asim Zia, Stephanie Hurley, Carol Adair, Linda Berlin, and Heather Darby
Experiential Learning Using the Open-Ended Case: Future Agroecology Education, Charles A. Francis, Lennart Salomonsson, Geir Lieblein, Tor Arvid Breland, and Suzanne Morse
Index