Agro ecology Concept
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Transcript of Agro ecology Concept
AN APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RESOURSE
MANAGEMENT
OutlineDefinitionsConcept of Agro ecosystemDifference between manipulated
Agroecology and Natural EcologySustainable AgricultureBiodiversification and AgroecologySustainable AgroecosystemsAgroecology and the Design of Sustainable
Agroecosystems
EcologyThe study of interactions between organisms and their environment.
Agroecology It is the study of ecological processes that operate in agricultural production systems ORAn ecological approach to agriculture that views agricultural areas as ecosystems and is concerned with the ecological impact of agricultural practices.
EcosystemAn ecosystem is a community of living organisms in combination with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. Components of an EcosystemABIOTIC COMPONENTS BIOTIC COMPONENTS Sunlight Primary producers Temperature Herbivores Precipitation Carnivores Water or moisture Omnivores Soil or water chemistry (e.g., P, NH4+) Detritivores etc. etc.
Biotic components of an ecosystem
Concept of AgroecosystemAgriculture + ecosystem = Agroecosystem
AgroecosystemA spatially and functionally coherent unit of agricultural activity which includes the living and nonliving components involved in that unit as well as their interactions.
Concept of AgroecosystemAgroecosystems can be manipulated to improve production and to produce more sustainably, with fewer negative environmental or social impacts and fewer external inputs.
Difference between manipulated Agroecology and Natural Ecology
Five ways difference: MonocultureCrops generally planted in rowsSimplification of biodiversity (i.e. the degree
of variation of life)Plough which exposes soil to erosionUse of genetically modified organisms and
artificially selected crops
Semi-domesticated ecosystems that fall on a gradient between ecosystems that have experienced minimal human impact, and those under maximum human control.
Examples - Integrated pest management aims to control problematic pests through introduction of other species, not application of pesticides or herbicides to kill that pest. Method of intercropping.
Elimination of unsustainable practices such as increasingly intensified pesticide use.
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREThe efficient production of safe, high quality agricultural products, in a way that protects and improves: the natural environment the social and economic conditions of farmers their employees and local communitiessafeguards the health and welfare of all farmed species
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
A whole-system approach to food, feed, and fiber production that balances environmental soundness, social equity, and economic viability among all sectors of the public, including international and intergenerational people.
BiodiversificationAnd Agroecology
Objective of Agroecology is to provide balanced environments, sustained yields, biologically mediated soil fertility and natural pest regulation through the design of diversified Agroecosystem and the use of low-input technologies.
By designing farming systems that mimic nature, optimal use can be made of sunlight, soil nutrients and rainfall.
The optimal behavior of Agroecosystems depends on the level of interactions between the various biotic and abiotic components and keeping synergies among them is the key word.
SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEMSMaintain their natural resources
Rely on minimum artificial inputs from outside the farm system
Manage pests and diseases through internal regulating mechanisms
Recover from the disturbances caused by cultivation and harvest
Agroecology and the Design of Sustainable AgroecosystemsCombining the different components of the farm
system, i.e. plants, animals, soil, water, climate and people, so that they balance each other and have the greatest possible synergetic effects.
Reducing the use of off-farm, external and non-renewable inputs.
Relying mainly on resources within the agroecosystems by replacing external inputs .
Improving the match between cropping patterns and the productive potential and environmental constraints of climate and landscape.
Agroecology provides the knowledge and methodology
necessary for developing an agriculture that is on the
one hand environmentally sound and on the other
hand highly productive, socially equitable and
economically viable.
Agroecological design is to integrate components so
that overall biological efficiency is improved,
biodiversity is preserved, and the agroecosystems
productivity and its self-regulating capacity is
maintained.
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