Download or read book Ecological Principles of Agriculture written by Laura E. Powers and published by Cengage Learning. This book was released on 2000 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to ecology and ecological principles for agricultural students with no prior coursework in ecology.
Download or read book The Conversion to Sustainable Agriculture written by Stephen R. Gliessman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-12-21 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With all of the environmental and social problems confronting our food systems today, it is apparent that none of the strategies we have relied on in the pasthigher-yielding varieties, increased irrigation, inorganic fertilizers, pest damage reductioncan be counted on to come to the rescue. In fact, these solutions are now part of the problem. It i
Download or read book The Ecological Gardener written by Matt Rees-Warren and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2021-04-29 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Design a garden for the future—because what we grow matters. "Matt Rees-Warren explains why every square inch of Earth, including our gardens, has ecological significance... Excellent, timely, essential!" —Douglas W. Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope Transform your garden into a self-sustaining haven for nature and wildlife. Ecological garden designer Matt Rees-Warren shares inspirational design ideas and practical projects to help you create a garden that is both beautiful today and sustainable tomorrow. The Ecological Gardener will give you the tools to create an abundant, healthy garden from the soil up—a garden that welcomes birds and bees and allows native planting and wild flowers to flourish, with minimal carbon impact or need for fresh water. This book can guide both novice and experienced gardeners alike in their journey to a more ecological approach, and is full of practical projects and information, including: Finding the right design for your space Creating a wildflower meadow Building rainwater catchments and other tips for water conservation Making compost from kitchen waste, leaf mold, compost tea and more Creating a space for wildlife such as hedgehogs, bees and other pollinators Finding beauty in your garden during the winter Matt will show you how to re-imagine how you garden, working with nature instead of controlling it, to create a space that promotes both wildlife and beauty.
Download or read book Ecological Principles and Environmental Issues written by Peter J. Jarvis and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2000 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concise, international introduction to core ecology through key environmental issues such as biodiversity, global warming and habitat restoration.
Download or read book Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 28 written by Sabrina Gaba and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-05-16 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents ecological principles and applications of managing biodiversity in agriculture to decrease pesticide use and produce safe food. Major topics include ecosystem services biological pest control, conservation agriculture, drought stress, and soil biodiversity, carbon and fertilisation.
Download or read book Agroecological Practices For Sustainable Agriculture Principles Applications And Making The Transition written by Wezel Alexander and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2017-06-19 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Good agroecological practices are indispensable for the development of sustainable agriculture. In this book, principles, diversity and applications of agroecological practices for a range of systems are presented, transforming scientific research and participatory knowledge of production into practical application. It illustrates a broad range of research and teaching being used within the farming community to demonstrate best practice and current state-of-play within the field. Agroecological methods used in crop farming, grass-based livestock farming, fish production, and other complex farming systems are discussed. Conclusions are drawn from studies to provide an outlook on future trends of agroecological practices and on policies supporting implementation. Due to emphasis on real-life application, it is relevant not only to students of the agricultural sciences and public policy, but also to researchers, stakeholders and policy makers involved in the development of sustainable agriculture.
Download or read book The Ecology of Agroecosystems written by John Vandermeer and published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. This book was released on 2011 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. The Ecology of Agroecosystems highlights a collection of alternative agricultural methodologies and philosophies and provides an interdisciplinary approach that bridges the sociopolitical and historical context of agriculture. It includes the technical issues in a serious and ecological fashion and captures the complex merging of ecology, agriculture, politics and economics in both a historical and contemporary context. Readers will learn not only about the ethical and moral elements related to producing food of questionable quality while possibly impairing the environment, but also about the soil chemistry involved.
Download or read book The Black Earth written by Igori Arcadie Krupenikov and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-03-23 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Soil is the Earth’s living skin. It provides anchorage for roots, holds water long enough for plants to make use of it and the nutrients that sustain life – otherwise the Earth would be as barren as Mars. It is home to myriad micro-organisms and armies of microscopic animals as well as the familiar earthworm that accomplish biochemical transformations from fixing atmospheric nitrogen to recycling wastes; it receives and process all fresh water, provides the foundations for our built environment; and comprises the biggest global carbon store that we know how to manage. This book is about the best soil in the world - the black earth or chernozem: how it is being degraded by farming and how it may be farmed sustainably. Industrialisation of farming has laid bare contradictions between the unforgiving laws of ecology and economics. Soil organic matter is the fuel that powers soil systems and the cement that holds the soil together – and in place – but agriculture is burning it up faster than it is being formed: even the chernozem cannot long survive this treatment. Here is the evidence for this trend and, based on long-term field experiments, ecological principles for sustainable agriculture that can reverse the trend and, at the same time, feed the world. Unlike other volumes in the series, this is not an edited collection of scientific papers. The authors have chosen the classical monograph to be near to the reader from beginning to end - to convey their anxiety about the state of the land and their optimism about the possibility of retrieving the situation by changing the social and political approach to the land so as to provide the necessary incentives for sustainable land use and management.
