Sustainable agroecosystem management : integrating ecology, economics, and society

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.

Author Notes

Patrick J. Bohlen , Gar House

Patrick J. Bohlen and Gar HouseDeborah H. StinnerRichard H. MooreJohn E. IkerdFrederick L. KirschenmannWes Jackson and Stan Cox and Lee DeHaan and Jerry Glover and David Van Tassel and Cindy CoxDavid PimentelWilliam L. Bland and Michael M. BellP. Larry PhelanMichelle WanderDaniel Hillel and Cynthia RosenzweigDavid C. Coleman and Mark D. Hunter and Paul F. Hendrix and D.A. Crossley and Jr., Sofia Arce-Flores and Breana Simmons and Kyle WickingsJohn Westra and George BoodyPatrick J. Bohlen and Hilary M. SwainKarin Eksvärd and Lennart Salomonsson and Charles Francis and Nadarajah Sriskandarajah and Karin Svanäng and Geir Lieblein and Johanna Björklund and Ulrika GeberGar House

Preface	p. xi
The Editors	p. xv
Contributors	p. xvii
Chapter 1 Agroecosystem Management for the Twenty-First Century: Sustaining Ecosystems, Economies, and Communities in a Time of Global Change	p. 1
Section I Ben Stinner's Contribution to Agroecosystem Science
Chapter 2 Evolution of Agroecosystem Management in the Life of Benjamin R. Stinner: A Reflection on His Journey and Legacy	p. 13
Chapter 3 Ecological Integration of the Social and Natural Sciences in the Sugar Creek Method	p. 21
Section II Unifying Concepts and Principles of Sustainable Agroecosystem Management
Chapter 4 Rethinking the First Principles of Agroecology: Ecological, Social, and Economic	p. 41
Chapter 5 Potential for a New Generation of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems	p. 53
Chapter 6 The Necessity and Possibility of an Agriculture Where Nature Is the Measure	p. 61
Chapter 7 Energy and Human Population Growth: The Role of Agriculture	p. 73
Chapter 8 Beyond Systems Thinking in Agroecology: Holons, Intentionality, and Resonant Configurations	p. 85
Section III Ecological Foundations of Agroecosystem Management
Chapter 9 Ecology-Based Agriculture and the Next Green Revolution: Is Modern Agriculture Exempt from the Laws of Ecology?	p. 97
Chapter 10 Agroecosystem Integrity and the Internal Cycling of Nutrients	p. 137
Chapter 11 The Role of Biodiversity in Agronomy and Agroecosystem Management in the Coming Century	p. 167
Chapter 12 Long-Term Consequences of Biological and Biogeochemical Changes in the Horseshoe Bend Long-Term Agroecosystem Project	p. 195
Section IV Managing Acroecosystems and Research to Support Multiple Functions and Outcomes
Chapter 13 Challenges and Benefits of Developing Multifunctional Agroecosystems	p. 213
Chapter 14 Conceptual Model for Integrating Ecological and Economic Sustainability in Agroecosystems: An Example from Subtropical Grazing Lands	p. 235
Chapter 15 Principles of Dynamic Integrated Agricultural Systems: Lessons Learned from an Examination of Southeast Production SystemsGretchen F. Sassenrath and Jon D. Hanson and John R. Hendrickson and David W. Archer and John F. Halloran and Jeffrey J. Steiner\|p259
Chapter 16 Participatory Approaches and Stakeholder Involvement in Sustainable Agriculture Research	p. 271
Chapter 17 Retrofitting Suburban Landscapes with Sustainable Agroecosystems	p. 283
Index	p. 297

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Table of Contents