New Dimensions in Agroecology

Reduce the environmentally negative aspects of industrial agriculture with an ecologically sound philosophy! New Dimensions in Agroecology explores the latest developments in the emerging science of agroecology, focusing on how these new concepts and cutting-edge tools will help minimize the impact of agriculture on the environment and foster the use of sustainable agricultural practices. This book expands your scope of thinking by providing information on current innovative agroecological research and education as well as emerging issues, such as biotechnology and climate change. Prominent specialists from around the world offer a diversity of stimulating perspectives and topics that will benefit agricultural researchers, extension personnel, and upper-level students in agroecology, ecology, and agronomy programs. In New Dimensions in Agroecology, you will learn why conventional agriculture practices frequently result in environmental problems such as eutrophication at the landscape scale, reduction in soil quality, and decreased biodiversity. This timely tool contributes practical suggestions to design sustainable crop and meat production systems that replace current wasteful and unsustainable industrial agriculture to nourish the world without major damage to the health and quality of our total environment. The book points to future possibilities for research and application with the hope that agroecology becomes the new discipline in agricultural issues rather than just a buzzword. New Dimensions in Agroecology covers groundbreaking investigations on a wide variety of agriculture and ecology, including: holistic landscape-level approaches the integration of ecological principles into cropping systems the utilization of biodiversity in agriculture new ways of seeing the soil in agrosystems ecological pest management and its extension and much more! New Dimensions in Agroecology goes beyond preserving the total sustainability of our agricultural systems, including social, environmental, and economic measures of sustainability in the equation. Generously enhanced with tables, figures, models, and diagrams, this book scrutinizes the current state of affairs in agriculture and presents a better solution. Change will not come easily, but this text is the first step towards a new, environmentally acceptable way.