Download or read book Integrating Sustainable Agriculture Ecology and Environmental Policy written by Richard Olson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-02 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find an interdiscliplinary view of sustainable agriculture that emphasizes the potential contributions of ecology to agricultural sustainability in this groundbreaking book. Integrating Sustainable Agriculture, Ecology, and Environmental Policy explores how ecological knowledge, applied as part of a multidisciplinary effort, can be used to design a sustainable and environmentally sound agriculture. A more ecologically based agriculture can increase production efficiency and decrease environmental impacts, but hard choices regarding population control, energy conservation, and land use must still be made. This interdisciplinary approach ensures that the results are beneficial to all components, for example, an ecologically based management scheme which bankrupts the farmer is not considered a viable option for sustainable agriculture. These thought-provoking chapters are an excellent introduction to the contributions of ecological principles to an environmentally sound sustainable agriculture. This multidisciplinary examination provides readers interested in agriculture with a valuable introduction to related work in other fields including ecology and economics. Agronomists, ecologists, educators, and policymakers will find essential information on diverse topics including: the definition and measurement of ecological sustainability in agriculture landscape ecology and the design of sustainable agricultural landscapes soil ecology as a foundation for sustainable agriculture Federal agricultural policies as incentives or deterrent to sustainable agriculture applying farming systems research and extension to sustainable agriculture population growth and other threats to sustainable agriculture environmental policies and their effects on sustainable agriculture the role of precollege education in developing sustainable agriculture
Download or read book Ecology in Agriculture written by Louise E. Jackson and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on the ecology of agricultural ecosystems, this volume aims to demonstrate how the fundamental principles of ecology operate in agricultural settings and how these principles can be used to increase the productivity, sustainability and environmental quality of crop production. Chapters cover agricultural topics in physiological ecology, community ecology and ecosystems ecology. They also provide examples from crop species and production systems. Other features include an ecological perspective on agricultural production and resource utilization, reviews of issues in crop ecology by researchers and examples of ecological approaches to solving problems in crop management and environmental quality.
Download or read book Agroecology written by Stephen R. Gliessman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-12-09 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecology is a science, a productive practice, and part of a social movement that is at the forefront of transforming food systems to sustainability. Building upon the ecological foundation of the agroecosystem, Agroecology: The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, Third Edition provides the essential foundation for understanding sustainability i
Download or read book Sustainable Agroecosystem Management written by Patrick J. Bohlen and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-03-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Perspectives for Agronomy written by M.K. van Ittersum and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1997-12-11 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the 4th ESA-Congress, held in the Netherlands, 7-11 July 1996, a new perspective for agronomy emerged. Various contributions demonstrate the need for a new role of agronomy and its tools. In recent decades, agriculture has evolved from an activity with mainly productivity aims, into an issue conciliating environmental, agricultural, and economic and social objectives. Placing agriculture in such a broadened perspective requires a different agronomy, with new tools and approaches at a range of aggregration levels. It calls for detailed knowledge concerning the functioning, productivity and ecological relationships of agricultural plants and crops. In addition, it calls for a constant update and synthesis of existing and newly generated knowledge, the design of new ideotypes and genotypes, new production technologies, cropping systems, farming systems and agro-ecological land use systems. This proceedings book presents a set of case studies illustrating the various agronomic tools that can be used for specific agronomic questions. The case studies are grouped in sections illustrating relevant subquestions in developing an agriculture with broadened objectives. The book starts with an introductory paper on the role of agronomy in research and education in Europe. The second section deals with agricultural land use, food security and environment. This is followed by a set of papers describing experimental research and modeling approaches used to design new ideotypes of crops, including physiological properties in relation to growth factors such as radiation, CO2, temperature and water. Sustained soil fertility directly links to nutrient cycling and soil organic matter. A selected set of papers addresses the improvements in resource use efficiency and as such their contribution towards economic, environmental and agricultural objectives. The final section addresses the design of integrated and ecological arable farming systems. It highlights the role of prototyping interaction with leading-edge farmers, as promising tools to design, implement and test new farming systems. It is hoped that the activities of the European Society for Agronomy and the Proceedings of its 4th Congress will stimulate to serve the new perspectives of agronomy, i.e. to adopt ecological principles, to optimally manage the use of resources and to meet social and economic objectives.
Download or read book Introduction to Agroecology written by Paul Wojtkowski and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-10-17 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A crucial reference/textbook that provides a wide spectrum of information in one easily understandable source The essence of agroecology lies in harnessing and harmonizing the forces of nature for productive purpose. Introduction to Agroecology: Principles and Practices comprehensively explains how this is done, providing a detailed, inclusive look at the underlying theories, concepts, and practices. This allows the reader to explore the full range of possibilities of the nature/agricultural interface and to view agroecology in its entirety, all while providing a clear understanding of the inherent complexity. Productive threats to cropping such as soil depletion, drought, plant-eating insects, heat and cold, weeds, and small and large animals are discussed in depth—with preventative strategies for each—all together in one easy-to-use book. This unique introductory reference source is not only aimed at the novice, but also the more advanced student. In a departure from the norm for introductory material, extensive endnotes elaborate upon the basic information, presenting a full look at the arguments and controversies within the field. The endnotes include over 500 citations, offering a broad window that encompasses ecology, sociology, conservation and environmental studies, and several other fields. The text also contains numerous charts, figures, and tables to clarify data and ideas. Introduction to Agroecology reviews and discusses: agroecological goals, such as profit, quality of life, and minimum disturbance of the natural ecosystem spatial principles, with resource concepts such as capture, production, balance, and biodiversity planting densities, ratios, and spatial patterns facilitation of nutrient and water capture-transfer ecosystem governance certainty-sustainability threats, such as drought, wind, flood, temperature, and fire the use of fences, repellant plants, fauna, and other means to stave off large animal threats basic insect countermeasures agrotechnologies subdivision, scaling, design packages, agrobiodiversity adjustments, and mimicry monocultures seasonal intercropping facilitative and productive agroforestry the use of reservoirs, corridors, wind structures, riparian buffers, firebreaks, and other means as auxiliary systems land modification social and community agroecology core approaches to alternative agriculture, including genetic, microbial, varietal, rotational, and others agroecosystem design many, many more topics Introduction to Agroecology is a unique and accessible reference for those who seek a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and practices that provide a solid foundation for the study of agroecology, including researchers, extension advisors, instructors, and students.
Download or read book Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture written by Fred Magdoff and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2004-05-27 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recognition of the importance of soil organic matter (SOM) in soil health and quality is a major part of fostering a holistic, preventive approach to agricultural management. Students in agronomy, horticulture, and soil science need a textbook that emphasizes strategies for using SOM management in the prevention of chemical, biological, and physical problems. Soil Organic Matter in Sustainable Agriculture gathers key scientific reviews concerning issues that are critical for successful SOM management. This textbook contains evaluations of the types of organic soil constituents—organisms, fresh residues, and well-decomposed substances. It explores the beneficial effects of organic matter on soil and the various practices that enhance SOM. Chapters include an examination of the results of crop management practices on soil organisms, organic matter gains and losses, the significance of various SOM fractions, and the contributions of fungi and earthworms to soil quality and crop growth. Emphasizing the prevention of imbalances that lead to soil and crop problems, the text also explores the development of soils suppressive to plant diseases and pests, and relates SOM management to the supply of nutrients to crops. This book provides the essential scientific background and poses the challenging questions that students need to better understand SOM and develop improved soil and crop management systems.
Download or read book Agroecological Economics written by Paul Wojtkowski and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2010-07-28 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. Agroecological economics, a subsection of agricultural economics, evaluates the ecological consequences of agricultural methods on the economic scale. Agroecological economics considers green engineering as a means of measurement. As the environmental movement unfolds, the importance of biodiversity and long-term sustainability are indisputable. Progress depends on determining the economic viability of terrestrial agroecosystems. What is lacking is the analysis needed to bring biodiverse and sustainable systems to fruition. Agroecological Economics analyzes the current topics that must be addressed in order to provide sustainable agricultural systems. It explains the economics of land-use ecology with emphasis on changing over from a conventional model of agriculture to environmentally- and ecologically-friendly models and the financial incentives that are important to these practices. Analyzes agricultural solutions with economic testing Includes a complete analysis of recent biodiversity-based research with valuable new economic methodologies Provides various applications to mitigate the problems which have economic and ecological effects on agroecosystems Offers applications of ecologically-sound land-use practices in production and manufacturing
Download or read book Whole Farm Planning written by Elizabeth Henderson and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2011-04-15 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do whole-farming planning? What makes it more effective than other ways of managing farms? The answers to these questions lie in a quiet rediscovery through science that is fundamentally changing the way modern humans see and must manage the world. The goal of this whole-farm planning manual is to reintroduce a macroscopic method of making and testing decisions on the farm and in larger wholes in which we live. This NOFA guide has information on: Lessons from systems science (including tools) Assessing the whole farm (what are we managing? the people, physical and mental assets, money) Understanding the farm ecosystems (the water and mineral cycles, dynamics of the biological community, the energy flow) Choosing appropriate tools Making a framework to test decisions Including examples and statements from practicing farmers, and more holistic resources and alternative business models.
